At 7:14:45 PM on Tuesday, April 2, 2013, rob13567 wrote:
> This being the closest translation to April 1, I decided
> to add something themed appropriately. Specifically, I
> added Google's translation after my own.
> Þá svarar Helgi: "Vendilega hefir þú að þessum manni
> hugað.
> Then Helgi answers: "You have carefully attended to this
> man.
> Then said Helgi, "most carefully have you looked up to
> this man.
> Then Helgi answers, “You have considered this man
> carefully.
> Then Helgi answers: You have attended carefully to this
> person (man).
I suspect that <huga að> has here something closer to its
modern sense 'take a look at, look into'.
> Mun og mikils um þenna mann vert vera.
> This man will also be very worthy.
> And of much of this man worthy to be.
> Also much regarding that man will be worthwhile.
> (It) also will be worthy of much concerning this person
> (man) (He must be some special guy).
This is one place where I'd translate <mun> as 'must' rather
than 'will'.
> Sá maður var hinn fríðasti sýnum og mun enn vera á ungum
> aldri, jarpur á hárslit og fer allvel hárið og að öllu var
> hann hinn kurteisasti maður."
> That man was the handsomest of them and will still be at a
> young age, chestnut colored hair and the hair suited (him)
> very well and of all he was the most courteous man."
> That man was the most beautiful show and will still be
> young, auburn hair, and leaves your hair very well and
> that all he was the most polite man. "
> That man was the fairest of face and will still be of a
> young age, chestnut of hair color and with luxuriant hair
> and in all thing he was the most courteous man.”
> That person (man) was the most-handsome in appearance and
> will still be at a young age (ie in his youth),
> reddish-brown in hair-colour and the-hair goes (grows?,
> behaves, fara, Z10, or suits, fara, Z9, either way he had
> no shortage of hair) very-well and in every-respect was he
> the most-well-bred person (man).
At least in the modern language it can be 'grow': <Yfirleitt
byrjar hárið að fara 12 til 14 dögum eftir fyrstu
lyfjameðferð> 'Generally the hair begins to grow 12 to 14
days after the first pharmacological treatment'. I think
that I'd go with that sense here: his hair grows very well
indeed, so he has a luxuriant head of hair.
> Þar mun vera Þorleikur Bollason og ertu skýr maður og
> glöggþekkinn."
> Thorleikr Bollason will be there, and you are a clever and
> acutely perspicacious man."
> There will be Thorleik Bollison one sharp and mindful. "
> There will be Thorleik Bolli’s son and you are a clever
> and clear-sighted man.”
> There will be Þorleikr Bollis-son and you-are an
> intelligent person and clear-sighted (discerning).
Here again I'd translate <mun> as 'must', not that it makes
a great difference.
> Hann var í blám kyrtli og í svörtum brókum og gyrður í
> brækur.
> He was in a blue tunic and in black trousers and girded
> trousers.
> He was in a blue robe and black breeches, and his tunic
> tucked into them.
> He was in a blue kyrtle and in black breeches and with
> breeks girt up (CV).
> He was in a blue-black kirtle and in black breaches and
> with breeches girt over his underclothing (see brók, Z2).
The editor of my other edition interprets it as Google did:
the bottom part of his tunic was tucked into his breeches.
(So, I now see, do HP&MM.)
> Þar mun vera Þórður Þórðarson
And here another 'must'.
> Þá mælti sveinninn: "Þá sat maður í skoskum söðli, hár í
> skeggi og skolbrúnn mjög, svartur á hár og skrúfhár og
> heldur ósýnilegur og þó garplegur.
> Then the boy said: "Then a man sat on a Scottish saddle, a
> gray and very swarthy beard, black and stiff hair and
> rather ugly and yet martial.
> Then the boy said: "There sat a man in a Scottish saddle,
> beard and rinse very brown, with black hair and skrúfhár
> and somewhat invisible, though likely warrior.
> Then the boy spoke, “Then a man sat in a Scottish saddle,
> hair all shaggy and very swarthy brown, black of hair and
> stiff haired and rather unsightly and yet martial.
> Then the-lad spoke: Then sat a person (man) in a Scotch
> saddle, hair in a beard and very swarthy, black in hair
> and stiff-haired and rather unsightly (if not downright
> ugly) and (but) nevertheless warrior-like.
It's also possible that <skrúfhárr> is 'curly-haired', as
the editor of my other edition would have it; De Vries notes
both possibilities, and HP&MM burke the issue. I'm inclined
to go with 'stiff-haired' or 'with hair sticking out every
which way like a hay-rick', given that he was <heldr
ósýniligr>.
> Helgi segir: "Glöggt sé eg hver þessi maður er.
> Helgi says: "I clearly know who this man is.
> Helgi said, "I clearly see who this man is.
> Helgi says, “I see clearly who this man is.
> Helgi says: I should-be clear who this person (man) is.
It's 'clearly see': <glöggt> is the neuter used as adverb,
and <sé> is first person sing. indic. of <sjá>.
> Sá var búandlegur og heldur af æsku aldri, dökkjarpur á
> hár og hrökk mjög.
> That one was stout and rather young of age, dark color and
> very curly hair.
> He wore búandlegur and keeps his youth, with dark auburn
> hair and jumped significantly.
> That one was sturdy and rather of threadbare age, dark
> auburn hair and very curly?
> That-one (ie he) was peasant-like (or merely stout?) and
> rather beyond (af, Z.ii) a youthful (oeskr) age (ie
> definitely no spring chicken), dark-auburn in hair and
> (it) curled (hrökkva, Z2) greatly.
I'd probably have gone with 'sturdy'; HP&MM say that he 'had
a country look about him'.
> "Nú versnar mjög frásögnin," sagði Helgi.
> "Now the story gets worse," said Helgi.
> "Now the story really gets worse," said Helgi.
> “Now the tale worsens much,” said Helgi,
> Now the description greatly deteriorates, said Helgi.
I'd definitely go with 'story' or 'tale'.
> "Þar muntu séð hafa Þorstein svarta ...
> "You will have seen there ... Thorstein Svarta ...
> "As you will have seen Thorstein answered ...
> “There you will have seen Thorstein the black ...
> There you will have seen Þorsteinn (the) Black ...
And one more 'must' for me. (I mention these not because I
think that 'will' is actively bad or wrong, but because
<munu> can have that connotation, it works in English, and I
think that it's probably intended in some of these
sentences.)
Brian