I have been trying to translate the Norwegian folk song, Kråkevisa (sometimes known as Kråkevise, Mannen og kråke, Mannen og kråka, Bonden og kråka) into Old Norse.
I've done the first three verses.
Here's the original Norwegian:
Og mannen han gjekk seg i vedaskog.
Hei fara, i vedaskog!
Då satt det ei kråke i lunden og gol.
Hei fara, falturilturaltura!
Og mannen han tenkte med sjølve seg,
Hei fara, med sjølve seg:
Eg trur no den kråka vil drepa meg.
Hei fara, falturilturaltura!
"Å no har eg aldri høyrt større skam!
Hei fara, høyrt større skam!
Har du høyrt at ei kråke kan drepa en mann?"
Hei fara, falturilturaltura!
Now here's my (probably rather poor) English translation:
And the man he went into the forest of trees.
Hei fara, into the forest of trees!
Then sat there, a crow in the grove, who crowed.
Hei fara, falturilturaltura!
And the man he thought to himself,
Hei fara, to himself:
I think now this crow wants to kill me.
Hei fara, falturilturaltura!
"Oh! Now I have never heard a greater shame!
Hey fara, heard a greater shame!
Have you heard that a crow could kill a man?"
Hei fara, falturilturaltura!
And the Old Norse that I'd like people to give me feedback on.
Just to check grammar and spelling... and also if it could be tweaked slightly for an easier rhythm to sing. :P
Ok maðrinn hann gekk í viðarskóg.
Hei fara, í viðarskóg!
Þá sat hon ein kráka í lundi ok gól.
Hei fara, far þú, ríð þú, rat þú, rá!
Ok maðrinn hugsaði með sjálfr sik,
Hei fara, með sjálfr sik:
Ek trúi nú krákan mun drepa mik.
Hei fara, far þú, ríð þú, rat þú, rá!
"Á! Nú hefi ek aldri heyrt meiri skǫmm!
Hei fara, heyrt meiri skǫmm!
Hefir þú heyrt at kráka getr drepinn mann?"
Hei fara, far þú, ríð þú, rat þú, rá!
I changed Falturilturaltura based on a personal theory, that this nonsensical word mutated from Far þú, Ríð þú, Rat þú...
I heard that this song was originally some kind of song-battle for skalds... they'd see who could sing it faster and who could remember all the words... so it seems to me that such a line which perhaps doesn't have as much important meaning to the song as the others, and which has a good enough rhythm that it can be said fairly quickly... could cause it to develop as the "þ" (a fricative consonant), got shortened to its plosive counterpart "t"... also as "þ" fell out of use in Middle Norwegian. Also, how the alveolar approximant "r" developed into the alveolar lateral approximant "l". Farþu to Faltu... also, this sound could have echoed into a pattern and changed the other words Riðþu to Riltu, Ratþu to Raltu... However the last "Ra" I am unsure of... it could just be an exclamation, to rhyme with the Hei Fara... it could be from "á" Rat þú á - Roam on, or travel on. In my translation I have used Rá! as a simple sound. :P
I'd be grateful for any corrections or advice. Þakka!