Laxdaela Saga 19 beginning / Alan's Translation

Here´s my translation.

Kveðja

Alan

19. kafli - Útkoma Hrúts
Chapter 19 Hr
útr’s Coming-out (Arrival-in-Iceland)


Nú er frá Höskuldi að segja að ráð hans er virðulegt. Var hann höfðingi mikill.
Now (one) is to say about Höskuldr, that his lot (in life) is splendid. He was a great chieftain.

Hann varðveitti mikið fé er átti Hrútur Herjólfsson bróðir hans.
He kept much property which Hrútr Herjólfr’s-son, his brother, had
-a-right-to (see eiga, Z4).

Margir menn mæltu það að nokkuð
mundu ganga skorbíldar (I believe this to be the subject of the clause) í fé Höskulds ef hann
Many men (persons) spoke that, that the scoring-axes
would go (ie cut) somewhat (see nökkurr, Z2) into Höskuldr’s property (wealth) if he

skyldi vandlega út gjalda móðurarf hans.
he should (ie were to) exactly (ie completely) pay out his mother’s-inheritance.


Hrútur er hirðmaður Haralds konungs Gunnhildarsonar og hafði af honum mikla
Hrútr is a king’s-man (retainer) of King Harald Gunnhildr’s-son and had (received) from him great

virðing. Hélt (halda) það mest
til þess að hann gafst best í öllum mannraunum. En
honour. That held (was attributed, see halda til, Z.III) mostly
to that, that he proved-himself best in (the face of) all personal-danger. But

Gunnhildur drottning lagði (leggja) svo miklar mætur á hann að hún hélt
(halda) engin hans
Queen Gunnhildr placed such great values on (took such a great fancy for) him that she held (considered
, see halda, Z6) none his

jafningja innan hirðar
(hirð) hvorki í orðum né öðrum hlutum. En þó að mannjafnaður
equal within the king’s-bodyguard
, neither in words (speech) nor in other things (nudge nudge wink wink). But even though a comparison-of-men

væri hafður
(pp of hafa)og til ágætis manna talað (tala) þá var það öllum mönnum auðsætt að
should-be had
(ie held, conducted, hafa, Z2) and (there should-be) talked (ie discussions-held) about (the) excellence of men , then (ie nevertheless) that was to all men (persons) easily-seen that

Gunnhildi þótti (þykkja) hyggjuleysi til ganga eða öfund ef nokkurum manni var til Hrúts jafnað.
(it) seemed to Gunnhildr (either) thoughtlessness to be the reason (cf ganga til, Z15) or ill-will if (there) was-a-comparison of any men with Hrútr.


Með því að Hrútur átti að vitja til Íslands fjárhlutar mikils og göfugra
With that that (Because) Hrútr had to go to (visit) Iceland for (reasons of) property much and noble

frænda þá fýsist hann að vitja þess, býr nú ferð sína til Íslands. Konungur
kinsmen, then he desired to visit that (ie go there), prepares now his journey to Iceland. (The) King

gaf honum skip að skilnaði og kallaðist hann reynt hafa að
góðum dreng.
gave him a ship at parting and said-of-himself to have proven him for (ie found him to be
. This is not reflexive, ie it´s the king doing the proving, just as in the example immediately below) a good fellow.


Gunnhildur leiddi Hrút til skips og mælti: "Ekki skal þetta lágt mæla að eg
Gunnhildr lead (conducted) Hrútr to (the) ship and spoke: ‘(One, ie I) shall not speak this lightly (low-voiced) that I

hefi þig reyndan að
miklum ágætismanni því að þú hefir atgervi jafnfram
have proven you for (found you to be) a very outstanding-person because you have accomplishments equally-forward (ie to match)

hinum bestum mönnum hér í landi en þú hefir vitsmuni langt umfram."
to the best men (persons) here in (the) country but you have wisdom far in-advance (of them).’


Síðan gaf hún honum gullhring og bað hann vel fara, brá síðan skikkjunni að
After-that she gave him a gold-ring (arm-band) and bade him fare-well, drew after-that the mantle over

höfði sér og gekk snúðigt heim til bæjar
(gen sg of boer).
her head and walked briskly home to (the) town.


En Hrútur stígur á skip og siglir í haf. Honum byrjaði vel og tók
But (And) Hrútr steps on-to (the) ship and sails out-to sea. (It) blew well for him (ie he got fair winds) and reached

Breiðafjörð. Hann siglir inn að eyjum. Síðan siglir hann inn Breiðasund og
Breiðafjörðr (Broadöfjord). He sails inside (ie into the fjord) to (the) islands. After-that he sails into Breiðasund (Broad-Sound) and

lendir við Kambsnes og bar bryggjur á land. Skipkoman spurðist og svo það að
lands by Kambsnes (Comb’s-Ness) and bore (the) gang-way onto land (ashore). The ship-arrival was-reported and also that, that

Hrútur Herjólfsson var stýrimaður. Ekki fagnar Höskuldur þessum tíðindum og
Hrútr Herjólfr’s-son was (the) skipper, Höskuldr rejoiced not in these tidings and

eigi fór hann á fund hans.
he went not to (the) meeting of him. (ie he didn´t go to meet him).


Hrútur setur upp skip sitt og býr um. Þar gerði hann bæ er síðan heitir á
Hrútr sets (lays) up his ship and prepares around it (ie fences around it, see búa um, Z9). There he made (established) a farm which after-that is-called

Kambsnesi. Síðan reið Hrútur á fund Höskulds og heimtir
(heimta)móðurarf sinn.
(at) Kambsness (Comb’s-Ness). After-that Hrútr rode to a meeting with Höskuldr and claims
(heimta, Z3) his mother’s-inheritance.

Höskuldur kvaðst ekki fé eiga að gjalda, kvað eigi móður sína hafa farið
Höskuldr declared-of-himself to have no property to give, declared his mother not to have gone

félausa af Íslandi þá er hún kom til móts við Herjólf. Hrúti líkar illa og
property-less from Iceland when she came to (the) meeting with Herjólfr. (It) ill-pleased Hrútr and (he)

reið í brott við svo búið
. Allir frændur Hrúts gera sæmilega til hans, aðrir en Höskuldur.
rode away things-being so
(see búinn, Z5). All Hrútr’s kinsmen acted honourably towards him, other than (ie except) Höskuldr.