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Rigsthula

Her brows were bright,  her breast was shining,Whiter her neck  than new-fallen snow.
29. Rig knew well  wise words to speak,Soon in the midst  of the room he sat,And on either side  the others were.
30. Then Mothir brought  a broidered cloth,Of linen bright,  and the board she covered;And then she took  the loaves so thin,And laid them, white  from the wheat, on the cloth.
31.[1] Then forth she brought  the vessels full,With silver covered,  and set before them,Meat all browned,  and well-cooked birds;In the pitcher was wine,  of plate were the cups,So drank they and talked  till the day was gone.
32.[2] Rig knew well  wise words to speak, Soon did he rise,  made ready to sleep;So in the bed  himself did he lay,And on either side  the others were.
  1. ↑ The manuscript of lines 1-3 is obviously defective, as there are too many words for two lines, and not enough for the full three. The meaning, however, is clearly very much as indicated in the translation. Gering's emendation, which I have followed, consists simply in shifting "set before them" from the first line to the second—where the manuscript has no verb,—and supplying the verb "brought" in line 1. The various editions contain all sorts of suggestions.
  2. ↑ The manuscript begins both line 1 and line 2 with a cap-

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