Sorry to be so late this time, but I hadn’t much choice: on
Friday I drove from Cleveland to central Wisconsin, on
Monday I drove back, and family affairs ate most of the
weekend in between.

> Þetta var litlu eftir víg Þorbjarnar digra.

> This was a little after the slaying of Thorbjarn the
> Stout.

> That was a little after Thorbjorn the thick’s slaying.

This was a little after [the] slaying of Þorbjörn digri.

> Þann vetur var að Helgafelli Þuríður, systir Snorra goða,
> er Þorbjörn digri hafði átt.

> That winter Thuridr, Chieftain Snorri's sister, whom
> Thorbjorn the Stout had married, stayed at Helgafell.

> That winter Thurid, sister of Chieftain Snorri, who
> Thorbjorn the thick had married, stayed at Helgafell.

That winter Þuríð stayed at Helgafell — Snorri goði’s
sister, whom Þorbjörn digri had married.

> Litlu eftir það er Þóroddur kom út hafði hann uppi orð sín
> og bað Snorra goða að hann gifti sér Þuríði systur sína.

> A little after when Thoruddr returned to Iceland, he had
> his word up (??) and asked chieftain Snorri that he give
> in marriage his sister Thurid.

> Shortly after it, when Thorodd came out (to Iceland) he
> had (brought) up his subject and asked Chieftain Snorri
> that he marry him to his sister, Thurid.

A little after Þórodd came out [to Iceland], he made his
request and asked Snorri goði to give him his sister Þuríð
in marriage.

The only problematic bit here is <hafa uppi orð sín>; I take
it to be in the same vein as <hafa uppi rœður> 'to begin a
discussion', in Zoëga s.v. <hafa> and in CV in the
discussion of those senses of <hafa> that shade into those
of <hefja>. The old Altnordisches Glossar by Möbius
actually has the present idiom s.v. <hafa>: he glosses
<hafa uppi orð sín> 'seinen Antrag stellen', which in the
present context can be translated 'makes his request, makes
his application'.

> En með því að hann var auðigur að fé og Snorri vissi góð
> skil á honum og hann sá að hún þurfti mjög forvistu, við
> þetta allt saman sýndist Snorra að gifta honum konuna og
> veitti hann brúðkaup þeirra um veturinn þar að Helgafelli.

> And with that that he was wealthy and Snorri knew a good
> understanding of him and he said that she needed much
> management, with this all together seemed to Snorri to
> give him in marriage the woman and he held their wedding
> during the winter there at Helgafell.

> And because he was wealthy in (terms of) money and Snorri
> was well informed of him and he saw that she needed much
> management, with all that together, it seemed to Snorri
> (perfect) to marry him to the woman and he granted their
> wedding during the winter there at Helgafell.

And since he was wealthy, and Snorri was well-informed about
him, and he saw that she needed much management, and taking
this all together Snorri thought fit to give him the woman
in marriage, and he held their wedding in the winter there
at Helgafell.

Zoëga s.v. <sýna> has <e-m sýnist e-t> 'one thinks fit'.
Grace: <veita> Z4 has <veita bruðkaup e-s> 'to hold a
wedding'.

> En um vorið eftir tók Þóroddur við búi að Fróðá og
> gerðist hann góður bóndi og skilríkur.

> And during the next spring, Thoroddr received a farm at
> Froda and he became a good and honest farmer.

> And during the next spring Thorodd started a farm at Frod
> River and he became a good farmer and upright.

And the next spring Þórodd accepted a farm at Fróðá, and he
became a good and respectable farmer.

> En þegar Þuríður kom til Fróðár vandi Björn Ásbrandsson
> þangað komur sínar og var það alþýðumál að með þeim Þuríði
> væru fíflingar.

> At once when Thuridr came to Frodar, Bjron Asbrandson
> visited habitually and it was a general report that with
> them Thurid would be beguilement. (Z. venja 3 – venja
> komur sínar til e-s, to visit habitually) (Z. alþýðumál –
> a general report) (Z. fíflingar, beguilement)

> But as soon as Thurid came to Frod River, Bjorn Asbrand’s
> son, turned his visits thither and everyone reckoned that
> between them, Thurid and Bjorn was beguilement.

But as soon as Þuríð came to Fróðá, Björn Ásbrandsson
visited there habitually, and it was common report that
there were improper relations between them, [him and] Þuríð.

As Rob noted, <vandi> is the past tense of <venja> 'to
accustom', and this expression is actually glossed in Zoëga.
<Komur> is the acc. plur. of the noun <koma> 'arrival', and
the literal sense is something like ‘he made his arrivals
thither customary’. The gloss 'beguilement' is a bit of a
bowdlerization. (Since <fífl> is 'a fool', I was really
tempted to make it ‘that they, [he and] Þuríð, were fooling
around’.)

> Tók Þóroddur þá að vanda um komur hans og hafði eigi að
> sök.

> Thoroddr then began to find fault with his coming and
> didn't have that suit.

> Thorodd began to find fault regarding his visits and (he)
> had no effect.

Þórodd then began to find fault with his comings, but to no
effect.

Rob: See <sök> Z3.

> Þá bjó Þórir viðleggur að Arnarhvoli.
> Then Thorir "with-legs" lived in Arnarhvoli.
> Thorir wooden leg lived then at Arnarhvall.

Þórir viðleggr ['wooden-leg'] then lived at Arnarhváll.

> Voru synir hans þá vaxnir, Örn og Valur, og voru hinir
> efnilegustu menn.

> His sons were then grown, Orn and Valr, and they were the
> most promising men.

> His sons were then full-grown, Orn and Valur, and were the
> most promising men.

His sons, Örn and Val, were then grown and were the most
promising men.

> Þeir lögðu Þóroddi til ámælis að hann þoldi Birni slíka
> skömm sem hann veitti honum og buðust þeir til fylgdar með
> Þóroddi ef hann vildi ráða bætur á komum Bjarnar.

> They blamed Thoroddr that he endured Birni so short as he
> knew him and offered to them support with Thoroddr if he
> wanted to plan attonement for Bjran's visits.

> They placed reproof towards Thorodd that he endured such
> shame as he gave him from Bjorn and they offered
> (themselves) as followers with Thorodd if he wanted to
> decide better (as) to Bjorn’s visits.

They reproached Þórodd for bearing at Björn’s hands such
disgrace as he [= Björn] gave him [= Þórodd], and they
offered themselves as supporters if he wanted to put an end
to Björn’s visits [‘arrivals’].

<Bœtr> is the plural of <bót> 'remedy; atonement'; <ráða
bœtr á e-m> is literally something like 'plan a remedy for
something', but a couple of sources suggest that it’s
effectively a bit stronger, 'put an end to something'.

> Það var eitt sinn að Björn kom til Fróðár að hann sat á
> tali við Þuríði.

> That was once that Bjorn came to Frodar that he said in
> conversation with Thurid.

> It was one time that Bjorn came to Frod River that he sat
> talking with Thurid.

On one occasion when Björn came to Fróðá he sat in
conversation with Þuríð.

> En Þóroddur var jafnan vanur inni að sitja þá er Björn var
> þar en nú sést hann hvergi.

> And Thoroddr was equally accustomed to sit inside when
> Bjorn was there, and now he saw both.

> And Thorodd was always accustomed to sit inside then when
> Bjorn was there but now he was nowhere to be seen.

And Þórodd was always accustomed to sit inside when Björn
was there, but now he was nowhere to be seen.

> Þuríður mælti: "Hugsa þú svo um ferðir þínar Björn," sagði
> hún, "að eg hygg Þóroddur ætli nú af að ráða hingaðkomur
> þínar og get eg að þeir hafi farið á veg fyrir þig og mun
> hann ætla að þér skulið eigi jafnliða finnast."

> Thuridr said: "You think thus concerning your travels,
> Bjorn," she said, "that I think Thoroddr now intends to do
> away with your coming here and I get that they have gone a
> slaying before you and he will intend that they should not
> be met with an equal number of men."

> Thurid spoke, “You consider thus regarding your journey,
> Bjorn,” said she, “that I think Thorodd intends now to put
> an end to your coming here and I guess that they have gone
> on the way ahead of you and he will intend that you should
> not meet with an equal number of men.”

Þuríð said: ‘Think thus about your journeys, Björn,’ she
said, ‘that I think [that] Þórodd intends now to put an end
to your comings hither, and I guess that they have gone
ahead of you on [the] way, and he will surely intend that
you should not be met with an equal number of men.

> Þá kvað Björn vísu þessa:
> Then Bjorn recited this verse:
> Then Bjorn recited this verse:

Then Björn spoke this verse:

> Guls mundum við vilja
> We would want gold
> We will want a gentle breeze

> viðar og blás í miðli,
> far and wide and blue in between,
> of wood?? and blows between,

> grand fæ eg af stoð stundum
> great wealth I give up sometimes
> hurt I am able from support for a while

> strengs, þenna dag lengstan,
> a string, this long day,
> of swift current??, this longest day,

> alls í aftan, þella,
> all in a direction, fine wood,
> of all in an evening, of a young woman??

> eg tegumk sjálfr að drekka
> I myself am shown to drink
> I begin to drink myself

> oft horfinnar erfi,
> often disappears a funeral feast,
> frequent turns of a funeral feast

> armlinns, gleði minnar.
> (armlinns?), memories of joy.
> ?? of my joy.

Guls mundu vit vilja
viðar ok blás í miðli,
grund (fæ ek stǫð stundum)
strengs, þenna dag lengstan:
alls í aptan, þella,
ek tegumsk sjálfr at drekka
opt horfinnar erfi,
armlinns, gleði minnar.

I can’t quite manage an even halfway sensible translation
that keeps each word on the right line, but this comes
close:

We two would wish
between wood’s gold and [sky’s] blue,
green earth (I give [the] hours a place) of [arm]band,
this day [to be] longest:
since in [the] evening, arm-serpent’s young pine,
I prepare myself to drink
[the] funeral feast of the oft vanished
joy of mine.

<Guls> goes with <viðar>; apparently it’s fall, and the
leaves have turned color. <Í miðli> is the same as <milli>
'between'; the whole is <í miðli guls viðar ok blás
[himins]> 'between golden wood and blue sky'. This is
apparently a poetic way of describing the hours of daylight.
<Strengs grund> is back to front and split by the
parenthetical bit, but it’s 'band’s green field': the band
is an armband, and its green earth is a woman, specifically,
the one whom he’s addressing.

The parenthetical bit seems to mean that the speaker gives
each hour its proper place, i.e., that he knows how to make
good use of each passing hour. In <vit mundu vilja þenna
dag lengstan> there seems to be an understood <vera>: <vit
mundu vilja þenna dag vera lengstan>.

This <alls> is the conjunction 'as, since', not the masc.
gen. sing. of <allr>. <Armlinnr> is from <armr> 'an arm'
and <linnr> 'a serpent', the latter being part of the
poetical lexicon; an arm-serpent is simply an armband. Here
<armlinns> modifies <þella> 'young pine' three lines back;
<þella> by itself is already a kenning for 'woman', and
'arm-serpent’s young pine' is a more elaborate (and perhaps
clearer) one.

The biggest lexical hurdle here is <tegumk>. The editor of
my other edition gives <tegask> a German gloss that
translates as 'to prepare to do something'. This is more or
less in agreement with one of the Danish glosses in the Lex.
Poet. s.v. <tega>, which translates as 'to show oneself
ready to do something'. <Horfinnar> is the gen. sing. fem.
of the past participle <horfinn> of <hverfa> in its sense
'to disappear'; it goes with the indeclinable feminine noun
<gleði>.

We two would wish, lady, this day twixt golden wood and
azure sky to be as long as possible — I give each hour its
due; for in the evening, lady, I prepare to drink the
funeral feast of my oft-vanished joy.

Brian