Hann spurði alla sauðarmenn at seljum,
He asked all the sheepherders at the sheiling,
ef nõkkurr hefði sét þetta fé, ok kvazk engi sét hafa.
if any had seen those animals and (they)said (they) had seen none.
Einarr reið Freyfaxa allt frá eldingu ok til miðs aptans.
E. rode F. all the way from dawn until the middle of the evening.
Hestrinn bar hann skjótt yfir ok víða,
The horse carried him swiftly far and wide(?)
því at hestrinn var góðr af sér.
Because the horse was willing.
Einari kom þat í hug, at honum mundi mál heim
It occurred to E. that for him (it was) time to (get) home
ok reka þat fyrst heim, sem heima var,
and drive those(the sheep) on home first that were at home?
(This was confusing to me. I couldn’t figure out if home meant the home
farm in one instance and the sheiling next?)
þótt hann fyndi hitt eigi.
even though he had found none.
Reið hann þá austr yfir hálsa í Hrafnkelsdal.
He rode east over the ridge into H.
En er hann kemr ofan at Grjótteigi,
But when he came down to G.,
heyrir hann sauðarjarm fram með gilinu,
he heard (the sound of) sheep bleating carrying from the gorge,
þangat sem hann hafði fram riðit áðr.
from whence he had ridden before.
Snýr hann þangat til ok sér renna í móti sér þrjá tigu ásauðar,
He turned quickly ? and saw thirty sheep running towards him,
þat sama sem hann vantat hafði áðr viku,
the same ones that had been missing before for a week,
ok støkkði hann því heim með fénu.
and he drove the animals along home.
Hestrinn var vátr allr af sveita, svá at draup ór hverju hári hans,
The horse was all wet with sweat, so that it dripped from his hair,
var mjõk leirstokkinn ok móðr mjõk ákafliga.
he was very muddy and exceedingly tired.
Hann veltisk nõkkurum tólf sinnum,
He rolled, (not seeing?) any of his twelve(mares),
ok eptir þat setr hann upp hnegg mikit.
and after that he stood up (reared?), neighing much.
Siðan tekr hann á mikilli rás ofan eptir gõtunum.
Then he took off at great speed after the steeds.
Einarr snýr eptir honum ok vill komask fyrir hestinn
E. turned quickly after him and wanted to come to the ears (this is an
idiom in English I didn’t understand?) of the horse
ok vildi hõndla hann ok fora (foera) hann aptr til hrossa,
and wanted to catch him and ride him after the horses.
en hann var svá styggr, at Einarr komsk hvergi í nándir honum.
But he (Freyfaxa) was so shy, that E. (could) come nowhere near him.
Hestrinn hleypr ofan eptir dalnum ok nemr eigi stað,
The horse galloped down along the valley and didn’t stop,
fyrr en hann kemr á Aðalból.
until he came to A.
Þá sat Hrafnkell yfir borðum.
There sat H. at the table (?)
Ok er hestrinn kemr fyrir dyrr, hneggjaði hann þá hátt.
And the horse came before the door,where he neighed loudly.
Hrafnkell mælti við eina konu, þá sem þjónaði fyrir borðinu,
H. spoke with a woman who (was) a servant in exchange for board (?? Or
served at his table?)
at hon skyldi fara til duranna, því at hross hneggjaði,
that she should go to the door because the horse had neighed
--'ok þótti mér líkt vera gnegg Freyfaxa.'
“and it seems to me to be like the neigh of Freyfaxa.”
Hon gengr fram í dyrrnar ok sér Freyfaxa mjõk ókræsiligan.
She went to the door and saw F very filthy.
Hon sagði Hrafnkeli,
She said to H.,
at Freyfaxi var fyrir durum úti, mjõk óþokkuligr.
that F. was outside before the door, very dirty.
grace
--