I see Brian beat me to it with the first one, but here are some notes on all three of Kári's verses. There are some things in verse 2 that I'm not sure of, and I found multiple interpretations of the 3rd.
Hvat skalt runnr þótt rynnim
randlinns, of sök minni
hagl dreif skógs/skarpt á Sköglar
skýjum, oss at frýja?,
hinn es helt, þás hjalta
hátungur mjök sungu,
brynju meiðr til búðar
blauðr með skegg et rauða.
How is it, warrior, that you should taunt me, even if I did run (Arrows drove at shields for lesser cause.), [you] who made for your booth, wimpish with the red beard, when sword blades sang [so] much.
runnr rand-linns "shrub of shield-serpent" = "shrub of sword" = "warrior/man".
ský Sköglar "cloud of [the valkyre] Skögul" = "shield".
hagl skógs "hail of bow" = "arrows". Some editions have <skarpt> "sharp" in place of <skógr> "bow", leaving <hagl> as an incomplete kenning, so it would be "hail [of bow implied] drove sharply/hard at shields". Compare <runnar> in verse 3. And for another example of an elliptical kenning, see e.g. Gordon: Introduction to Old Norse XVII, note to lines 59-60 on <valtæigs Hilldr> "goddess of [adornment of / fire of] hawk-land).
sök, f. = "cause, offence"
há-tungur hjalta "tall tongues of hilt (lit. of guard and pommel)" = "sword blades"
meiðr brynju "tree of mail-coat" = "warrior/man"
First person plural used, as often in verse, with singular reference.
Varð, þás víga Njörðu
vilja þraut at skilja
lítt (gekk skáld fyr skjöldu),
Skapta mart at hapti,
es matsjóðar Móða
malmrógs flatan drógu
(slíkt es alt af æðru)
inn í búð at trúðar.
The poet [I Kári] went before shields [into the thick of battle]. When fighters (?)hardly lost the will to separate, Skapti was very halting, he whom the warrior's cooks dragged flat into his booth to minstrels. Such [behaviour] is all from fear/cowardice.
Njörðr víga "[the god] Njörðr of battles" = "warrior/man"
Móði malm-rógs "[the god] Móði [Thor's son] of metal-strife" = "god of battle" = "warrior/man".
<þraut>, here I think the 3rd person indicative preterite of <þrjóta> "to run out", with accusative for what runs out (<vilja...at skilja> "will to part") and who experiences the lack of it (<víga Njörðu> the warriors).
This is a bit different from Cook and MM & HP, but more confused... My reasoning: <skjöldu> is accusative plural, and the poet (Kári) isn't behind, but before the shields, that is: in the thick of battle. I don't think that he'd be saying that he himself didn't go in front of shields much (stayed behind shields). There are many examples of someone putting a shield <fyrir> in front of themselves. But when a person is <fyrir>, they're in front of something, e.g. Ögmundr hafði Odd fyrir skjöldinn "Ögmundr had Oddr in front [of himself to use] as a shield", from Örvar odds saga.
<lítt>. I don't understand this. Cook and MM & HP seem to be taking it to say either <þraut> (they lost the will to part) or <lítt> (they hadn't much will to part) but not both (their will to part didn't dwindle much). Has a mistake crept in somewhere in the transmission of the poem, I wonder, altering <þraut>, <skilja> or lítt>? From the context, I'd expect him to be praising them for not wanting to part.
Höfðu Gríms at gamni
grðis elgs ok Helga,
rétt unnut þá runnar,
rennendr Níals brennu;
nú mun börgs (i.e. bergs?) í björgum
baugs hnykkjöndum þykkja
lyngs at loknu þingi
ljóts annan veg þjóta.
Varied interpretations possible [
http://www.usask.ca/english/icelanders/proverbs_BNS.html ].
First part: "When men [rennendr elgs grðis] made fun of the burning of Grímr and Helgi and Njáll, [those] men [runnar] did not do right."
And for the second part, either: "Now, at the end of the assembly, it [the wind?] will seem to men to howl in another way in the cliffs." Or: Now, at the end of the assembly, it will seem to men to howl differently [there will seem to men to be a different (kind of) howling] in the cliffs of heather [heather-grown cliffs] of the ugly boar (Svínafell).
rennandi elgs grðis "one who makes run the elk of the sea" = "sailor, one who makes a ship travel" = "man".
gaman, n. "fun"
hafa e-u at gamni "make fun of something"
unnu, 3rd person indicative pretertite of <vinna>, "work, act, do, etc." Here with the negative suffix t.
runnr "shrub" = "man" (an elliptical kenning with the determinant missing; battle, ship, sword, etc. implied).
börgr, m. "boar" (the usual word is <göltr>). An error for <bergs>, according to one interpretation, or - according to another - a roundabout way of referring to Svínafell.
Either: hnykkjandi bergs baugs (ljóts) lyngs "tugger of cliff of ugly ring of heather" = "tugger of resting place of snake" = "tugger of gold" = "generous man" = "(wealthy/important) man, leader", from the idea that he tugs at gold (is rough with it) in his eagerness to give it away. The Midgard Serpent is elsewhere called <inn ljóti þvengr barða brautar> "the ugly thong of the ship's path".
Or, with a much simpler, but still complete, kenning: hnykkjandi baugs "tugger of ring" = "(generous) man, leader" (who tugs off his rings to give away).
at loknu þingi "with the assembly concluded", "the assembly being over". Dative absolute construction, for grammar see CV or Zoega under <at>. <loknu> is dative singular of <lokinn>, the past participle of <lúka> "to close, finish".
One online thesis says of this verse "Ominously, Kári concludes with a punning threat against Flosi and his party", but doesn't elaborate. The Proverbs page mentions a few sources with verses that contain similar lines. Another is Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings, ch. 13.
Hlógu herðidraugar
hvinnendr of sök minni.
Fróns á frænda mínum
falli dómr í skalla.
Nú tér, síð er vegnir voru
víðníðingar sverðum,
hverju hóps í bjargi
hóts annan veg þjóta.
The Durrenbergers translate: "The enemies laughed and made fun at my expense. The death of my son falls on their heads. Let them pay for [the] death of my son differently in every cliff by the sea, since the widely-known villains were killed with swords."
--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "Patti (Wilson)" <originalpatricia@...> wrote:
>
> Saell Alan
> I looked in the CSOI Translated by Robert Cook
>
> Kari then spoke this verse
> 18
> If I ran, warrior,
> why rebuke me?
> The weapon-storm pounded,
> by my power, on shields
> Long, slender swords
> sang loud, while you,
> red-bearded coward,
> ran to your booth
>
> Kari spoke another verse;
> 19
> When Warriors lacked
> the will to stop fighting,
> Skafti the poet was pinned
> scared behind his shield,
> and the cooks dragged
> this dauntless hero
> flat on his back
> to the juggler's floor [ed- being sarcastic is he?]
>
> Kari spoke a third verse
> 20
> Men who mount the sea's elk
> have mocked the burning of Njal
> and of Grim and of Helgi -
> they did a great wrong
> and now in the heather -decked
> hills of the hog [Svinafell]
> all goes otherwise
> after the Althing
>
> There was great laughter, Snorri the Godi smiled and spoke in a low voice,
> yet
> in such a way that many heard him
>
> 21
> Skafti would shorten the fight
> but then Asgrim shot his shaft
> Holmstein fled unwillingly
> Thorket was forced to fight
>
> Now they laughed even louder
>
> [ed. I believe I detect a great deal of sarcasm here -
> amongst the Heroes !!! hope this contribution (CSOI)
> though not my own - will have helped]
>
> Copied from the Complete Sagas of the Icelanders - for comparison's sake
> Kveðja
> Patricia
>
>
>
> -------Original Message-------
>
> From: AThompson
> Date: 26/08/2009 10:57:47
> To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [norse_course] Njall 145 part 6 / Alan's Translation
>
>
>
>
> Here's my translation. Grace, sorry, I'm not much help with the verse too
> many words not in Zoega or, at least that don't seem to fit the context.
> Alan.
> Þeir Flosi hörfuðu nú upp um Vatnsfirðingabúð.
> They, Flosi (and co) retreated now up around (the) Lake-Fjorder's-booth.
>
>
> Þorgeir skorargeir mælti þá við Kára Sölmundarson: "Þar er hann nú Eyjólfur
> Thorgeir `Chafe-spear' spoke then with Kári Sölmund's-son: `There he is now,
> Eyjólf
>
> Bölverksson ef þú vilt launa honum hringinn."
> Bölverk's-son, if you want to recompense him for the ring.'
>
>
> "Eg ætla það nú eigi fjarri," segir Kári og þreif spjót af manni og skaut
> 'I intend that now not farther (I'm no less inclined to do that than I was
> before?),'says Kári and grasped a spear from a person (man) and shot
>
> til Eyjólfs og kom það á hann miðjan og gekk í gengum hann. Féll Eyjólfur
> towards Eyjólf and (it) came onto him amidships and went through him. Eyjólf
> fell
>
> þegar dauður til jarðar.
> at-once dead to (the) earth.
>
>
> Þá varð hvíld nokkur á um bardagann. Snorri goði kom þá að með flokk sinn.
> Then some (a slight?) pause occurred amidst the battle. Snorri (the)
> chieftain-priest came upon (it) then with his body-of-men.
>
> Var þar þá Skafti í liði með honum og hljópu þegar í milli þeirra. Náðu þeir
> Was there then Skapti in (the) force with him and (they) ran at once between
> them (ie the opposing sides). They (ie the opposing sides) were allowed (see
> ná + inf, Z3)
>
> þá eigi að berjast. Hallur gekk þá í lið með þeim og vildi skilja þá.
> then not to fight. Hall walked then into (the) force with them and wanted to
> separate them.
>
> Voru þá sett grið (pl) og skyldu þau haldast um þingið. Var (3rd pers sg) þá
> búið um lík (acc neut pl) og færð til
> A truce (see grið, plural, Z2) was then agreed and it (plural because
> referring to grið) should be-maintained during the Thing. (It) was then
> arranged concerning (the) corpses and (they were) removed to
>
> kirkju en bundin sár þeirra manna er særðir voru.
> (the) church but (and) bound (were the) wounds of those men who were wounded
>
>
>
> Annan dag eftir gengu menn til Lögbergs. Hallur af Síðu stóð upp og kvaddi
> (The) next day after (this) men walked to (the) Law-Rock. Hall of Síða stood
> up and called
>
> sér hljóðs og fékkst (fást) þegar.
> for himself for a hearing (silence) and was-given (it) at-once.
>
>
> Hann mælti svo: "Hér hafa orðið harðir atburðir í mannaláti og málasóknum.
> He spoke thus: 'Here have occurred severe events in (the) loss-of-life and
> in prosecutions.
>
> Mun eg enn sýna það er eg er lítilmenni. Eg vil nú biðja Ásgrím og þá menn
> I will yet (however) show that, that I am a small-person (ie no hero). I
> want now to ask Ásgrím and those other men
>
> aðra er fyrir málum þessum eru að þeir unni oss jafnsættis."
> who are for (ie supporting) these cases that they grant us an
> agreement-on-equal-terms.'
>
>
> Fór hann þar um mörgum fögrum orðum.
> He went (expounded) there-on with many fair words .
>
>
> Kári Sölmundarson mælti: "Þó að allir sættist aðrir á sín mál þá skal eg
> Kári Sölmund's-son spoke: Even if all others reach-agreement in their case,
> then I shall
>
> eigi sættast á mín mál því að þér munuð vilja virða víg þessi í móti
> not reach-agreement (come to terms) in my case because you (plural) will
> want to value (equally, ie equate) this manslaughter against
>
> brennunni en vér þolum það eigi."
> the burning, but we (will or can) not endure that.'
>
>
> Slíkt hið sama mælti Þorgeir skorargeir.
> Such (Exactly) the same spoke Þorgeir `Chafe-spear.'
>
>
> Þá stóð upp Skafti Þóroddsson og mælti: "Betra hefði þér verið Kári að renna
> Then Skapti Þórodd's-son stood up and spoke: `(It) had been better for you,
> Kári, not to run
>
> eigi frá mágum þínum (plural) og skerast nú eigi úr sáttum við góða menn."
> from your in-laws and not to withdraw (see skarast, Z8) now out-of
> agreements with good men.'
>
>
> Kári kvað þá vísur þrjár:
> Kári recited then three verses:
>
>
> Hvað skaltu, runnr, þótt rynnum,
> What shall you, ?, although ?
>
> randlinns, of sök minni
> ?, for lesser reason
>
> hagl dreif skarpt á Sköglar
> hail drove sharply on Skögul's
>
> skýjum, oss að frýja,
> clouds (presumably an allusion to the battle), to reproach us,
>
> hinn er hélt, þá er hjalta
> That (one) is ?, when ?
>
> hátungur mjög sungu,
> loud-tongues much sang
>
> brynju meiðr til búðar
> of coat-of-mail ? to (the) booth
>
> blauðr með skeggið rauða.
> cowardly with the red-beard
>