--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "AThompson" <athompso@...>
wrote:

> ok eru víða øroefi ok hætt skipum.
> And (the) harbourless coasts (nom. plural?) are wide and

dangerous/destructive to ships.


I think 'víða' must be an adverb here, since 'øroefi' is neuter
(nom. pl., as you say), so maybe: "and there are harbourless-coasts
widely/in-many-places and [it is] dangerous to ships."

> Nú brýtr þú ok týnir skipinu ok fénu, lítt sér þat þá á,
> Now (should) you wreck (subj) and lose (presumably subj) the ship

and the possessions (sg), that (will be) little seen (indic but why
not subj?) then (there will be then little to show)


Now it gets confusing. 'brýtr' is indicative, isn't it? The
subjunctive 'brjótir' crops up soon. 'týnir' could be either, but
as the verbs either side of it are both indicative, I'm guessing it
is too. Granted, Gwyn Jones has "Now should you be wrecked and lose
both ship and lading, there will be little to show that you have met
King Svein...", but look at the way this version with modern
spelling is punctuated.

http://www.snerpa.is/net/isl/audun.htm

I don't know if this is the right way to think of it, but could it
be sort of rhetorical and concerned? "Now you're going to [go and]
get [yourself] shipwrecked [aren't you]. There won't be much to
show THEN that you've (subj.) met..."

Or would it be better to just treat it as if 'brýtr' has the force
of a subjunctive, if not the form? The final subjunctive HAFIR I
guess is there because it involves a perception that won't take
place. But is it the negative quality that causes this, or the fact
that it's a perception? I wonder if indicative would be prefered if
he was saying "then it certainly will be seen that you've met..."
Or would the fact that it's describing some hypothetical person's
perception be enough to demand the subjunctive? So many questions...

> at þú hafir fundit Svein konung ok gefit honum gørsimi.
> that you have (subj!) met King Sveinn and given him a treasure.

> ok ertu þá enn eigi félauss með öllu,
> and you are (will be - pres as future) then still not completely

penniless

> þótt þú brjótir skipit, ef þú fær haldit þessu.
> even though you (should) wreck (subj) the ship, if you are able to

hold (on to) this.



Yes: 'hafir' and 'brjótir' sunjunctive, but 'þú fær' indicative!
(Google 'ef þú fær' 24; 'ef þú fáir' just 3, all in subordinate
clauses with 'að'. Similar statistics for 'geta').

Llama Nom