"The king asks where the foreign knight
In our array rides to the fight:
Giparde the knight rode quite away
When our men joined in bloody fray.
When swords were wet the knight was slow
With his bay horse in front to go;
The foreign knight could not abide
Our rough array, and went to hide."
There was a great slaughter, and after the battle the field was covered
with the Swedes slain, and King Inge escaped by flight. King Magnus
gained a great victory. Then came Giparde riding down from the country,
and people did not speak well of him for not being in the fight. He went
away, and proceeded westward to England; and the voyage was stormy, and
Giparde lay in bed. There was an Iceland man called Eldjarn, who went to
bale out the water in the ship's hold, and when he saw where Giparde was
lying he made this verse:--
"Does it beseem a courtman bold
Here to be dozing in the hold?
The bearded knight should danger face:
The leak gains on our ship apace.
Here, ply this bucket! bale who can;
We need the work of every man.
Our sea-horse stands full to the breast,--
Sluggards and cowards must not rest."
When they came west to England, Giparde said the Northmen had slandered
him. A meeting was appointed, and a count came to it, and the case was
brought before him for trial. He said he was not much acquainted with
law cases, as he was but young, and had only been a short time in
office; and also, of all things, he said what he least understood to
judge about was poetry. "But let us hear what it was." Then Eldjarn
sang:--
"I heard that in the bloody fight
Giparde drove all our foes to flight:
Brave Giparde would the foe abide,
While all our men ran off to hide.
At Foxerne the fight was won
By Giparde's valour all alone;
Where Giparde fought, alone was he;
Not one survived to fight or flee."
Then said the count, "Although I know but little about skald-craft,
I can hear that this is no slander, but rather the highest praise and
honour." Giparde could say nothing against it, yet he felt it was a
mockery.