31. By the warriors' host | was the living hero
Cast in the den | where crawling about
Within were serpents, | but soon did Gunnar
With his hand in wrath | on the harp-strings smite;
The strings resounded,-- | so shall a hero,
A ring-breaker, gold | from his enemies guard.
32. Then Atli rode | on his earth-treading steed,
Seeking his home, | from the slaughter-place;
There was clatter of hoofs | of the steeds in the court,
And the clashing of arms | as they came from the field.
33. Out then came Guthrun | to meeting with Atli,
With a golden beaker | as gift to the monarch:
"Thou mayst eat now, chieftain, | within thy dwelling,
Blithely with Guthrun | young beasts fresh slaughtered."
34. The wine-heavy ale-cups | of Atli resounded,
When there in the hall | the Hunnish youths clamored,
And the warriors bearded, | the brave ones, entered.
35. Then in came the shining one, | . . . . .
. . . . . | and drink she bore them;
Unwilling and bitter | brought she food to the warrior,
Till in scorn to the white-faced | Atli did she speak:
[31. Six Fornyrthislag lines which editors have tried to reconstruct in all sorts of ways. The manuscript marks line 5 as the beginning of a new stanza,
Regarding the serpents' den, Gunnar's harp-playing, and the manner of his death, cf. Drop Niflunga and Oddrunargratr, 27-30, and notes. In Atlamol, 62,
Gunnar plays the harp with his feet, his hands being bound, and some editors change hand in line 4 to "foot." Lines 5-6 may be interpolated, or, as Bugge
maintains, lines 1-4 may have been expanded out of two lines.
32. The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a new stanza. Two (possibly three) of the lines appear to, be in Fornyrthislag. Field: so the manuscript,
involving a metrical error; many editions have "wood."
33. Young beasts: Guthrun means Atli's sons, Erp and Eitil, but of course he thinks she refers to newly slaughtered beasts; cf. Guthrunarkvitha II, 41-45.
34. Youths: a conjectural addition. The brave ones is also conjectural, the manuscript having "each." No gap indicated in the manuscript; some editions
insert as line 3 or line 4 a slightly altered version of line 2 of stanza 42.
35. No gap indicated in the manuscript, but the two fragments cannot be fitted together as one line. The shining one: Guthrun.]
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31. Lifanda gram lagði í garð,
þan er skriðinn var, skatna mengi,
innan ormum, en einn Gunnarr
heiftmóðr hörpu hendi kníði,
glumðu strengir; svá skal gulli
frækn hringdrifi við fira halda.
32. Atli lét lands síns á vit
jó eyrskáan aftr frá morði;
dynr var í garði, dröslum of þrungit,
vápnsöngr virða, váru af heiði komnir.
33. Út gekk þá Guðrún Atla í gögn
með gylltum kálki at reifa gjöld rögnis:
"Þiggja knáttu, þengill, í þinni höllu
glaðr at Guðrúnu gnadda niflfarna."
34. Umðu ölskálir Atla vínhöfgar,
þá er í höll saman Húnar tölðusk,
gumar gransíðir, gengu inn hvatir.
35. Skævaði þá in skírleita
-- -- --
veigar þeim at bera, afkár dís jöfrum
ok ölkrásir valði nauðug neffölum,
en níð sagði Atla:
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