Hæ

 

Here is my translation. I have included comments on others’ translations in separate posts.

 

The subjunctive again gets a good workout in this section, although there is one or two places where I would have expected it but it isn’t used. Also there are a couple of examples where the grammatical present tense is used to express the future. I am a bit uncertain about the form of ”fær” in the clause ”ef þú fær haldit þessu” and would appreciate some expert opinion on this an on the parsing of ”ok eru víða ørœfi ok hætt skipum”

 

I will post the next section on Friday evening (Australian time)

 

Kveðja

Alan

 

 

Ok er leið stund ok skipit var albúit,

And when (it) passed a while and the ship was fully ready,

 

þá mælti Sveinn konungr við Auðun:

then King Sveinn spoke with Auðun:

 

'Þó villtu nú á braut, þá mun ek nú ekki letja þik.

’Though you want now (to go) away, then I will not hinder you.

 

En þat hefi ek spurt, at ilt er til hafna fyrir landi yðru,

But that I have found out, that (it) is badly (off) for harbours for (in) your country

 

ok eru víða ørœfi ok hætt skipum.

And (the) harbourless coasts (nom. plural?) are wide and dangerous/destructive to ships.

 

Nú brýtr þú ok týnir skipinu ok fénu, lítt sér þat þá á,

Now (should) you wreck (subj) and lose (presumably subj) the ship and the possessions (sg), that (will be) little seen (indic but why not subj?) then (there will be then little to show)

 

at þú hafir fundit Svein konung ok gefit honum gorsimi.'

that you have (subj!) met King Sveinn and given him a treasure.’

 

Síðan seldi konungr honum leðrhosu fulla af silfri,

Then (the) king gave him a leather bag full of silver,

 

'ok ertu þá enn eigi félauss með ǫllu,

’and you are (will be - pres as future) then still not completely penniless

 

þótt þú brjótir skipit, ef þú fær haldit þessu.

even though you (should) wreck (subj) the ship, if you are able to hold (on to) this.

 

Verða má svá enn', segir konungr, 'at þú týnir þessu fé:

(It) may still be thus,’ says (the) king, ’that you lose this money:

 

lítt nýtr þú þá þess, er þú fant Svein konung

little (will) you benefit (present tense expressing the future) then from that, when you met King Sveinn

 

ok gaft honum gørsimi'.

and gave him a treasure.’

 

And after some time had passed and the ship was fully ready, King Sveinn then spoke with Auðun: ’Even though you now want to go away, then I will not hinder you. But I have heard that your country is poorly provided with safe harbours and the coastlines are wide and dangerous to ships. Now if you happened to wreck and lose your ship and possessions, then there would be little to show that you had met King Sveinn and given him a treasure.’ Then the king gave him a leather bag full of silver and says, ’Still, now you will not be completely penniless even if you do wreck the the ship, if you are able to hang on to this. Yet, it may still happen that you lose this money as well and so you will have then benefited little from the time when you met King Sveinn and gave him a treasure.’