> Áttust þeir þar við um hríð.
> They fought there a while.
> They argued there about (it) for a time.

They dealt with each other there for a while.

> Hélt Þorleifur á um málið en Arnkell veik af höndum.

> Thorleifr went on concerning the matter, and Arnkell
> weakened in the hands.

> Thorleif kept on about the issue, but Arnkell dismissed
> (it).

Þorleif persisted concerning the matter, but Arnkel turned
him away.

> Þá boraði Arnkell hurðarokann og lagði niður meðan
> tálgu öxina.

> Then Arnkell bored a hole in the door’s cross-plank and
> ceased meantime the adze.

> Then Arnkell took the door’s cross brace and set it down
> near? the cutting axe.

Then Arnkel bored holes in the cross-plank of the door and
in the meantime laid down the adze.

> Þorleifur tók hana upp og reiddi skjótt yfir höfuð sér og
> hugði að setja í höfuð Arnkatli.

> Thorleifr took it up and swiftly raised (it) in the air
> over his head and intended to set it in Arnkell’s head.

> Thorleif took it up and carried (it) quickly over his head
> and thought to set in in Arnkell’s head.

Þorleif took it up and swung it over his head and intended
to put it into Arnkel’s head.

> En er Arnkell heyrði hvininn hljóp hann undir höggið og
> hóf Þorleif upp á bringu sér og kenndi þar aflsmunar því
> að Arnkell var rammur að afli.

> But when Arnkell heard the whistling, he leapt under the
> blow and raised Thorleifr up to his chest perceived there
> a difference in strength because Arnkell was powerful in
> strength.

> But Arnkell heard the whine, he leaped under the blow and
> heaved Thorleif up on his chest and recognized there the
> odds because Arnkell was strong in power.

But when Arnkel heard the whistling [through the air of the
adze], he ran under the blow and heaved Þorleif up by his
chest, and felt there the difference in strength, because
Arnkel was physically strong.

> Felldi hann Þorleif svo mikið fall að honum hélt við óvit
> en öxin hraut úr hendi honum og fékk Arnkell hana tekið og
> setti í höfuð Þorleifi og veitti honum banasár.

> He made Thorleifr fall so great a fall that he maintained
> senselessness (was knocked senseless, I suppose) and the
> axe flew out his hand, and Arnkell was able to take it and
> set (it) in Thorleifr’s head, and he was given a death
> wound.

> He brought Thorleif down in such a great fall that he
> became unconscious and the axe flew from his hand and
> Arnkell was able to take it and set it in Thorleif’s head
> and gave him his fatal wound.

He made Þorleif fall so hard that he lost consciousness, and
the adze flew from his hand, and Arnkel was able to grab it
and set it in Þorleif’s head, and gave him a mortal wound.

> Sá orðrómur lagðist á að Snorri goði hefði þenna mann
> sendan til höfuðs Arnkatli.

> That report was made that chieftain Snorri had sent this
> man to Arnkell’s head. (??)

> That public opinion was that Chieftain Snorri had sent
> that man for Arnkell’s head.

The rumor arose that Snorri goði had sent this man for
Arnkel’s head.

> Snorri lét þetta mál eigi til sín taka og lét hér ræða um
> hvern það er vildi og liðu svo þau misseri að eigi varð
> til tíðinda.

> Snorri had this case not to have recourse to him and had
> here discussed concerning what is wanted and the season so
> passed that there became no news.

> Snorri did not allow this case to concern him and let each
> speak what he wished and thus passed the year that no news
> happened.

Snorri made out that this story had nothing to do with him
and let [people] talk here about whatever [they] wished, and
that year passed in such fashion that nothing much happened.

> Annað haust eftir að veturnóttum hafði Snorri goði
> haustboð mikið og bauð til vinum sínum.

> The next autumn after the first three days of winter,
> chieftain Snorri had a large autumn feast and invited his
> relatives to (it).

> The next fall after at Winter Eves, Chieftain Snorri had a
> great fall feast and invited his friends.

The next fall Snorri goði held a great fall feast at the
beginning of the winter season [‘winter-nights’] and invited
his friends.

> Þar var öldrykkja og fast drukkið.
> There was ale drinking and hard drinking.
> There was ale to drink and quickly drunk.

There was ale drinking and hard drinking.

> Þar var ölteiti mörg.
> There was much merriment over drink.
> It was great merriment.

There was much merriment over drink.

> Var þar talað um mannjöfnuð hver þar væri göfgastur maður
> í sveit eða mestur höfðingi.

> There was also discussed comparing of men, (specifically)
> who would be the most noble man or greatest leader in the
> district.

> (It) was told about equality of men who was there the most
> honourable man in the district or greatest chieftain.

Comparisons of men were spoken of there, who there was [the]
most worshipful man in the district or [the] greatest
chieftain.

> Og urðu menn þar eigi á eitt sáttir sem oftast er ef um
> mannjöfnuð er talað.

> And people there were not alone (?) agreed on as most
> often when if concerning a comparison of men is discussed.

> And people there became not agreed every time equality of
> men was discussed.

And folks there were not agreed, as is most often [the case]
when comparisons of men are spoken of.

> Voru þeir flestir að Snorri goði þótti göfgastur maður en
> sumir nefndu til Arnkel.

> They were many to whom chieftain Snorri seemed the most
> noble man, but some pointed to Arnkel.

> There were more that thought Chieftain Snorri the most
> honourable man, but some named Arnkell.

They were many who thought Snorri goði [the] most worshipful
man, but some named Arnkel.

> Þeir voru enn sumir er nefndu til Styr.
> Still, they were some who named Styr.
> Still there were they who named Styr.

There were yet some who named Styr.

> En er þeir töluðu þetta þá svarar þar til Þorleifur kimbi:
> "Hví þræta menn um slíka hluti er allir menn mega sjá
> hversu er?"

> And when they talked about this, then Thorleifur (kimbi?)
> answers: “Why, men, do you wrangle about such a matter
> when all men can see who it is?”

> And when they spoke of this then Thorleif kimbi answers to
> it, “Why do people argue about such things when all men
> can see how it is?”

But when they discussed this, Þorleif kimbi answers thereto:
‘Why do people wrangle about such a thing, when all men can
see how [it] is?’

> "Hvað viltu til segja Þorleifur," sögðu þeir, "er þú
> deilir þetta mál svo mjög brotum?"

> “What will you tell, Thorleifr,” they said, “

> “What do you want to say, Thorleif,” said they, “when you
> deal with this case with so much ??”

‘What do you want to say to [this], Þorleif,’ they said,
‘when you so greatly minimize this matter?’

There are scholarly differences of opinion about the idiom
<þú deilir þetta mál svo mjög brotum>. The scholarly
Icelandic edition that my local group used has this
footnote:

Þetta orðatiltæki er torskilið, en kynni að þýða: tekur
svo djúpt í árinni.

This idiom is obscure, but it could mean: express oneself
so forcefully [lit. ‘take the oars so deep’].

On the other hand, Hugo Gering in his edition interprets it
as something like ‘you so chop up this matter, you so
minimize this matter, you dismiss what has been said so
far’, and Baetke s.v. <brot> makes it ‘value (too) little’,
more or less in agreement with Gering; I’ve gone with them.

> "Miklu mestur þykir mér Arnkell," segir hann.
> “Arnkell seems to me much more,” he says.
> “By far greatest seems Arnkell to me, “says he.

‘Arnkel seems to me by far [the] greatest,’ he says.

> "Hvað finnur þú til þess?" segja þeir.

> “What do you give for a reason (for) that?” they say. (Z.
> finna 8 – finna til e-s, to bring forward, give as a
> reason)

> “How do you find this?” say they.

‘What do you bring forward as a reason for that?’ they say.

> "Það er satt er," segir hann.
> “That which is true,” he says.
> “Since it is true, “ says he.

‘That which is true,’ he says.

> "Eg kalla að þar sé sem einn maður er þeir eru Snorri goði
> og Styr fyrir tengda sakir, en engir liggja heimamenn
> Arnkels ógildir hjá garði hans þeir er Snorri hefir
> drepið, sem Haukur fylgdarmaður Snorra liggur hér hjá
> garði hans er Arnkell hefir drepið."

> “I invoke that there would be as one man, who they are
> chieftain Snorri and Styr, for the sake of being related
> by affinity, but no one of Arnkell’s house servants lies
> unatoned by his yard they who Snorri has killed, as Hawk,
> Snorri’s attendant lies here next to his yard whom Arnkell
> has killed.”

> “I call that there is one man since they, Chieftain Snorri
> and Styr, are related by affinity’s sake, and none of
> Arnkell’s household men lie near his yard unattoned who
> they Snorri (and Styr?) have slain, as Hauk, Snorri’s
> follower, lies here near his yard who Arnkell has slain.”

‘I say that there [it] is like one man, where they are,
Snorri goði and Styr, because of [their] relationship by
marriage, but no member of Arnkel’s household, those that
Snorri has killed, lies unatoned by his home field as Hauk,
Snorri’s follower, whom Arnkel has killed, lies here by his
[Snorri’s] home field.’

Brian