1.
Hlióðs bið ec allar kindir
(Quietness bid I all kind)
meiri oc minni,
(higher and lower)
mögo Heimdalar;
(sons of Heimdall)
vildo at ec, Valföðr,
vel fyrtelia forn spiöll fira,
þau er fremst um man.

1.
Silence I ask of all the sacred folk,
high and low ones,
Silence of the kin of Heimdall:
At your will, Valföðr,
I shall relate
The songs of men,
the oldest I remember.

1.
The first two verses are the ritual formula used to ask silence at the beginning of the Icelandic general meeting, called a Thing.
Notice already that "bið ec allar kindir" sounds like "I bid from all kind" which is no exact translation, but is not such a bad approximate.
Another Eddic poem, Rigsþula, says also that all kinds of humans are the sons of Heimdall. Valföðr = Of-the-killed Father = Óðinn.

2.
I recall of giants from primordial times.
Those who gave me birth in former days:
Nine worlds I can reckon, nine huge expanses,
And the glorious tree of the world, deep under the ground

2.
The völva says she is born of giants. This amounts to the claim that she knows them well and has intimate knowledge of the past since the giants are looked as being the first inhabitants of the world. This world is so ancient that the tree of the world, named Yggdrasil (see 19.), was not yet grown.

3.
It was in the bed of years flowing,
Ymir was settled there,
No sand nor sea, no cold waves.
No earth nor heaven above,
But a widely open gap and grass nowhere.

3.
The first giant, Ymir, was licked out of the primordial ice by a magical cow Auðumla. The dryness of the ON words makes the translation always a bit risky. In the case, no translator uses the meaning of "alda" which is "wave" or "bed of a river". It is said that "Ár alda" is an expression meaning "ancient times." I preferred here to dare an approximation that stays nearer to the ON original.

"gap var ginnunga" can also be translated "emptiness was open."

4.
Áðr Burs synir
biöðum um ypþo,
þeir er miðgarð
mœran scópo;
sól scein sunnan
á salar steina,
þá var grund gróin
grœnom lauki.

4.
(word for word translation, words in the same order as in ON)
Then Bur's sons
Built the steady ground,
Created Midgard
Magnificent place;
The sun shone from the South
On the hall stones,
From the ground grew
Green leeks.

5.
Sun turned from the south, sister of Moon,
Her right arm rested on the rim of the sky;
She had no inkling where her hall was,
Nor Moon a notion of his might,
The stars did not know of their places.

5.
Remember that the sun is a "she" in ON, as in modern German, and the moon is a "he".

6.
The gods gathered in council
In their hall of judgement, supreme divinities;
To Night and to growing Moon their names gave, They named Morning and Mid-Day,
Dawn and Twilight, for the assigning of time.

6.
"röcstóla", the "the seat or stool of röc," is the seat of judgement. This word will be found again in strophes 9, 23 and 25, always with the meaning of a place where the wisest decision is taken. Hence the non classical translation of "ragna röc," later in strophe 44.
"regin" is a plural meaning "the gods", with the original meaning of "the advising ones".

7.
Hittuz æsir
á Iðavelli,
þeir er hörg oc hof
há timbroðo;
alfla lögðo,
auð smíðoðo,
tangir scópo,
oc tól gorðo.

7.
The Aesir made haste to Iðavöllr,
They framed ("timbered") sanctuary and farm,
Set up a smithy to forge jewels,
They fashioned tongs and wrought tools.

7.
"Iðavelli" is the locative form of Iðavöllr. It alludes to an evergreen plain where the Gods have been living before the world got a structure.
" hörg oc hof" is often translated by "altar and temple" which is possible. In view of the smithy they will also build, I prefer to keep the ordinary meaning of "hof" as "farm," a meaning still valid in German.
Völlr = valley; Ið ?=? "iterating", i.e., always renewing.
(Note: When meaning of name is not certain, I'll write it with a ?=?.)

8.
Teflðo í túni,

var þeim vættergis
vant ór gulli,
unz þriár qvómo
(until three came)
þursa meyiar
(Giant maidens)
ámátcar miöc
(giant-strength much)
ór iötunheimom.
(from Jotun-home)

8.
Played chess in the grove, cheerful were;
Gold they lacked not;
Until three came,
Thurs maidens,
Full of strength,
From Giant-home.

8.
The three Giant maidens, "þursa meyiar," coming from Giantland, "iötunheimr," are usually looked upon as being the three Norns. The end of the stanza seems to say that the Gods have been playful and cheerful "until" (!) the Norns' arrival. As we shall see, they are master of humans' and Gods' destiny.

9.
Þá gengo regin öll
(then sit gods all)
á röcstóla,
(on council-stool)
ginnheilog goð,
("ginn-"saint gods)
oc um þat gættuz,
hverr scyldi dverga
dróttin scepia
ór Brimis blóði
oc ór Bláins leggiom.

9.
The high Gods gathered in council.
In their hall of judgement;
Which kind the dwarves should craft
From Brimi's blood and Blain's limbs?

9.
Brimir and Bláinn are other names given to the primal Giant, Ymir, who was killed by "the sons of Burr" (thus, including Óðinn), and whose body has been used to build up the world.

Strophe 10 will tell us that the dwarves will craft human shapes out of these ingredients. This solves the ambiguity of v. 7 s. 10: the human shapes are made of earth.

In "ginnheilog" what exactly means "ginn" is unknow.
It applies to the gods only.

10. Þar Mótsognir
mæztr um orðinn
dverga allra
en Durinn annarr;
þeir manlícon
(they man-shapes)
mörg um gorðo,
(many "around" made)
dvergar, ór iörðo,
(dwarves, of earth,)
sem Durinn sagði.
(as Durinn said)

10. Mótsognir became the greatest of the dwarves, and Durinn after him;
The dwarves did as Durinn directed, of the earth, they made a large number of human shapes.

10.
Mótsognir, or Móðsognir, ?=? "the Tired one" or "Energy Thief."
Durinn ?=? "Sleepy" or "Door Gardian."
As opposed to what is so often said, the völva says here that the humans were shaped by the dwarves. As we shall see in 17, three Gods will give them their real humanity.

11.
Nýi oc Niði,
Norðri oc Suðri,
Austr og Vestri,
Alþiófr, Dvalinn,
Bívorr, Bávorr,
Bömburr, Nóri,
Án oc Ánarr,
Ái, Miöðvitnir.

11.
Nýi and Niði,
Norðri and Suðri,
Austr and Vestri,
Alþiófr, Dvalinn,
Bívörr, Bávörr,
Bömburr, Nóri,
Án and Ánarr,
Ái, Miöðvitnir.

11.
Nýi = New Moon, Niði = Moonless Night, Nordri = North, Sudri = South , Austri = West, Vestri = East , Alþiófr = , Dvalinn = Numb, Nár = Corpse , Dáinn = Dying, Bömburr ?=? Rude One, Nóri ?=? Anxiety Bringer, Ánarr ?=? Mountain, Ái = Ancestor, Miöðvitnir = Mead's Wolf.

12.
Veigr oc Gandálfr,
Vindálfr, Þráinn,
Þeccr oc Þorinn,
Þrór, Vitr oc Litr,
Nár oc Nýráðr -
nú hefi ec dverga
- Reginn oc Ráðsviðr -
rétt um talða.

12.
Veigr and Gandálfr,
Vindálfr, Þráinn,
Þekkr and Þorinn (or Þroinn),
Þrór, Vitr and Litr,
Nár and Nýráðr -
Here are the dwarves
- Reginn and Ráðsviðr -
Rightly accounted.

12.
Veigr = Horse , Gandálfr ?=? Elf of Sorcery, Vindálfr ?=? Elf of the Wind, Þráinn ?=? Burning Desire, Þekkr = Beloved, Þorinn ?=?, Courageous, Vitr = Wise, Litr = Hue, Nár =New, Nýráðr = New counselor, Ráðsviðr = Of Wise Counseling

13.
Fíli, Kíli,
Fundinn, Náli,
Hepti, Víli,
Hanarr, Svíurr,
Frár, Hornbori,
Frægr oc Lóni,
Aurvangr, Iari,
Eikinscjaldi.

13.
Fíli, Kíli,
Fundinn, Náli,
Hepti, Víli,
Hanarr, Svíorr,
Frár, Hornbori,
Frægr and Lóni,
Aurvangr, Iari,
Eikinskjaldi.

13.
Fíli ?=? File, Kíli ?=? Bras-de-Mer, Fundinn = Found , Hepti ?=? Handle, Víli ?=? Will, Hanarr = Artist with his Hands, Frár = Fast, Hornbori = Horn Bored (pierced), Frægr = Famous , Lóni ?=? Shining One, Aurvangr = Valley of the Gravel, Eikinskjaldi = The Oaken Shield. Here Reginn is obviously a name, still it means "the gods", like regin does.

14.
Mál er dverga
í Dvalins liði
lióna kindom
til Lofars telia,
þeir er sótto
frá salar steini
Aurvanga siöt
til Iörovalla.

14.
Humans, know of Dvalin' s line that goes down to Lofar's time,
They went to Iörovellir and Aurvangar, leaving their dwellings under the stone.

14.
Iörovalla = Vale of the Fight

15.
Þar var Draupnir
oc Dólgþrasir,
Hár, Haugspori,
Hlévangr, Glói,
Scirvir, Virvir,
Scáfiðr, Ái,

15.
There was Draupnir
and Dólgþrasir,
Hár, Haugspori,
Hlévangr, Glói,
Skirvir, Virvir,
Skáfiðr, Ái,

15.
Draupnir = Dripping, Dólgþrasir = Fight Drunk, Hár = High, Haugspori ?=? Walking in the Grave

16.
Álfr oc Yngvi
Eikinscialdi,
Fialarr oc Frosti,
Finnr oc Ginnarr;
þat mun uppi,
meðan öld lifir,
langniðia tal
Lofars hafat.

16.
Álfr and Yngvi
Eikinskjaldi,
Fialarr and Frosti,
Finnr and Ginnarr;
As long as men will remember,
The line will go down to Lofarr.

16.
Álfr = name of the elves , Yngvi = King (often applied to Freyr, when called Ingvi Freyr), Eikinskjaldi = The Oaken Shield (as already said), Fialarr ?=? One who Hides, Finnr = Hunter or Saami?, Ginnarr = Seducer.

17. Unz þrír qvómo
ór því liði
öflgir oc ástgir,
æsir,at húsi,
fundo á landi
lítt megandi
Asc oc Emblo
ørlöglausa.

17. Until three went out of the host,
Powerful, merciful, Aesir in their home God's,
They found Ash and Elm on earth,
Hardly with strength, deprived of a destiny.

17.
Askr = ash, and Embla ?=? elm, ?or? grapevine trunk. Snorri, in the Prose Edda, claims that humans have been made from trees. The Völuspá says clearly, however, in stanza 10 that the human shapes have been done by dwarves (perhaps out of earth), and it says now that these shapes had no ørlög, nor strength, not that they were tree trunks. It looks as if Snorri would have "simplified" the story in this instance.
"ørlöglausa" i.e., ørlögless where ørlög means the fate, the destiny. Stanza 20 below will say that the Norns fix the ørlög of humans.
Everyone says also that they were made of wood, which contradicts what s. 9 and 10 seem to mean. I believe that these names mean rather that they were living, but no more moving than a tree.

18.
Önd þau né átto,
óð þau né höfðo,
lá né læti
né lito góða;
önd gaf Óðinn,
óð gaf Hœnir,
lá gaf Lóðurr
oc lito góða.

18.
T hey had no breath, nor senses, nor blood,
Nor sound, nor life-hue:
Óðinn gave them breath, Haenir senses,
Lothur gave blood and life hue.

18.
The word "önd" is translated "breath" by Auden & Taylor, "spirit" by Boyer, "soul" by Genzmer. The original meaning of önd is breath, and it took the meaning of soul rather late, in the Christian texts.

19.
Asc veit ec standa,
heitir Yggdrasill,
hár baðmr, ausinn
hvítaauri;
þaðan koma döggvar,
þærs í dala falla,
stendr æ yfir, grœnn,
Urðar brunni.

19.
I know that stands an ash tree, named Yggdrasil,
The high tree, sprinkled with white mud;
From there come the dews
That falls in the vale;
Forever green it raises itself
Above Urd's well.

19.
In many civilizations, the world is viewed as built around a tree, the tree of the world, called, in the Nordic tradition, Yggdrasil = Ygg's Horse, and Yggr is one of the many Óðinn's names. It can also mean "Horse of Fright" = gallows.
Boyer translates hvítaauri by "white eddies" with a footnote saying that it could well be "white mud." Genzmer speaks of "white humidity." In the citation of this stanza given by Snorri, Dillmann translates "white mud." "hvítaauri" comes from hvíta = white, and aurr = mud.
It is often said this ash is actually a yew for three reasons. One, this ash is said to an evergreen. Second, the prose Edda says that four deer eat its needles. Third, Adam of Bremen describes a gigantic yew that was worshipped in Old Uppsala. Notice however that the standard ON word for "yew" is "yr" and it could have been used here.
Urd's well is the dwelling of the Norns.

20.
Þaðan koma meyiar,
margs vitandi,
þriár, ór þeim sal
er und þolli stendr;
Urð héto eina,
aðra Verðandi,
- scáro á scíði -
Sculd ena þriðio;
þær lög lögðo,
þær líf kuro
alda börnom,
ørlög seggia.

20.
From here came the girls
In everything knowledgeable,
Three, their dwelling
stands under the tree;
One is called Urð,
Verðandi the other
- they scored staves -
The third is Skuld:
They set up the laws
They decided on the lives,
Of the children of time
They promulgate their ørlög.

20. Urð means "become," Skuld means "what must be, "Verðandi means "becoming."

This is why they are seen as representing past, future, and present.

They fix the "ørlög" of humans as says the last verse. The staves they scored are usually understood as being pieces of wood on which they carved runes. Another poem says explicitly that the runes were created by the "Powers." This put together with 20, here, might hint that the Norns were fixing the destiny of men and Gods by the means of runes (so I imagine!).

21.
Þat man hón fólcvíg
fyrst í heimi,
er Gullveigo
geirom studdo
oc í höll Hárs
hána brendo;
þrysvar brendo,
þrysvar borna,
opt, ósialdan;
þó hón enn lifir.

21.
The first war in the world, she well remembers,
When Gullveig was spitted on spear-points
And in Hár's hall, burned her.
Thrice burned, thrice reborn,
Well asserted, she lives yet.

21.
"She" here is certainly the völva speaking of herself in this guise.

Gullveig means "Power of the Gold". She is the cause of the war between the Aesir and the Vanir. She is from the Vanir, visiting the Aesir, and these last ones burned her three times, but she was three times reborn. The war begun because of this ill treatment of Gullveig.

22.
Heiði hana héto,
hvars er til húsa kom,
völo velspá,
(völva well-wise-speaking)
vitti hon ganda;
(witty her magic-wand)
seið hon, hvars hon kunni,
(seidr she, who-always she knows)
seið hon hug leikinn,
(seidr she meaning carried)
æ var hón angan
(always was she delight)
illrar brúðar.
(of ill young-wives)

22.
They call her Heidi when she visits their homes,
A far seeing völva, wise in talismans.
Caster of spells, cunning in magic.
To wicked women always welcome.

22.
I guess that the völva is still speaking of herself : "Heiði" means "The Shining One," which can evoke Freya, but Heidi is noted by Genzmer as being a classical name for seeresses.

To practice "spá" is the job of the seeresses, it amounts to what is called "to journey" in modern shamanism. It means "wise-speech".

It is obviously surprising that she says of herself that she is always welcomed by wicked women, I would expect here rather that she is always welcomed by wise women. It is however possible that, thinking that "wicked" comes from "witch," makes the link with "wise." In other words, we perhaps see here in action a christianization of a text that said before that Heidi was always welcome to wise women.

23.
Þá gengo regin öll
á röcstóla,
ginnheilög goð,
oc um þat gættuz,
hvárt scyldo æsir
afráð gialda
eða scyldo goðin öll
gildi eiga.

23.
The gods hastened to their hall of judgement,
Sat in council to decide if
The Aesir would pay a tribute
If all the Gods should receive an offering.

23.
The Aesir discuss among themselves to decide whether they will accept to pay a tribute for their misbehavior towards Gullveig.

Paying a fee in order to erase a feud is standard practice in the ancient Nordic world.

24.
Fleygði Óðinn
oc í fólc um scaut,
þat var enn fólcvíg
fyrst í heimi;
brotinn var borðveggr
borgar ása,
knátto vanir vígspá
völlo sporna.

24.
At the host Óðinn hurled his spear
In the first world-battle; broken was the plankwall
Of the gods fortress, the field was left to the winning Vanir.

24.
This action announces the beginning of the fight. It is attested by a saga that describes a warrior hurling his spear over the first rank of his foes as a sign for starting the battle.

The Vanir won the war as the last four verses say, and this is confirmed by Snorri's prose Edda.

25.
Þá gengo regin öll
á röcstóla,
ginnheilog goð,
oc um þat gættuz,
hverir hefði lopt alt
lævi blandit
eða ætt iötuns
Óðs mey gefna.

25.
The gods hastened to their seats of judgement,
Sat in council to discover who
Had tainted all the air with corruption
And Óð's wife offered to the giants.

25.
Óð's wife is Freya.
No details about this war are given by Snorri nor elsewhere. It is thus difficult to understand which myths s. 25 and s. 26 refer to. There exists however a myth by which the Aesir promised Freya to a Giant if he would build in less than three days a wall protecting Asgard. It is possible that this episode took place during the war against the Vanir.

26.
Þórr einn þar vá,
þrunginn móði
hann sialdan sitr
er hann slíct um fregn;
á genguz eiðar,
orð oc sœri,
mál öl meginlig,
er á meðal fóro.

26.
Þórr alone fighted, swolen with anger
- Seldom he stays quiet when of such he hears -
Forgotten the promises, broken oaths and vows,
Solemn agreements sworn between them.

26.
Þórr is the ON spelling of Thor. He is famous for fighting the Giants with his hammer, not for being the only one fighting the Vanir, these verses are thus the only allusion we know on this topic.
Þórr was more known to simple people than his father Óðinn, and still nowadays, comic strips show a blond young brute named Thor. His role is actually more complicated than that in the Nordic myths. For instance, his hammer is also a sacred tool used to consecrate what it touches. As another instance, the Lithuanian equivalent to Þórr, Perkunas, can throw stones that kill, but his stones are also used for healing.

27.
Veit hón Heimdalar
hlióð um fólgit
undir heiðvönom
helgom baðmi;
á sér hón ausaz
aurgom forsi
af veði Valföðrs -
vitoð ér enn, eða hvat?

27.
Of Heimdal too and his horn she knows,
Hidden under the holy tree
Accustomed to the clear sky;
It is sprinkled by the muddy cascade
Of Valföðr's pledge.
Well would you know more?

27.
Boyer: translates aurgom by "muddy cascade," Genzmer by "falling humidity."

Comparing to 19, it seems that this stanza speaks again of the white mud that crowns Yggdrasil.

Heimdall's horn is hidden in Urd's well. Gravitation law being less than relevant here, it is not impossible that from Urd's well (situated at the bottom of Yggdrasil) jumps a muddy cascade that sprinkles the tree.

28.
Ein sat hon úti,
þá er inn aldni kom,
Yggiungr ása,oc í augo leit:
'Hvers fregnit mic,
Hví freistið mín?
Olt veit eg, Óðinn,
Hvar þú auga falt:
í inom mæra
Mímis brunni.'
Dreccr miöð Mímir.
Morgin hverian
af veði Valföðrs -
Vitoð ér enn, eða hvat?

28.
Outside she sat by herself when you came,
Terror of the gods, and gazed in her eyes.
What do you ask of me? Why taunt me?
Óðinn, I know where your eye is hidden,
Hidden away in the well of Mimir.
Mimir each morning his mead drinks mead in Valföðr's pledge.
Well would you know more?

28.
"She" is the völva herself (Auden & Taylor translate directly by "I").

One way of practicing the seidr is called "utiseta" i.e., "outside sitting". The völva is certainly saying that she was practicing this form of seidr when Óðinn came to her. This is a solitary practise, as opposed to the public practise on a wooden platform.

29.
Valdi henni Herföðr
hringa oc men,
fécc spjöll spaclig
og spáganda,
sá hon vítt oc um vítt
of verold hveria.

29.
Arm rings and necklaces, Óðinn gave her
To learn her lore, to learn her magic:
Wider and wider through all worlds she lives.

29.
The völva presents herself as a symbol of all the great sorceresses of the past.

30.
Sá hon valkyrior,
vítt um komnar,
gorvar at ríða
til Goðþióðar;
Sculd helt scildi,
Enn Scögul önnor,
Gunnr, Hildr, Göndul
oc Geirscögul;
nú ero talðar
nönnor Herians,
gorvar at ríða
grund, valkyrior.

30.
Valkyries she saw, coming from afar,
Eagerly riding towards the Goths [or the Gods];
Skuld bore the shield, another Skogul, Gunn, Hild, Gondul and Geirskögul:
Duly, she named the girls of the Lord of the Armies,
The valiant riders, the Valkyries.

30.
Valkyries = Of-the-Killed Chooser.
"godthjod" is normally translated by "the people of the Goths." In this context, however, it could be clever to rather speak of the Gods (seen as a people).
Skuld has been called already a Norn, and here she is a Valkyrie. Saxo Grammaticus describes also divine girls that are Norn-Valkyries.
Gunnr = battle, Hildr = fight, Göndul = "She who handles the gandr", gandr being a kind of magic wand, Geirskögul = kögul of the spear?
Skuld "bears the shield" as did some Germanic maidens on the battlefield, i.e., they were holding the shield of the warrior they were associated with. It is a misconception to believe that Skogul bears another shield (as Auden & Taylor do): Skogul is another Valkyrie.

31.
Ec sá Baldri,
blóðgum tívor,
Óðins barni,
ørlög fólgin;
stóð um vaxinn
völlom hærri
miór oc mioc fagr
mistilteinn.

31.
I saw of Baldr, the bleeding God, Óðin's son,
His fate still hidden;
Tall, erected on the plain, a plant grew,
A slender marvel, the mistletoe.

31.
Baldr is killed by an arrow made of mistletoe.

32.
Varð af þeim meiði,
er mær sýndiz,
harmflaug hættlig,
Höðr nam scióta.
Baldurs bróðir var
of borinn snemma,
sá nam, Óðins sonr,
einnættr vega.

32.
From that shrub, slender as it looked, came, shot by Hödr, the
fatal dart that felled the god;
Baldr' s brother was soon born,
Though one night old,
Óðinn's son killed him.

32.
Baldr, Hödr, and Vali are all sons of Óðinn. Hödr is blind and kills Baldr pushed by Loki's slyness. Vali, who is aged one night, will avenge Baldr by killing Hödr. In this civilization, the actual murderer is also guilty, as well as the hidden instigator, Loki, as told in Snorri's prose Edda.
Here, "Baldr' s brother" and "Óðin's son" both designate Vali.

33.
Þó hann æva hendr
né höfuð kembdi,
áðr á bál um bar
Baldrs andscota;
Enn Frigg um grét
í Fensölum
vá Valhallar -
Vitoð ér enn, eða hvat?

33.
His (her?) hands s/he washed not nor his (her?) hair combed.
Till Bald's killer was not carried to the pyre;
But Frigg was weeping in Fensalir
the woe of Valhöll.
Well, would you know more?

33.
Valhöll = Hall of the Killed, the celebrated Valhalla, gathers the warriors dead in combat. The woe of Valhöll is the death of Baldr.

Frigg is the mother of Baldr, and she is weeping for her dead son.

Fensalir = Swamp's Hall, is the name of Frigg's hall. Because of the name of her hall, some hypothesize that she was associated with the ritual drowning.

34.
Þá kná Vála
vígbönd snúa,
heldr vóro harðgerhöpt, ór þörmom.

34.
Vali knew how to make the chains of combat,
Strong and rough were
The strings of stretched gut.

34.Loki will be punished of this crime by being chained with links made of his sons' intestines.
As you see, I accept Snorri's version saying that Hödr has been pushed by Loki to kill Baldr, thus that Loki is also guilty. Some refuse this version, but I do not see then how they understand s. 34. For a longer argumentation see my summary of Dumézil's Loki on this site (if you read French, better you read it yourself!).

35.
Hapt sá hon liggia
undir hvera lundi,
lægiarns líki
Loca áþeccian;
þar sitr Sigyn,
þeygi um sínom
ver velglýiuð -
Vitoð ér enn, eða hvat?

35.
I see one in bonds by the grove of boiling springs;
A sly-looking shape, like Loki he looks;
There Sigyn sits by her husband,
Even though she does not rejoice in what happens to him.
Well would you know more?

35.
hveralundr = the Grove of Boiling Springs. It can also be a name.

A serpent spits its venom above Loki's face. Sigyn, Loki's wife, protects him by gathering the venom in a pot before it reaches Loki. Still, her ørlög is not a first choice one!

36.
Á fellr austan
um eiturdala,
söxom oc sverðom:
Slíðr heitir sú.

36.
From the East through Venom Valley,
Flows Slid, a flow of swords and saxes.

36.
Slid = Danger. A sax is a short broad sword very much in use in Viking times.

37.
Stóð fyr norðan,
á Niðavöllom
salr úr gulli
Sindra ættar;
Enn annar stóð
Á Ókólni
biórsalr iötuns,
enn sá Brimir heitir.

37.
North, in Nidavellir, stands the dwelling place of Sindri's kin, Covered with gold;
Another hall also in Ókólnir,
The bier hall of the giant called Brimir.

37.
Nidavellir = Darkdale. Sindri = Never Becoming Cold, is a dwarf. Ókólnir is the place where the Gods meet to have a feast.

38.
Sal sá hon standa
Sólo fiarri
Náströndo á,
norðr horfa dyrr;
féllo eitrdropar
inn um lióra,
sá er undinn salur
orma hryggjom.

38.
A third I see, that no sunlight reaches,
In Náströnd : the doors face northward,
Through its smoke vent venom drips,
Serpent backbones enskein that hall.

38.
Náströnd = Dead Man's Shore

39.
Sá hon þar vaða
þunga strauma
menn meinsvara
oc morðvarga,
oc þannz annars glepr eyrarúno;
(and these others making-fall she-beloved)
þar saug Niðhöggr
nái framgengna,
sleit vargr vera -
Vitoð ér enn, eða hvat?

39.
Men wade there tormented by the thick stream,
perjuring men, criminal wolves,
And artful seducers of other men's wives:
Nidhogg sucks blood from the bodies of the dead
The wolf cuts them up. Well, would you know more?

39. morðvarga = "criminal wolves" where morð = who did a particularly shameful crime (e.g., killing a defenseless enemy), and vargr = wolf.
Nidhogg = Bitter Gnawer, is the dragon, or serpent, that lives in Hel, the dead's dwelling.
The word "eyrarúna" , meaning by "she-beloved" or "hostess" is obviously made of eyra = ear, and rúna = rune or secret. The man’s beloved is thus the one whose ear receives the secrets. Seducing such a woman is not only a sexual cheating, but a deliberate treason, not rendered in the classical translations, as I kept them here.

40.
Austr sat hin aldna
í Iárnviði
oc fœddi þar
Fenris kindir;
(and feeds there Fenris kind)
verðr af þeim öllom
einna noccorr
tungls tiúgari
í trollz hami.

40.
In the East a crone is sitting, in Ironwood:
The brood of Fenris are bred there
Wolf-monsters, one of whom
Eventually shall devour the sun.

40.
This crone must be the giantess who mated Loki to produce the wolf Fenrir.

41.
Fylliz fiörvi
Feigra manna,
rýðr ragna siöt
rauðum dreyra;
svort verða sólscin
of sumor eptir,
veðr öll válynd -
Vitoð ér enn, eða hvat?

41.
It gorges upon the flesh of death-promised men,
It bloodies the Gods sit;
Black will shine the sun
During next summers,
Awful all the storms.
Will you know more?

42.
Sat þar á haugi
Oc sló hörpo
gýgiar hirðir,
glaðr Eggþér;
gól um hánom
í gaglviði
fagrrauðr hani,
sá er Fialarr heitir.

42.
The giants watchman, joyful Eggthér
Sits on his hillock and harps well;
The red cock, called Fjalarr
Boldly crows from Gallows wood.

42.
Eggthér = Sword's Watchman.

Fjalarr = Watcher

43.
Gól um ásom
Gullinkambi,
Sa vecr hölða
At Herjaföðrs;
enn annarr gelr
fyr iörð neðan,
sótrauðr hani,
at sölom Heliar.

43.
Gullinkambi sung at the Aesir's place,
Who wakes the Armies Father's warriors :
A soot red rooster also calls
From Hel's hall, deep under the ground.

43.
Gullinkambi = Golden crest.

Hel is the dwelling of the dead who did not die in battle. Hel is also the name of the Goddess who reigns in Hel.

44.
Geyr Garmr miöc
fyr Gnipahelli,
festr mun slitna,
enn freki renna;
fiölð veit hon frœða,
fram sé ec lengra
um ragna röc,
römm, sigtýva.

44.
Raging howls from Garmr before Gnipahellir,
The fetters will burst, the beast will run:
Many charms I know, further in the future afar I behold
The judgement of the gods who give victory.

44.
Garmr = Dog, the name of a giant dog. Gnipahellir = Open Roc, the opening that drives to Hel.
The famous "ragna röc" most often spelled as Ragnarok, and celebrated by Wagner under the name of the Crepuscule of the Gods, means exactly ragna = of the Gods, röc = judgement, with an undertone of wisdom, as seen in strophes 6, 9, 24, 25. Thus the translation "bitter fate," which is classical, is also very misleading because it gives undertones of revolt against it, while "judgement" gives undertones of acceptation of their fate by the Gods, and this is much more in accordance with our knowledge of the Germanic behavior in front of one's ørlög : dignity and acceptation.
The fetter that bursts is a magical chain that binds Fenrir. Ragna röc occurs when Fenrir frees himself from his chains.

45.
Brœðr muno beriaz
oc at bönum verðaz,
muno systrungar
sifiom spilla;
hart er í heimi,
hórdómr mikill,
sceggöld, scálmöld,
scildir ro klofnir,
vindöld, vargöld,
áðr verold steypiz;
mun engi maðr
öðrom þyrma.

45.
Brother shall strike brother and both fall,
Parents shall defile their kin;
Evil be on earth, an age of adultery,
Axe time, sword time,
Of split shields,
A wind-age, a wolf-age till the world caves in;
No man shall show mercy to another.

46.
Leica Míms synir,
(To play Mimir sons)
enn miötuðr kyndiz
(still destiny starts-burning)
at ino gamla
(at but old) Giallarhorni;
(of Gjallahorn)
hátt blæss Heimdallr,
horn er á lopti,
mælir Óðinn
við Míms höfuð;

46.
Mimir's kin might gambol,
destiny like a fire rages under the lights of Gjallarhorn;
Heimdal winds his horn aloft,
Óðinn discusses with Mimir's head.

47.
Scelfr Yggdrasils
ascr standandi,
ymr iþ aldna tré,
enn iötunn losnar;
hræðaz allir
á helvegom,
áðr Surtar þann
sefi of gleypir.

47.
Yggdrasil shakes, the erected ash, groans the old trunk;
the giant is loose; all shake on Hel's way,
Before he is swallowed by Surt's kin.

47.
The giant is the wolf Fenrir.

Surt ?=? The Black One. Surt's kin is the fire.

"he" here is certainly Yggdrasil that will be swallowed = devoured by Surt's kin = the flames, a classical skaldic image.

48.
Hvat er með ásom,
hvat er með álfom?
gnýr allr iötunheimr,
æsir ro á þingi;
stynia dvergar
fyr steindurom,
veggbergs vísir -
Vitoð ér enn, eða hvat?

48.
What of the Aesir? What of the elves?
Jötunheimr groans, the Aesir are in council
The dwarves grumble before their door of stone,
Masters of cliffs.
Well, would you know more?

48.
Elves are another kind of divine creatures, of which we now few details.

Iötunheimr is the home (= heimr) of the iötun (= the Giants). It is spelled "jötun" nowadays.

50.
Hrymr ecr austan,
hefiz lind fyrir,
snýz iörmungandr
í iötunmóði;
ormr knýr unnir,
enn ari hlaccar,
slítr nái neffölr,
Naglfar losnar.

50.
Hrym is a giant whose name could be similar to a word meaning "fragile."
Jórmungandr is the large serpent who encircles Midgard.
The Edda often refers to someone becoming frenzy when being opposed. Þórr in battle is taken by his Aesir's frenzy as well.
It is classical to say that the wolf, the raven, or the eagle gorge on dead warrior's corpse.
Niðfölr ?=? The Yellow-Grey One, Naglfari = Nail Ship, is a giant ship made of the nails of the dead.

51.
Kjóll ferr austan,
koma muno Muspellz
um lög lýðir,
enn Loki stýrir;
fara fífls megir
með freca allir,
þeim er bróðir
Býleiptz í for.

51.
The ship sails out from the east, at its helm Loki
With the children of Muspell,
Offspring of monsters, allies of the wolf,
All who follow the brother of Býleistr.

51.
Muspell is what symbolizes the fire in the giants, and the children of Muspell points at the giants of the fire.

Býleistr = the brother of Loki.

52.
Surtr ferr sunnan
með sviga lævi,
scínn af sverði
sól valtíva;
griótbjörg gnata,
enn gífr rata,
troða halir helveg,
enn himinn klofnar.

52.
Surtr comes from the South with the bane of branches
Hel's sword generates the sun,
Crags topple, monsters move,
Men walk on Hel's road, the Heavens split open.

52.
Surtr = name of the main fire Giant. There is in Iceland a set of volcanic caves called Surtshellir, Surt's caves, that suggests that the fire Giants could well be linked to the volcanoes.

The bane of branches = the fire.

53.
Þá kømr Hlínar
harmr annarr fram,
er Óðinn ferr
við úlf vega,
enn bani Belia
biartr, at Surti;
þá mun Friggiar
falla angan.

53.
A further woe falls upon Hlin
As Óðinn comes forth to fight the wolf;
The shining killer of Beli battles with Surt;
Now shall fall Frigg's beloved.

53.
Hlin is another name of Frigg, wife of Óðinn. Frigg's first woe is the death of her son Baldr, and the further one spoken of here is the death of her husband, Óðinn.
Beli = Mooer, a giant who was killed by Freyr with a doe ram. Thus the shining killer of Beli is Freyr.
Frigg's beloved is Óðinn.

55.
Þá kømr inn micli
mögr Sigföður,
Víðarr, vega
At valdýri;
Lætr hann megi Hveðrungs
Mund um standa
Hiör til hiarta,
Þá er hefnt föður.

55.
Now valiant comes Sigföd's son,
Vidarr, to kill the vulture,
Plunges his sword in the heart of Hvedrung 's son,
Avenging his father with a thrust.

55.
Sigföðr = Of Victory Father, i.e., Óðinn. He has indeed many different names that express the many different ways he can apply his power. Many other names of Óðinn will still follow.
The vulture is here a wolf, i.e., Fenrir who killed Óðinn in 53. Vidarr kills Fenrir in this stanza.
Hveðrung = Foaming, is another name of Loki. The wolf Fenrir, who kills Óðinn in stanza 53, is his son.

55'.
Gínn lopt yfir
(jaws-gaping in the air over)
lindi iarðar,
(belt of the earth)
gapa ýgs kiaptar
(gape frightening the jaws)
orms í hæðom;
(of the worm in the heights)
mun Óðins sonr
(will Odin's son)
eitri mœta
(poison meet (or weaken))
vargs at dauða
(of the monster at the death)
Víðars niðja.
(of Vidar's family)

55'.
High up in the air,
the belt of the earth,
his mouth wide open,
the frightening worm's jaw gapes.
Odin's son will meet the monster's poison at Vidar's sons death.

55'.
This strophe has been late deciphered this is why it is called 55'. Since I am no ON specialist, I had problems understanding it, and Eysteinn Bjornsson corrected some of my initial misunderstandings.

The belt of the earth designates the serpent that circles the earth, Jórmungandr.

Since Þórr will kill Jórmungandr at ragna röc, Óðinn's son is here Þórr.

The expression "Vidar's family death" designates ragna röc : Vidar's family are the gods.

56.
Þá kømr inn mœri
mögr Hlöðyniar,
gengr Óðins sonr
við orm úlf vega,
(in-order-to worm wolf fight)
drepr hann af móði
(strikes he on with-anger)
Miðgarðz véor,
(Midgard’s véor)
Muno halir allir
heimstöð ryðia,
gengr fet nío
Fiörgyniar burr
neppr frá naðri
níðs óqvíðnom.

56.
Now comes the son of Hlódyn, comes Óðinn's son, fiercest of warriors
To fight the serpent; He mauls in his rage Midgard's "veor",
Men all flee their homesteads;
Fjörgyn's son steps back nine paces
Retreats from the worm with no fear of being shamed.

56. Hlóðyn = She-Stormy, the earth, the mother of God Þórr . Óðinn is the father of Þórr .

Fjörgyn = Earth.

The serpent, the worm both designate a dragon who must be Jórmungandr, eventually killed by Þórr.

We do not know what a "véor" is. If it qualifies Jórmungandr, then something like "belt" could be ok.

In this single stanza Þórr is called by three different names.

57.
Sól tér sortna,
sígr fold í mar,
hverfa af himni
heiðar stjörnor;
geisar eimi
við aldrnara,
leicr hár hiti
við himin siálfan.

57.
Earth sinks in the sea, the sun turns black,
The shining stars shake in the sky,
Fumes rage, flames grumble,
The sky is scorched with fire.

59.
Sér hon upp koma
öðro sinni
iörð ór ægi
iðiagrœna;
falla fossar,
flýgr örn yfir,
sá er á fialli
fisca veiðir.

59.
She sees Earth rising a second time
Out of the foam, fair and green;
Run cascades, over them, high in the mountains, flies the fish hunting eagle.

59.
"she" is the völva.

60.
Finnaz æsir
á Iðavelli
og um moldþinur
mátcan, dœma
oc minnaz þar
á megindóma
oc á Fimbultýs
fornar rúnar.

60.
At Ídavöllr the Aesir meet:
They speak of the powerful worm of Midgard,
Remember ancient happenings,
And the ancient runes of Fimbultýr.

60.
As already said in 7, Íðavöllr is a valley where the Aesir meet.

Fimbultýr = Supreme God. Tyr is the name of a very ancient God who seems to have been a sky-God, master of the battle, somewhat as Óðinn became. Fimbul expresses the idea of vastness.

Another poem says that the runes have been created by the "Powers," and shouted by Óðinn. Since he is the one who acquired of the magical secret power of the runes, the High God must be here Óðinn.

61.
Þar muno eptir
undrsamligar
Gullnar töflor
í grasi finnaz,
þærs í árdaga
áttar höfðo.

61.
Wondeful boards of gold shall be found again in the green grass,
Boards once owned.

62.
Muno ósánir
Acrar vaxa,
böls mun allz batna,
Baldr mun koma;
búa þeir Höðr oc Baldr
Hroptz sigtóptir,
Vel valtívar -
Vitoð ér enn, eða hvat?

62.
Unsown field will bear harvest,
Evil be repaired, Baldr will return; Baldr and Hödr will house in Hropt's victory hall,
Lord of the dead warriors' dwelling.
Well, would you know more?

62.
As we said, Hroptr is another name of Óðinn, whose hall, Valhöll, gathers the dead warriors.

63.
Þá kná Hœnir
(After-that knows Hœnir)
hlautvið kiósa
(wood-fate choose)
oc byrir byggja
brœðra tveggja
vindheim víðan -
Vitoð ér enn, eða hvat?

63.
Hœnir knows how to choose the wand of fate,
And the sons of two brothers set up their dwelling in wide Wind-home.
Well, would you know more?

63.
Hœnir is one of the twelve Aesir who plays a role symmetrical to Njörð's in the ending of the war between the Aesir and the Vanir: he was given in hostage to the Vanir.
Nordic magicians often use a wand, and many magical operation are performed by engraving runes on a stick of wood.
The two brothers might be Baldr and Hödr. One thing is sure: these verses say that the future humanity will have its dwelling in Wind-home, the sky.

64.
Sal sér hon standa,
sólo fegra,
gulli þacþan
á Gimlé;
þar scolo dyggvar
dróttir byggja
oc um aldrdaga
ynðis nióta.

64.
She sees a hall, fairer than sunlight, thatched with gold in Gimlé:
Here in delight shall forever dwell the troup of the faithful.

64. Gimlé = Protected from the Fire. Another text says that Gimlé is in the sky.

The second half of this stanza and stanza 65 smell strongly of Christianity and are often called a late adjunction.

65.
Þá kømr inn ríki
at regindómi,
öflugr, ofan,
sá er öllo ræðr.

65.
Now rides down for the last settlement, the magnificent powerful, the All-Ruler

65.
This all ruler might be Christ if the stanza is of Christian origin, but he might still be Fimbultýr, met in stanza 60.

66.
Þar kømr inn dimmi
dreki fliúgandi,
naðr fránn, neðan
frá Niðafiöllom;
berr sér í fiöðrom -
flýgr völl yfir -
Niðhöggr, nái -
Nú mun hon søcqvaz.

66.
Comes flying a dark dragon, shining serpent, coming down from Nidafjöll;
He bears on his feathers - hovering over the plain - corpses, Nidhöggr.
Now she will make herself scarce.

66.
Nidafjöll = Dark Mount, where it can be supposed that the corpses were before stored.

Nidhöggr = One Who Strikes Ferociously, is the dragon who dwells in Hel.

"She" is again the völva who has finished and will go away.