Þat var einn morgin snimma, at Þorbjörn karl vaknar.

It was one morning early that Thorbjorn (an old man) awoke [awakes]

Early one morning Old Thorbjorn awoke

 

 Hann vekr Sám ok bað hann upp standa. 'Má ek ekki sofa.'

He woke [wakes] Sam and bade him stand up "I am not (able) to sleep)

He woke Sam and asked him to get up. "I cannot sleep"

 

Sámr stendr upp ok ferr í klæði sín. Þeir ganga út ok ofan at
Øxará, fyrir neðan brúna. Þar þvá þeir sér.
Sam stands up and (?puts on) clothes his [yes, literally goes (fara) into his clothes]  They go out and over [down] to the Oxara )River)

below the bridge. There they washed [wash] themselves

Sam gets up and gets dressed they go to the Oxara, below the bridge for a wash

 

Þorbjörn mælti við Sám: 'Þat er ráð mitt, at þú látir reka
at hesta vára, ok búumsk heim. Er nú sét, at oss vill ekki annat
en svívirðing.'
Thorbjorn speaks [spoke] with Sam "This is my council that thou (let or order) reka ? [drive out] our horses

and we return us [prepare ourselves (to return)] (Reflx [yes]) home. It is now obvious that we [to us] will (come) nothing [other] have but Disgrace

Thorbjorn says to Sam "This is my advice, that you cause our horses to be fetched and

we return home, It is obvious there is nothing here for us but disgrace

 

Sámr svarar: 'Þat er vel,

Sam replies " that is good"   (is Sam being Sarcastic or what)

Sam replies "That is good*

 

af því at þú vildir ekki annat en

deila við Hrafnkel

for this that [ie because] thou  wished nothing more than a quarrel [to quarrel, verb] with Hrafnkel

The only thing you wanted was to quarrel with Hrafnkel

 

ok vildir eigi þá kosti þiggja, er margr mundi
gjarna þegit hafa, sá er eptir sinn náunga átti at sjá.

and would not wish the change [to accept those terms] that many (mundi) [would, past of munu] willingly would have accepted

if as [those who] after their kinsman they (?seek) [had a right to to exact compensation, very idiomatic; literally were obliged to see after...]

 

Frýðir þú
oss mjök hugar ok öllum þeim, er í þetta mál vildu eigi ganga
með þér.

Questioned thou  greatly the courage of us [and] all [those] who in this time [case] would not go with thee

You cast doubt upon the courage of all who would not go with you in this 

 

Skal ek nú ok aldri fyrr af láta en mér þykkir fyrir
ván komit, at ek geta nökkut at gert."

Shall I now and [also] never (fyrr) let go until it seems to me no hope of good comes [come beyond hope, ie beyond all hope, I think]

that I can get [do] something

Shall I now (go) and never let up until it seems to me that all hope is lost that I can Do Something

 

Þá fær Þorbirni svá mjök, at hann grætr.

Then moved [(it) moves] Thorbjorn so much that he wept [weeps]

Thorbjorn was so moved at this that he wept

 

Þá sjá þeir vestan at ánni, hóti neðar en þeir sátu, hvar fimm
menn gengu saman frá einni búð.

Then saw [see] they [on the] west [side] of the river, a little [further] below [comparitive] where they sat where five men going [went] together from a booth

Then they saw west of the river a little below where they were sitting five men walking together from a Shelter (why do they use booth)

 

Sá var hár maðr ok ekki
þrekligr, er fyrstr gekk, í laufgronum kyrtli ok hafði búit
sverð í hendi, réttleitr maðr ok rauðlitaðr ok vel í yfirbragði,
ljósjarpr á hár ok mjök hærðr.

The [That] man was tall and not stoutly built that first went in leaf-green tunic and had a (?prepared [sort of, ”at the ready”, I think)

sword in hand  even/right featured man, [and] of ruddy complexion and distinguished in appearance

light chestnut  hair and with much hair

The first man was tall but not stoutly built, dressed in a Tunic of leaf green carrying a fine sword

(might it have been engraved, propared sounds odd)

a regular featured man, ruddy faced and distinguished looking, with a lot of light chestnut hair

 

 Sjá maðr var auðkenniligr, því
at hann hafði Ijósan lepp í hári sínu inum vinstra megin.
Sámr mælti: 'Stöndum upp ok göngum vestr yfir ána til
 móts við þessa menn.'
This man was [easily] recognisable as he had (a) light lock (of hair) on the left side

Sam said    Let us (use of subjunctive is this? [no, its the imperative])   get up and go west over the river to [a] meet[ing, noun] with these men

(móts looks like "meet-us" is that right)

This man was very recognizable as he had a light lock of hair on the left side

Sam said  "Shall we get up and go over to the west side of the river and meet these men

 

I liked this one Alan, I hope I have done better with it, I liked the descriptions and I may have made some mistakes in the verbs as I have not yet got through the verbs section of  my books, but the more I see of it the more I WANT to learn

Kveðja

Patricia