"I place my palm in your palm, my will in your will. May you feel in
your bones as if you're burning up unless you love me as you love
yourself. May these words be as hot to you, as strong and mighty, as
eternity."

--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, Haukur Þorgeirsson <haukurth@...>
wrote:

>
> I'm reminded of an Icelandic love spell:
>
> Legg ég lófa minn i þinn lófa,
> minn vilja í þinn vilja.
> Verði þér í beinum
> sem þú brennir öll,
> nema þú unnir mér
> sem sjálfri þér.
> Svo heit verði
> þér þessi orð,
> so megn og sterk sem
> eilífðin er.
>
> This, again, (lines 5-6) assumes that everyone loves themself a lot :)
>
> Kveðja,
> Haukur
>
>
> > Hello to all -- I'm new to the group here. I'm trying to get an

accurate

> > translation on a
> > poem from one of the Bergen runes.
> >
> > The complete phrase, as translated into Old Norse, is this:
> >
> > "kann ek segja thér, sem thú mant reyna af mér, at ek skal unna

thér engu

> > verr enn mér."
> >
> > The alleged English translation is this:
> >
> > "I can say to you, as you will experience with me, that I will

love you no

> > less than myself."
> >
> > This seems to me to simply be a word-for-word translation, rather

than one

> > that
> > translates the meaning of the poem. Can anyone here give me a more
> > accurate translation
> > in modern English that preserves the essence of what the poet is

really

> > saying? I can't
> > imagine the poem is saying, "I love myself so much, hang out with

me long

> > enough and I'll
> > end up loving you the same."
> >
> > And if the phrase were simply shortened to:
> >
> > "ek skal unna thér engu verr enn mér"
> >
> > would this have a different meaning on its own, without the intro? Or
> > would it literally be:
> >
> > "I will love you no less than myself."
> >
> > Many thanks in advance.
> >
> > Wade
> >
> >
>