The Battle of Hafur's Bay - Hornklofi

Loud in Hafur’s echoing bay 

Heard ye the battle fiercely bray, 

’Twixt Kiotva rich, and Harald bold! 

Eastward sail the ships of war; 

The graven bucklers gleans afar,  

And monsterous heads adorn the prows of gold. 

Glittering shields of purest white, 

And swords, and Celtic falchions bright,

And western chiefs the vessels bring:

Loudly scream the savage rout, 

The maddening champions wildly shout, 

And long and loud the twisted hauberks ring. 

Firm in fight they prondly vie 

With hiin, whose might will gar them fly, 

Imperial Utstein’s warlike head.

Forth his gallant fleet he drew, 

Soon as the hope of battle grew. 

But many a buckler brast, ere Haklang bled. 

Fled the lusty Kiotva then 

Before the fair-hair’d king of men, 

And bade the islands shield his flight. 

Warriors wounded in the fray 

Beneath the thwarts all gasping lay, 

Where headlong cast they mourn’d the loss of light. 

Gall’d by many a missive stone 

(Their golden shields behind them thrown) 

Homeward the grieving soldiers speed; 

Fast from Hafur’s bay they hie; 

East-mountaineers o’er Jadar fly. 

And thirst for goblets of the sparkling mead. 

---

Þorbjörn Hornklofi (9th century) Norway

Translated by William Herbert

Source: Select Icelandic poetry: translated from the originals; with notes

by William Herbert, Printed for T. Reynolds by I. Gold, 1804

• Brast: broke with noise
• Thawrts: benches for the rowers.