Sarah,
I've done this translation already and thought I had sent it to you, but I
can't find any record of its transmission. There could be two reasons for
this:
a) technical incompetence.
b) some damned troll inside the computer has grabbed my message
and eaten it.
In any event, I've since received advice from Laurel, Raymond and Xigung on
how to adapt Icelandic characters for texting by e-mail, (thanks to all of you),
so I now have a chance to see how well I have learned what they told me.
Therefore I'm sending it again.
Here we go -
Böðvarr mælti "Ekki muntu fá skjaldborgina lengr"
Bothvar said, "You shall not have the shelter for long"
Höttr mælti ok grét: "Skaltu nú bana mér, bokki sæl?"
Hottr spoke and wept: "Will you kill me now, guv'nor?"
Böðvarr bað
hann ekki hafa hátt, tók hann upp síðan
Bothvar commanded him not to make an outcry, then picked him
up
ok bar hann út ór höllinu ok til vatns nökkurs sem þar var í nand,
and carried him out of the hall to a lake which was
nearby
ok gáfu fáir at þessu gaum, ok þó hann upp allan.
and few gave heed to this, and washed him all over.
Síðan gekk Böðvarr til þess rúms sem hann hafði áðr tekit,
Then Bothvar went to the seat which he had taken before,
ok leiddi eptir sér Hött ok þar setr hann Hött hjá sér
and led Hott behind him and set Hott there beside him.
En hann er svá hræddr at skelfr á honum leggr ok liðr,
But he was so frightened that he shook in bone and and
joint.
en þó þykkisk hann skilja at þessi maðr vill hjálpa sér.
but yet he thought he perceived that this man would help
him.