Re: Eyrbyggja 26 part 2 -- Rob's Translation

> "Þú skalt fara til Helgafells og ganga í loft það er þar
> er yfir útidyrum og rýma fjalir í gólfinu svo að þú fáir
> þar lagt atgeiri í gegnum.

> "You will go to Helgafell and go in the loft which is
> there over the outer doors and clear away boards in the
> floor so that you would get a halberd placed through
> there.

> “You shall go to Helgafells and go to a loft there that is
> over the outer doors and clear away boards on the floor so
> that you are able there to thrust a spear through.

‘You shall go to Helgafell and go into the loft that is over
the outer doorway and remove boards in the floor so that you
can put a spear through there.

Rob: This is <fá> + past part., meaning 'to be able to X'.

> En þá er Snorri gengur til kamars þá skaltu leggja
> atgeirinum í gegnum loftsgólfið í bak Snorra svo fast að
> út gangi um kviðinn, hlaup síðan út á ræfrið og svo ofan
> fyrir vegginn og lát náttmyrkrið gæta þín."

> And when Snorri goes to the privy then you shall thrust
> the halberd through the loft's floor in Snorri's back so
> firmly that (it) would go out through the belly, next jump
> out to the roof and so down over the wall and let the
> darkness of the night take care of (i.e., "hide") you.

> And then when Snorri goes to (the) privy, you shall thrust
> the spear through the loft floor into Snorri’s back so
> hard that (it) goes out through the belly, run out on the
> roof afterwards and thus down on the way and let the night
> darkness get (cover) you.”

And when Snorri goes to [the] privy, you shall thrust the
halberd through the loft floor into Snorri’s back so hard
that [it] goes out through his [‘the’] belly, then run out
on the roof and so down over the wall and let the darkness
of night guard you.’

> Og með þessu ráði fór Svartur til Helgafells og rauf
> ræfrið yfir útidyrum og gekk þar inn í loftið.

> And with this plan Svartr went to Helgafell and a hole
> (in) the roof over the outer doors and went in there to
> the loft.

> And with this plan, Svart went to Helgafell and made holes
> in the roof over the privy and went there into the loft.

And with this plan Svart went to Helgafell and broke [a
hole in] the roof over the outer doorway and went into the
loft there.

> Það var í þann tíma er þeir Snorri sátu við málelda.

> It was in that time when they, Snorri (and others), sat
> with meal fires.

> It was at that time when they, Snorri (and others) sat at
> a meal fire.

That was at the time when Snorri and his companions sat by
[the] meal-fires.

> Í þann tíma voru útikamrar á bæjum.
> In that time outdoor privies were on farms.
> At that time (there) were privies at farms.

At that time [there] were outdoor privies on farms.

> En er þeir Snorri gengu frá eldinum ætluðu þeir til
> kamarsins og gekk Snorri fyrstur og bar undan út í dyrnar
> áður tilræðið Svarts varð.

> And when they, Snorri (and others) went from the fires,
> they intended to go to the privy, and Snorri went first
> and Svart's assault became carried already from out in
> doors.

> And when they, Snorri (and co.) went from the fire, they
> intended (to go) to the privy and Snorri went first and
> passed beneath out of the doors before Svart’s attack
> happened.

And when Snorri and his companions left the fires, they
intended to [go] to the privy, and Snorri went first, and
happened to get away outside the doorway before Svart’s
assault occurred.

> En Már Hallvarðsson gekk næst Snorra og lagði Svartur
> atgeirinum til hans og kom lagið á herðarblaðið og renndi
> út undir höndina og skar þar út og varð það eigi mikið
> sár.

> But Mar Hallvardson walked nearest Snorri and Svartr
> thrust the halberd at him and the halberd blade hit
> stabbed and ran out under his hand and cut out there, and
> that didn't become a large wound.

> But Mar Hallvard’s son went next to Snorri and Svart
> thrust the spear at him and (it) came in the direction of
> the shoulder blade and ran out under the arm and cut out
> there and did not become a large wound.

But Má Hallvarðsson walked next to Snorri, and Svart thrust
the spear at him, and [it] landed on his shoulderblade and
ran out under his arm and cut out there, and it was not a
great wound.

I’m not really sure just what <lagið> does here; <koma á> by
itself could express 'hit'. I decided to take <koma lagið
á> quite literally, as ‘came laid on’, for which ‘landed’
seemed a reasonable translation.

> Svartur hljóp út og ofan fyrir vegginn.
> Svartr jumped out and down over the wall.
> Svart leaped out and down to the way.

Svart leaped out and down over the wall.

<Veggr>, not <vegr>.

> Honum varð hált á brústeinunum og féll hann fall mikið er
> hann kom niður og fékk Snorri tekið hann áður hann stóð
> upp.

> The bridge's stones (?) became slippery to him and he fell
> a large fall when he came down and Snorri got a hold of
> him before he stood up.

CV has <brústeinn> 'pavement'; <fékk ... tekið> is the <fá>
+ past part. 'to be able to X' construction.

> He ? ? on the pavement and he fell a great fall when he
> came down and Snorri was able to seize him before he stood
> up.

<Hált> is neuter from <háll> 'slippery'.

But he found the pavement slippery, and he fell a great fall
when he came down, and Snorri was able to seize him before
he stood up.

Literally ‘to him [it] became slippery on the pavement’

> Voru þá hafðar af honum sannar sögur og sagði hann þá allt
> hversu farið hafði með þeim Vigfúsi og svo það að hann er
> að kolbrennu undir Seljabrekkum.

> (There) were then had from him true accounts and he then
> told all how it had it gone between them, Vigfus (and
> him), and so that, that he is at charcoal making below
> Seljabrekkum.

> Then were had truthful words of him and he told them all
> how (it) had gone with them, Vigfus (and him) also that he
> is at charcoal making below Seljabrekkum.

Truthful statements were then had from him, and he said then
fully how [it] had gone between him and Vigfús, and also
that he is burning charcoal below Seljabrekkur.

<Segja> can take two objects, both what is said and the
person to whom it is said, but the person is in the dative,
not the accusative, so <þá> here must be 'then', not 'them'.

> Síðan var bundið sár Más.
> Then, the wound of Már's was bound.
> Afterwards Mar’s wound was bandaged.

Then Má’s wound was bound up.

> Eftir það fóru þeir Snorri sjö saman út til Drápuhlíðar.

> After that, the seven (including) Snorri, went out to
> Drapuhlidar.

> After that they, Snorri (and co.), went – 7 together, out
> to Drapuhlid River.

After that Snorri and his companions, seven altogether, went
out to Drápuhlíð.

> Sáu þeir, þá er þeir koma upp í hlíðina, eldinn er þeir
> Vigfús brenndu kolin.

> They saw, when they came up on the mountain slope, the
> fire where Vigfus was burning charcoal.

> They saw, then when they come up to the gate the fire
> where they, Vigfus (and co.) burned charcoal.

When they came up onto the slope, they saw the fire where
Vigfús and his companions were burning charcoal.

<Hlíð>, with long <í>, not <hlið>. You can also tell from
the article: <hlíðina> is fem. acc. sing., and <hlið> 'gate'
is neuter.

> Þeir komu að þeim Vigfúsi óvörum og drápu Vigfús en gáfu
> grið húskörlum hans.

> They came upon them, Vigfus (and company), unawares, and
> killed Vigfus but gave his quarter to his house servant.

> They came upon them, Vigfus (and co.), unawares and killed
> Vigfus, but gave truce to his house servants.

They came upon Vigfús and his companions unawares and killed
Vigfús but gave his house servants quarter.

> Síðan fór Snorri heim en húskarlar Vigfúss sögðu þessi
> tíðindi heim í Drápuhlíð.

> Then Snorri went home, but Vigfus's house servant told
> this news (at) home in Drapuhlid.

> Afterwards Snorri went home, and Vigfus’ house servants
> told these tidings at home in Drapuhlid.

Then Snorri went home, and Vigfús’s house servants reported
these tidings at home in Drápuhlíð.

> Vigfús var heygður eftir um daginn.
> Vigfus was buried later during the day.
> Vigfus was buried the next day.

Vigfús was buried the next day.

Rob: See <eptir> Z.III(1).

> Þann sama dag fór Þorgerður kona Vigfúss inn á Bólstað að
> segja Arnkatli frænda sínum og bað hann taka við eftirmáli
> um víg Vigfúss.

> That same day, Thorgerdr went to Vigfus's widow in at
> Bolsatd and tells his relative Arnkell and asked him to
> take up the case concerning Vigfus's killing.

> That same day Thorgerd, Vigfus’ wife went in to Bolstad to
> tell Arnkel, her kinsman, and bade him take up the lawsuit
> regarding Vigfus’ slaying.

That same day Þorgerð, Vigfús’s wife, went in to Bólstað to
tell Arnkel, her kinsman, and asked him to take up the case
against Vigfús’s slayer.

It’s 'in' to Bólstað because Bólstað is east of Drápuhlíð,
i.e., further towards the interior. My other edition also
explains that Þorgerð was a daughter of Arnkel’s sister.

> En Arnkell veik því af sér og kvað það koma til
> Kjalleklinga frænda hans og vísaði hann þessu máli helst á
> Styr, segir hans vera að mæla eftir Vigfús frænda sinn með
> því að hann vildi þó í mörgu starfa.

> But Arnkell declines it [speakers of Old Icelandic know
> how to decline!] and said his relative came to
> Kjalleklinga and he pointed out this entire matter to
> Styr, tells him (he) must take his relative Vigfus's part
> because he yet wanted to be busy at much. (Z. víkja 1 -
> víkja e-u af sér, to decline) (Z. mæla 3 - mæla eptir e-m,
> to take one's part) (Z. starfa 1 – starfa í e-u or at e-u,
> to be busy about)

> But Arnkel declined and said it is the concern of the
> Kjallelkingers, his kinsmen, and he directed this case
> most to Styr, says of him to be (the one) to take up the
> prosecution for Vigfus, his kinsman, because he would
> wanted to do much yet.

But Arnkel declined and said that it is the business of the
Kjalleklings, his [= Vigfús’s] kinsmen, and he directed this
case especially to Styr, saying [‘says’] [it] to be his [=
Styr’s] to take the part of his kinsman Vigfús, since he
wanted anyway to be busy at many things [i.e., to have his
fingers in many pies].

Brian