----- Original Message -----
From: Sarah Bowen
To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2003 10:04 PM
Subject: Re: [norse_course] Bodvar Bjarki translation

Sæll Jed!
 
Glad to have you join us, the more the merrier!  Like you,
I know my main interest is to get the meaning right first and then I try to put it into reasonable English, without drifting too far from the original.  I guess we can all chip in to the debate around 'tight' or 'loose' translations - I don't know much about the principles of written translating as such.
 
I don´t mind going over the lines you´ve done this week, but perhaps it´s better for the group all to move at the same pace?  If most people would prefer a longer chunk to work on, then that's fine by me.
 
Your translation was very fluent, just one or two minor points where it seemed to diverge slightly from the original, but really these points are nit-picking ones...
 
-----------------
Bothvar led his horse to a stall beside the king's (other) best horses
konungs hestum hinum beztum - here hestum is plural. 
In Barnes' Introduction to Old Norse, he has "hinn" as a demonstrative pronoun meaning "that" or "the other", but perhaps the English sounds better as
"beside the king's best horses"
 
 and nobody questioned him. Well, Bodvar is the subject of the sentence here, he leads "leiðir" his horse and "spyrr engan at".  So it´s "he (Bodvar) asks no-one about it". 
Engan is the masculine accusative singular form of "engi" meaning no-one.
 
 
a little while, he heard a rummaging away in a corner of a certain place.  Ok, this is really nit-picking but the ON read
"þrausk nokkut" so I suppose it should be translated as
"some rummaging".  Again the ON read "í hornit" - does it matter if we say "in a corner" or "in the corner"?  Personally I don't think it matters, perhaps if you want to give the reader a sense of being there, then "in the corner" has more sense of immediacy.  What do others think?
"í einhverjum stað" is perhaps more "in a certain place", although that sounds a bit stilted in English.  If you´re using American English, what about simply "someplace"?  For British English, it would have to be "somewhere".
 
The hand was very black.  Bothvar went over to it and asked  I don´t think the ON tells us Bothvar went over to the man's hand (although in reality that's what he did).  It just says Bothvar "gengr þangat til"  meaning "walks there too".  Although "til" is often a preposition, here it is an adverb meaning "too".
 
Hottr yelled out loud and cried, ' You'll be the death of me, now!'   This is a good way to express the meaning although perhaps purists would say a slightly 'loose' translation.  There is a noun "bana" which means death and the verb "bana" means to kill.  "Nú viltu mér bana!" literally means "Now you want to kill me!"
 
You mention about the difficulties of translating 'skjaldborg', I like the solution you chose in your translation.  In college, we were simply using 'shield-wall' which sounds very 'translated'.  Let's see what the others make of it next week!
 
Bye for now,
Sarah.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2003 12:10 AM
Subject: Re: [norse_course] Bodvar Bjarki translation

 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2003 10:23 AM
Subject: [norse_course] Bodvar Bjarki translation

Hello!
 
Following on from my suggestion of using my uni notes to work on a translation of Bodvar Bjarki, Thomas and Laurel both expressed an interest.  So, for you and anyone else out there who wants to join us, here goes...
 
I have typed up the first few lines in a Word document (attached) because I can't make my keyboard type the letter hooked o or o with a diagonal line through it when I'm doing an email, but I can in Word.  You can post your translations in an email and I will respond likewise so that everyone can see what we're doing and jump in to help if we go wrong.
 
The passage in Gordon's reader begins mid way through chapter 23 with Bodvar arriving at King Hrolf's court where he has come to enter the king's service.  Previously, he has been visiting his brothers and on his way to king Hrolf's he lodged with a peasant couple who told him that their son, Hott, was at the court and being badly treated by the courtiers and they ask Bodvar to be kind to him.
 
Have fun!
Sarah.
 
ps.  let me know if you want a glossary of words.
 
Hello Sarah (and Thomas and Laurel)
I'm Jed Mc Harg, and I'd be delighted to join you if I may. I've been ploughing the Gordon and I've been more concerned about getting the meaning than producing a good translation, so this may be an opportunity to acquire basic translation skills. Would it be acceptable to translate the first fifteen lines? I'll give it a go. However, I'm quite happy to translate as little or as much as you or the group wish.
Here goes:
 
Afterwards, Bothvar went on his journey to Hleithagarth.  He came to the king's residence. Bothvar led his horse to a stall beside the king's best horse and nobody questioned him. Then he went into the hall and few men were there. He sat near the door and when he had been there a little while, he heard a rummaging away in a corner of a certain place. Bothvar looked there and saw a man's hand come up out of a great heap of bones which lay there.  The hand was very black.  Bothvar went over to it and asked who was there in the pile of bones. Then he was answered rather timidly: 'I am called Hottr, good sir'.  'Why are you here', said Bothvar  'and what are you doing?'  Hottr said, 'I am making a defence for myself, good sir'  Bothvar said,
'You are wretched, you and your defence!' Bothvar took hold of him and yanked him up out of the pile of bones. Hottr yelled out loud and cried, ' You'll be the death of me, now!'
 
'Skjaldborg' - 'shield-wall, protection' doesn't translate well literally. What about 'stronghold'? Could we get away with 'hidey-hole' or 'refuge' ?
 
Sarah
Thanks very much for your comments. They have shown me that I've been a bit too slap-dash compared to you and others in the group. I'll be more careful next time. I'm perfectly happy to work at the speed of everyone else, unless there is a genuine desire by some to go a little faster.
I have worked my way through all the West Norse exercises in Gordon and the first two chapters in the East Norse section. I don't think I'll carry on with this until someone else is ready to join in with me. I now aim to go over the whole work again to consolidate what I have learned.
Cheers
Jed Mc Harg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


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