Stanzas 9-16 demonstrate variants of dróttkvætt, including detthent (with full rhyme in all lines) and stamhent (with stem-rhyme). Snorri shows how the basic form's rules can be modified while preserving metrical integrity.
Þá er mælt af detthenti, þat er þat háttr er aðalhendingar eru í öllum línum. Þat er sá háttr er erfiðari er at yrkja en dróttkvætt, þvíat þar þarf fjórar aðalhendingar í hverjum helmingi. Sumir skáld hafa ort þetta háttr ok kallat þat merkiligt.
Next is discussed detthent, the metre in which full rhyme occurs in all lines. This is a metre harder to compose than dróttkvætt, since it requires four full rhymes in each half-stanza. Some skalds have composed in this form and considered it remarkable.
Stamhent er þat er stofnar orða eru samhljóðar en endingarnar eru ólíkar. Þetta er líkt skothendingum en þar er hugsat um rót orðsins frekar en endinguna.
Stamhent is the metre where word-stems sound alike but the endings differ. This resembles skothendingar but takes account of the root of the word rather than the ending.
Stanzas
Háttatal 9
Hilmir kennir húna stýri; goðs vinnr gramr grimmt at efla. Dróttinn deyr dýra hlíðar; orðs of getr ungr konungr.
The lord guides the helm of his young men; the king gains renown and strengthens his spirit. The lord falls on the glorious heights; the young king wins renown for himself.