Heil!

I've noticed that Americans like seeing the speech made by Lincoln
at Gettysburg in all sorts of versions. A list not entirely different
from this one even translated it to Old English:

http://www.rochester.edu/englisc/gemathel.html

I could try translating it to Old Norse if anyone is interested.
The question would be what style to imitate.

The speech made by Þorgeirr ljósvetningagoði on his decision to
adopt christianity for Iceland provides us with some points of comparison.
Both men were eager to preserve the integrity of their respective
states but for Þorgeirr preserving the (Icelandic) union was not
an end in itself - but what seemed to him as the only way
to maintain the peace. For Lincoln the integrity of the state
was important enough in itself to fight a war for.

The core of Þorgeirr's speech follows.

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Ok þykki mér þat ráð, at láta þá eigi ráða, er hér gangask með mestu
kappi í móti, ok miðlum svá mál millim þeirra, at hvárir-tveggja hafi
nokkut til síns máls, en vér höfum allir ein lög ok einn sið; því at
þat man satt vera: ef vér slítum lögin, þá slítum vér friðinn.
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My (rough) translation:

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And it seems advisable to me that we don't let those take charge
that are most eager on either side but that we mediate between
them so that both parties have something going for them; because
it will be found true that if we tear apart the laws we will also
tear apart the peace.
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Another very interesting speech is the one of bishop Sigurðr against
that blasted king Olaf, as reported in Heimskringla. Loving his enemy
seems to have been very far from his mind. Laing's translation follows.

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Here are now assembled a great many men, so that probably there
will never be opportunity in this poor country of seeing so great
a native army; but it would be desirable if this strength and
multitude could be a protection; for it will all be needed, if
this Olaf does not give over bringing war and strife upon you.
From his very earliest youth he has been accustomed to plunder
and kill: for which purposes he drove widely around through all
countries, until he turned at last against this, where he began
to show hostilities against the men who were the best and most
powerful; and even against King Canute, whom all are bound to
serve according to their ability, and in whose scat-lands he set
himself down. He did the same to Olaf the Swedish king. He
drove the earls Svein and Hakon away from their heritages; and
was even most tyrannical towards his own connections, as he drove
all the kings out of the Uplands: although, indeed, it was but
just reward for having been false to their oaths of fealty to
King Canute, and having followed this King Olaf in all the folly
he could invent; so their friendship ended according to their
deserts, by this king mutilating some of them, taking their
kingdoms himself, and ruining every man in the country who had an
honourable name. Ye know yourselves how he has treated the
lendermen, of whom many of the worthlest have been murdered, and
many obliged to fly from their country; and how he has roamed far
and wide through the land with robber-bands, burning and
plundering houses, and killing people. Who is the man among us
here of any consideration who has not some great injury from him
to avenge? Now he has come hither with a foreign troop,
consisting mostly of forest-men, vagabonds, and such marauders.
Do ye think he will now be more merciful to you, when he is
roaming about with such a bad crew, after committing devastations
which all who followed him dissuaded him from? Therefore it is
now my advice, that ye remember King Canute's words when he told
you, if King Olaf attempted to return to the country ye should
defend the liberty King Canute had promised you, and should
oppose and drive away such a vile pack. Now the only thing to be
done is to advance against them, and cast forth these malefactors
to the wolves and eagles, leaving their corpses on the spot they
cover, unless ye drag them aside to out-of-the-way corners in the
woods or rocks. No man would be so imprudent as to remove them
to churches, for they are all robbers and evil-doers.
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The original follows below (in modern spelling) but as an added
bonus here is a simplified Norse-Course version of the same ;-)

Sigurðr sér Óláf, konung Norðmanna. Sigurðr mælir:
"Hér er Óláfr konungr ok hans menn. Þeir eru allir illir víkingar.
Vér skulum þá vega. Brátt eta úlfar Óláf!"


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Hér er nú saman komið mikið fjölmenni svo að í þessu fátæka landi
mun eigi kostur að sjá meira her innlenskan. Skyldi yður nú vel í
hald koma þessi styrkur fjölmennis því að nú er ærin nauðsyn til
ef Ólafur þessi ætlar enn eigi af að láta að herja á yður. Vandist
hann því þegar á unga aldri að ræna og drepa menn og fór til þess
víða um lönd. En að lyktum sneri hann hingað til lands og hóf svo
upp að hann óvingaðist mest þeim er bestir menn voru og ríkastir:
Knúti konungi, og allir eru skyldastir að þjóna sem kunna, og settist
hann í skattland hans, slíkt sama veitti hann Ólafi Svíakonungi, en
jarlana Svein og Hákon rak hann á brott af ættleifðum sínum. En sjálfs
síns frændum var hann þó grimmastur er hann rak konunga alla á brott
af Upplöndum og var það þó vel sums kostar því að þeir höfðu áður brugðið
trú sinni og svardögum við Knút konung en fylgt þessum Ólafi að hverju
óráði er hann tók upp. Nú sleit þeirra vináttu maklega. Hann veitti þeim
meiðslur en tók undir sig ríki þeirra, eyddi svo í landinu öllum tignum
mönnum. En síðan munuð þér vita hvernug hann hefir búið við lenda menn:
drepnir eru hinir ágæstu en margir orðnir landflótta fyrir honum. Hann
hefir og víða farið um land þetta með ránsflokkum, brennt héruðin en
drepið og rænt fólkið. Eða hver er sá hér ríkismanna er eigi muni honum
eiga að hefna stórsaka? Nú fer hann með útlendan her og er það flest
markamenn og stigamenn eða aðrir ránsmenn. Ætlið þér hann nú munu yður
linan er hann fer með þetta illþýði er hann gerði þá slík hervirki er
allir löttu hann, þeir er honum fylgdu? Kalla eg hitt ráð að þér minnist
nú orða Knúts konungs, hvað hann réð yður ef Ólafur leitaði enn aftur
til lands, hvernig þér skylduð halda frelsi yðru því er Knútur konungur
hét yður. Hann bað yður standa í mót og rekast af höndum óaldarflokka
slíka. Er nú sá til að fara móti þeim og drepa niður illþýði þetta fyrir
örn og úlf og láta þar liggja hvern sem höggvinn er nema þér viljið
heldur draga hræ þeirra í holt og hreysi. Verði engi svo djarfur að
þá flytji til kirkna því að það eru allt víkingar og illgerðamenn.
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Kveðja,
Haukur