Re: Laxdaela Saga 18 Part 2 -- Rob's Translation

Once again Alan's translation and notes cover most of the
difficulties.

> Þorsteinn skipaði ferju og gekk þar á með tólfta mann.

> Thorstein arranged (i.e., prepared) (the) ship and went
> there with (the) twelfth man (i.e., Thorstein plus 11
> others).

> Thorstein manned a large boat and went there on with 12
> men (including himself).

> Þorsteinn manned (see skipa, Z4) a ferry-boat and walked
> there on (ie boarded) with (the) twelth man (who carried
> the drinks :-) cricket joke) (ie with eleven other men).

I think that this should be 'who carried the drinks --
Howzat?!' (Not bad, actually.) Hmm. Þorsteinn skipaði
ferju ok gekk þar á með drykkjarþjóninum. <g> (Wonder what
'backward square leg' is in Icelandic!)

<http://www.009leika.com/play/1489.html>

> Sigla þeir inn að straumum í þann straum er hét
> Kolkistustraumur.

> They sail in to a current, in (to) that current which
> was-called Kolkistu-current.

> They sail in to a current in that tide (?) which is called
> Kolkisttustraum.

> They sail in amongst currents in that current which is
> called (the) Coal-chest-current.

Rob & Grace: the <-um> ending of <straumum> guarantees that
the noun is dative *plural*.

> Sá er í mesta lagi þeirra strauma er á Breiðafirði
> eru.

> That which is very greatly the current which was in
> Broad-firth. (CV lag II,2 - í mesta lagi = very greatly)

> That is in greatest degree (most powerful) of those
> currents which are in Broad Firth.

> That-one (ie that current) is in (the) greatest position
> (ie at the top of the list) of those currents which are in
> Breiðafjörðr.

In the expressions <í ... lagi>, where the ellipsis is
filled by a comparative or superlative, the <lagi> doesn't
usually translate. For instance, <í meira lagi> is
'considerably, rather'. This is simply 'That is the
greatest of those currents that are in Breiðafjörðr'.

> Heldur það mest til þess að þá var komið útfall sjávar en
> byrinn ekki vinveittur því að skúraveður var á og var
> hvasst veðrið þá er rauf en vindlítið þess í milli.

> But that most to that that then was come ebbing
> of-(the)-sea and/but not the favorable fair-wind because
> (there) was showery-weather and (there) was the sharp
> weather then which cleared-up but that calm in between.

> It remained most like that until then low tide came and no
> kindly breeze because showery weather was on and then was
> a sharp wind which cleared and this calm in between.

> That holds (ie continues) mostly for that reason that the
> (an) ebbing of the sea was (had) come but (and) (the) wind
> was not favourable because showery-weather was upon (them)
> and the wind was fresh (strong) when (it) cleared but calm
> (little-wind) in between that.

Misplaced parentheses in '(the) wind was favorable':
<byrinn> includes the definite article, but the verb is
understood, so it's 'the wind [was] not favorable'.

The last bit probably means that the squalls brought strong
winds that cleared the clouds (and squalls themselves) away,
but the winds died away as soon as the weather cleared, so
that during the squalls they had too much wind and bad
visibility, and between them they had no wind to speak of.

> Var hirslum mest hlaðið og varð hár farmurinn en löndin
> voru nær.

> The (hirslum?) was most loaded and the cargo became high
> and/but land was near.

ON <hirzla>; modern <s> is often ON <z>.

> (The ship) was laden with great chests and the cargo
> became high and land was near.

> Mostly (it) was laden with chests and (the) load became
> high but (and) the-lands were near.

That last bit presumably means that they were in a narrow
part of the fjord.

> Gekk skipið lítið því að straumurinn gerðist óður að móti.

> The ship went little because the current became furious
> against (them).

> The ship went slowly because the current became violent
> against (it).

> The ship went little (ie made little headway) because
> the-current became rough to-contend with (see at móti,
> under mót, Z4).

Any of these would do, but Grace's 'became violent against
[it]' seems the best choice for a literal translation. CV
suggests 'violent' in the case of things (rather than
people), and <skipit>, the subject of the sentence, seems
the natural choice for the omitted object of <at móti>.

> Og er nær hafði að skipið mundi fljóta þá rekur á
> hvassviðri mikið og hvelfir skipinu og drukkna nú menn
> allir þeir er þar voru á skipinu nema einn maður.

> And is near had to the ship would float then tossed to a
> sharp-gale much and the ship capsizes and now they, all
> men who were on the ship, drown save one man.

> and when nearly (they) had (it) that the ship would float,
> then a very sharp wind drives and capsizes the ship and
> all those men drown now who were there on the ship except
> for one man.

> And when (it) had nearly (done so sufficuently?) that the
> ship would float then a great sharp-gale rises upon (them)
> and overturns the-ship and now all those men are drowned
> who were on the-ship except one man.

'And when [it] had nearly [happened] that the ship would
float ... .' In better English, 'And when the ship had
nearly floated free'.

> Þann rak á land með viðum.

> That (one) (was) tossed to land with (the) mast.

> Then (he) washes up on land with wood.

> (It) drove that-one (ie him) onto land (ashore) with (the)
> timbers (wreckage of the ship?).

My guess is 'with timbers [from the wreckage of the ship]'.

> Guðríður átti að taka arf eftir Þorstein surt föður
> sinn, er átti Þorkell trefill.

> Gudrid was-entitled-to be-heir-to Thorstein Black his
> father, which Thorkell Tatter was entitled to. (Z arfr 1 ?
> taka arf eptir e-n, to be heir to a person, to inherit)

> Gudrid, who was married to Thorkell tatters, was obliged
> to inherit after Thorstein the black, her father.

> Guðríðr had-the-right to take (possession of the)
> inheritance after Þorsteinn Black, her father, who Þorkell
> Rag had (as a wife, ie married).

Rob & Grace: You want Zoëga s.v. <eiga> (4), not (3). I
think that Alan mentions this the next time it comes up.

> Og er hann kemur á fund Þorkels þá slær Þorkell við
> hann kaupi á laun að hann skyldi svo greina frásögn um
> líflát manna sem hann segði fyrir.

> And when he comes to meet (that is, speak with) Thorkell,
> then Thorkell strikes a bargain with him secretly that he
> should so tell tell an account concerning (the)
> loss-of-life which he told previously. (Z, slá 6 - slá
> kaupi, to strike a bargain) (Z. laun - á (or með) laun,
> secretly)

> And when he comes to a meeting with Thorkell then Thorkell
> strikes a bargain secretly with him that he should so
> report the account of death of people as he told him
> before.

> And when he comes to a meeting with Þorkell, then Þorkell
> strikes a bargain with him in secret that he should so
> tell (structure) the story-telling (narrative) about the
> loss-of-life of (the) men as he (ie Þorkell) prescribed
> (see segja fyrir, Z5) .

Note that <segði> is a past subjunctive, the active form
being <sagði>, so <sem hann segði fyrir> has something of
the flavor of 'as he would prescribe'.

> Heimtir nú Þorkell af honum frásögn um atburð þenna svo að
> margir menn voru hjá.

> Thorkell now claims of him an accounting concerning this
> this event so to many men (who) were near.

> Thorkell now demands of him an account about that event so
> that many men were nearby.

> Þorkell now requests from him (the) story-telling
> (narrative) about this event so that many men were nearby.

This is a case in which <svá at> doesn't really correspond
to any idiomatic English use of 'so that', although one can
see how it works: the idea is that the request is made in
such a way that many people were nearby, i.e., in the
presence of many people (to act as witnesses).

Brian