Re: Laxdaela Saga 55 part 2 -- Rob's Translation

> Smalamaður Bolla fór að fé snemma um morguninn uppi í
> hlíðinni.

> Bolli's shepherd went to (the) sheep early in the morning
> up in the mountainside.

> Bolli’s shepherd went to (the) livestock early during the
> morning up to the gate.

<hlíð> 'mountainside, slope', not <hlið> 'gate'.

> Hann grunar að þetta muni eigi vera friðmenn er svo
> leynilega fóru.

> He suspects that this will not be freemen who travelled
> somewhat secretly.

> He guesses that these will not be friends who go so
> secretly.

Rob: <friðmaðr> 'peaceful person, friend', from <friðr>
'peace; love, friendship'.

> Hann stefnir þegar heim hið gegnsta til selsins og ætlar
> að segja Bolla komu manna.

> He at once heads (Z. has "to go in a certain direction")
> straight home to the shed and intends to tell Boll's men
> to come. (Z. gegn 3 - irect, straight (hinn gegnsta veg))

> He heads at once home, the closest to the sheiling and
> intends to tell Bolli of the men’s arrival.

He at once heads home to the shieling by the shortest way
and intends to tell Bolli of the men's arrival.

That last bit is literally 'to tell Bolli the men's
arrival'.

> Hann sér að maðurinn hleypur ofan úr hlíðinni og stefndi
> til selsins.

> He sees that the man makes a run, down from the
> mountain-slope and going toward the shed.

> He sees that the man leaps from below out of the gate and
> headed for the sheiling.

He sees that the man runs down from the mountainside and
heads for the shieling.

> Skulum vér nú gera í móti honum og láta hann engri njósn
> koma til selsins."

> We will now act against him and let him come to anybody
> with news to the shed."

> We shall now attack him and let him bring no news to the
> sheiling.”

It's not clear to me whether <gera í móti honum> here is
'act against him' or 'move (quickly) towards him' (in order
to intercept him); the editor of one of my other edition
favors the latter, and that seems also to be more or less
the interpretation adopted by MM&HP.

> Þeir gerðu sem hann mælti fyrir.
> They did what as they had previously spoken.
> They did as he had said before.

They did what he prescribed.

<mæla> Z3

> Án hrísmagi varð þeirra skjótastur og getur farið
> sveininn, tekur hann upp og keyrir niður.

> An brushwood-belly became of them the fastest and was able
> to go to the boy, takes him up and flings (him) down.

> An brushwood belly was the swiftest of them and gets the
> boy (who had) departed??, takes him up and flings (him)
> down.

Án hrísmagi was [the] swiftest of them and was able to
overtake the lad; [he] takes him up and flings [him] down.

This is <geta> + past participle, <geta> Z3; this very
sentence is the example at <fara> Z13.

> Síðan riðu þeir að selinu.
> Then they ride to the hut.
> Then they ride to the sheiling.

Past tense: rode

> Selin voru tvö, svefnsel og búr.

> The shed was two: a sleeping shed and a storehouse.

> The sheiling consisted of two (buildings), sleeping shed
> and storehouse.

There were two shielings/sheds [‘the shielings were two’], a
sleeping shed and a storehouse.

<Selin> is plural.

> Heyrðu þau og er þeir ræddu um hver fyrstur skyldi inn
> ganga í selið að Bolla.

> They heard and they discussed concerning who first should
> go in to the hut to Bolli.

> They heard also when they discussed who should first
> attack Bolli inside into the sheiling.

Rob: <þau> is Bolli and Guðrún, <þeir> is Halldór & Co.

> Bolli kenndi mál Halldórs og fleiri þeirra förunauta.

> Bolli recognized Halldor's voice and many of the
> companions.

> Bolli recognized Halldor’s voice and more of those
> comrades.

Bolli recognized [the] voice of Halldór and more of his
[lit. 'the'] companions.

> Bolli mælti við Guðrúnu og bað hana ganga úr selinu í
> brott og segir að sá einn mundi fundur þeirra verða er
> henni mundi ekki gaman að verða.

> Bolli spoke to Gudrun and asked her to go out of the hut
> away and says that that alone would a meeting they happen
> which to her would not became a game. (??)

> Bolli spoke with Gudrun and bade her go away out of the
> sheiling and says that only would their meeting be what to
> her would not be a game.

Bolli spoke to Guðrún and asked her to go away from the
shieling and says that their encounter [i.e., his with
Halldór & Co.] would be only that which would not amuse her.

> Guðrún kvaðst hyggja að þau ein tíðindi mundu þar verða að
> hún mundi sjá mega og kvað Bolla ekki mundu mein að sér
> þótt hún væri nær honum stödd.

> Gudrun said for herself to think that they alone news
> would there happen that she would be able to see and told
> Bolli harm would not to him although she would be present
> near him. (??)

> Gudrun said she thought that they only (brought?) tidings
> would be there that she would be able to see and told
> Bolli (they) would not harm them if she were standing near
> him.

Guðrún said that she thought that only events would occur
there that she would be able to see and said that Bolli
would not harm himself even though she stood near him [i.e.,
it wouldn't hurt his chances if she were seen to be with
him].

<Mundu> must be the past infinitive, so that <Bolla ...
mundu> is an accusative-and-infinitive construction after
<kvað>.

> Bolli kvaðst þessu ráða vilja og svo var að Guðrún gekk út
> úr selinu.

> Bolli stated for himself (he) would agree and so it was
> that Gudrun went out from the hut.

> Bollis said he wanted to decide and so it was that Gudrun
> went out, out of the sheiling.

Bolli said that he would have his way, and so [it] was that
Guðrún went away from the shieling.

> Hún gekk ofan fyrir brekkuna til lækjar þess er þar féll
> og tók að þvo léreft sín.

> She went down over the slope to the brook which flowed
> there and yet took her linen. (??)

> She went down over the slope to this brook which fell
> there and took her linen to wash.

She went down over the slope to the brook that flowed there
and took her linen to wash.

'This brook' would be <lækjar þessa>; <féll> is <falla> Z4;
and <þvo> is the modern spelling of <þvá> 'to wash'.

> Þeir Halldór ræða nú um með sér hversu að skal orka því að
> engi var fús að ganga inn í selið.

> They, Halldor (et al), discuss among themselves how (they)
> shall be able to do that that no one was eager to go in
> the hut.

> They, Halldor (and co.), discuss now among themselves how
> it shall be possible because no one was willing to go into
> the sheiling.

Now Halldór and his companions discuss amongst themselves
what is to be done, for no one was eager to go into the
shieling.

<Orka> Z3 actually has <hversu at skal orka>: 'what is to be
done'.

Brian