Patricia

 

Comments inserted as usual

 

Kveðja

Alan

 

-----Original Message-----
From: norse_course@yahoogroups.com [mailto:norse_course@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Patricia
Sent: Saturday, 8 April 2006 8:34 PM
To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Fw: [norse_course] Hrafnkell 721-743

 

Kona ein var við vatnit ok þó (washed, past tense of ’þvá’) lérept (note: plural) sín. Hon sér ferð
manna (literally: a journey of men, ie men on a journey).

A Woman was by the lake (ein seems to say she was alone (perhaps, but I think it is simply a certain woman) and though linen hers (was doing washing) she sees some men passing

 

Griðkona sjá (this = þessi, fem sg, agrees with griðkona, ie this housemaid) sópar saman léreptunum (note: plural with def art attached) ok hleypr
heim.

The housemaid (Zoega) this linen gathers together (dat.linen) and runs home

 

Hon kastar þeim (note: plural, them)  niðr úti hjá viðarkesti, en hleypr inn.

She casts it down outside (úti) by a woodpile and runs in

Hrafnkell var þá (then) eigi upp staðinn (pp, ie stood),

Hrafnkell was not up standing (i.e. still in bed)

 

ok nökkurir vilðarmenn
lágu í skálanum (more likely to be the hallI), en (but, I think fits better here) verkmenn váru til iðnar farnir. Þetta (This)var 725
um heyjaannir.
and a few of his favorites (Gordon) were lying in the huts and (the) workmen were gone to their (not in text) work it was the (no def art in text )Haymaking Season (Gordon)

 

Konan tók til orða, er hon kom inn:

That woman (use of suff def art (yes, but def art only really means the) took to words (started speaking) as she came in

 

'Satt er flest þat, er (literally: true is most that, which, ie that is most true which)
fornkveðit er (present), at svá ergisk (becomes cowardly, faint-hearted) hverr (each, everyone)sem eldisk.

True it was said in Ancient time (days gone by) that you become (soft or wicked) as you becone old

(Note 1(

 

 Verðr (is, becomes, pres of verða) sú (that, fem demonstative article) lítil
virðing, sem snimma (early) leggsk á (acquired, obtained),

The respect to you is little worth if soon lost

 

ef maðr lætr síðan sjálfr af (‘láta af’ = give up, yields) með
ósóma ok hefir eigi traust (confidence, ie trust (in himself) til at reka (drive, press) þess réttar (those rights) nökkurt sinni ((at) some time),

if a man loses later himself from lack of honour and has not support/strength to rake some of his rights together

 

730
ok eru slík mikil undr (note: plural) um þann mann (note sg, ie concerning that man) sem (who) hraustr hefir verit.

And it is such a great wonder (surprise) to these men as (they) valiant have been

Nú er annan veg þeira lífi (literally: in life of those) , er (who) upp vaxa með föður sínum (singular), ok
þykkja (seem, appear)yðr (to you) einskis háttar (of no matter, importance) hjá yðr,

Now it is another way of life, to grow up with their fathers and one thinks nothing of them (as compared) with yourself

 

 en þá er (when)þeir eru frumvaxta,
fara land af landi ok þykkja þar mestháttar, sem þá koma þeir,
koma við þat út (I couldn´t untangle the sense of this myself) ok þykkjask þá höfðingjum meiri.

but then they are (just) grown up and travel from country to country and (are) thought There most important.  As they come (back) home comes with this (with the thought??) that they consider themselves better than Chieftains

 

Eyvindr 735
Bjarnason reið (past)  hér (here) yfir á á Skálavaði með svá fagran skjöld, at
ljómaði af. Er hann svá menntr, at hefnd væri í honum. (see my translation)

'Eyvind Bjarnason  (Bjom's Son (no, Bjarni´s son)) rifes over the (not in text) River at Skalavaði with such a beautiful shield

that it shines

Go you quickly south (wards)  to Viðvellir after (i.e. - to get) Hallstein's Sons

Sighvat and Snorri

Ask them to come at once to me, coming with their men who are able to bear weapons

 

 

Why the panic - was she scared or just stirring it, did Hrafnkell take offence at her words - no doubt

this will lead to further bloodshed, my estimation is that she was old and must have been dreaming of the Old Days when things were better (were they)  for distance lends enchantment

 

for note one - we have the saying even now "the older you get the worse you get"

 

Kveðja

Patricia