> Þeir sækja fast eftir og segja nú að fé þeirra muni deyja
> ef þeir fá enga hjálp af honum.

> They insist firmly and now say that their animals will die
> if the get no help from him.

> They pursue (press) hard and say now that their cattle
> will die if they get no help from him.

They press hard and say now that their animals will die if
they get no help from him.

> Hann sagði það af sjálfdáðum orðið "en sagt er mér að
> Hænsna-Þórir muni hafa hey til sölu."

> He said that of his self-deeded report “and it is said to
> me that Haensna Thorir will have hay for sale.”

> He said that happened from self-deeds (that they brought
> it upon themselves?) “but (it) is said to me (ie I am
> told) that Hænsa (Hen)-Þórir will have hay for sale.”

He said that that was of their own doing, ‘but I am told
that Hœnsa-Þóri may have hay to sell.’

> Þeir svöruðu: "Af honum munum vér eigi fá nema þú farir
> með oss og mun hann þá þegar selja ef þú gengur í vörslu
> fyrir oss um kaupin."

> They answered: “From him we will not get (anything) except
> you go in support of us concerning the purchase.

> They answered: “We will not get (it) from him unless you
> go with us and he will then at-once sell if you become
> surety (varzla) for us concerning the bargains.”

They replied: ‘From him we will get nothing unless you go
with us, and then he will sell at once if you go surety for
us for the bargain.’

> Hann svarar: "Það má eg gera að fara með yður en það er
> sannlegt að þeir selji sem til hafa."

> He answers: “I am able to do that, to go with you, and it
> is true that they would sell as (they) have.”

> He answers: “I may do that, to travel with you but that is
> probable that they sell who have at-hand.”

He replies: ‘I can do that, to go with you, and it is proper
that they who have it available sell it.’

> Þeir fara snemma um morguninn og var á norðan strykur sá
> og heldur kaldur.

> They go first thing in the morning and it was a strong
> north (wind) and rather cold.

> They journey early the next morning and gusts-of-wind blew
> (were) from-the-north (cf vindr var á northan, under
> norðan, Z1) and (were) rather cold.

They go early in the morning, and from the north there was a
strong and rather cold wind.

> Þórir bóndi var úti staddur í það mund, sér mennina fara
> að garði, gengur inn síðan og rekur aftur hurð og lætur
> fyrir loku, fer til dagverðar.

> Farmer Thorir was outside (his) house at that moment, sees
> the men going to (his) yard, then goes inside and shuts
> (the) door and closes the bolt (?), went to his meal.

> Farmer Þórir was positioned outside (outside the house) at
> that time, sees the-men (people) go to (the) yard, goes
> inside after-that and flings the door to (lit: drives back
> (the) door) before (?) (the) bolt, goes (present tense) to
> breakfast.

Master Þóri was outside the house at that time, sees the men
approach the farmyard, then goes inside and slams the door
and bolts it and goes to breakfast.

See <loka> for <láta loku fyrir hurð>.

> Nú er drepið á dyr.

> Now there is knocking at the door (”it is knocked at the
> door”).

> Now there is a knock on the door (lit: (it) is knocked on
> (the) door).

Now there is a knocking on the door.

> Sveinninn Helgi tekur til orða: "Gakktu út fóstri minn því
> að menn munu vilja hitta þig."

> The boy Helgi begins to speak: “Go out my foster father
> because mem will want to meet with you.”

> The-boy Helgi takes to words (starts speaking): “Go-you
> out my foster-father because men (people) will want to
> meet you.”

The lad Helgi begins to speak: ‘Go out, my foster father,
for people must want to meet with you.’

> Þórir kveðst mundu matast fyrst en sveinninn hleypur undan
> borðum og gengur til hurðar og heilsar þeim vel er komnir
> voru.

> Thorir said for himself (that he) would take his meal
> first, but the boy ran from the table and goes to the door
> and greets those who had arrived.

> Þórir declares-of-himself (that he) would take a meal (ie
> have his breakfast) first but (and) the boy runs away from
> (the) table and goes to (the) door and great well those
> who were (had) come.

Þóri said that he would finish eating first, and the lad
leaps from the table and goes to the door and greets well
those who had come.

> Blund-Ketill spurði hvort Þórir væri heima.

> Blund-Ketill asked whether Thoris were at home.

> Blund (Dozy)-Ketull asked whether Þórir was at-home.

Blund-Ketil asked whether Þóri was at home.

> Hann sagði svo væri.

> He said it would so be.

> He said (it) was so.

He said that it was so.

Rob: The subjunctive <væri> is simply because it’s indirect
speech and doesn’t correspond to (what’s left of) the
English subjunctive. I don’t remember whether you read
German, but if you do, this usage is similar to that of the
Konjunktiv I in German.

> "Bið þú hann útgöngu," sagði hann.

> “Ask for him to go out (”útgöngu” is a noun in Old
> Icelandic),” he said.

> “Ask (you) him for a going-out (ie to come outside),” he
> said.

‘Ask him to come out,’ he said.

> Sveinninn gekk inn og sagði að Blund-Ketill var kominn úti
> og vildi hitta hann.

> The boy went inside and said that Blund-Ketill had come
> out and wanted to meet with him.

> The-boy went inside and said that Blund (Dozy)-Ketill was
> (had) come outside and wanted to meet (see) him.

The lad went inside and said that Blund-Ketil had arrived
outside and wanted to meet with him.

> Þórir svaraði: "Af hverju mun Blund-Ketill draga nasirnar?

> Thorir answered: “why will Blund-Ketill be sniffing
> around?

> Þórir answered: “From what will Blund (Dozy)-Ketill
> be-drawing the-nostrils (sniffing around(?)?

Þóri replied: ‘What will Blund-Ketil be sniffing at?

Baetke s.v. <nös> has <draga nasirnar af e-u> 'nach etw.
schnüffeln'.

> Kynlegt ef hann fer að góðu.

> Surprisingly if he went in pursuit of good.

> (It would be) strange if he journeys from good
> (intentions).

Strange, if he’s about anything good.

<Fara> here is not literal; Baetke has <fara at e-u> 'sich
um etw. kümmern, sich an etw. kehren'; that’s more or less
'concern oneself with something, to see or care about
something'.

> Ekki erindi á eg við hann."

> I don't have any business with him.”

> I have no business with him.”

I have no business with him.’

> Sveinninn fer og sagði þeim að Þórir vildi eigi út ganga.

> The boy goes and told them that Thorir didn't want to go
> out.

> The-boy goes and said to them (or that-one, ie him,
> Blund-Ketill?) that Þórir wanted not to go outside.

The lad goes and told them that Þóri did not want to go
outside.

> "Já," sagði Blund-Ketill, "þá skulum vér inn ganga."

> “Yes,” said Blund-Ketill, “then we should go inside.”

> “Yes (OK),” said Blund (Dozy)-Ketill, “then we shall go
> inside.”

‘Okay,’ said Blund-Ketil, ‘then we shall go inside.’

> Þeir ganga til stofu og var þeim heilsað en Þórir þagði.

> They go to the living room and they were greeted, but
> Thorir remained silent.

> They go to (the) sitting-room and (it) was greeted by them
> (ie they greeted Þórir) but Þórir was (kept)-silent
> (þegja)

They go into the living room, and they were greeted, but
Þóri was silent.

> "Svo er varið," sagði Blund-Ketill, "að vér viljum kaupa
> hey að þér Þórir."

> “So it stands,” said Blund-Ketill, “that we wanted to buy
> hay from you, Thorir.”

> “(It) is so constituted (see verja Z(2).5),” said Blund
> (Dozy)-Ketill, “that we want to buy hay from you, Þórir.”

‘Matters are such,’ said Blund-Ketil, ‘that we want to buy
hay from you, Þóri.’

> Þórir svarar: "Eigi er mér þitt fé betra en mitt."

> Thorir answers: “It doesn't happen to me your animals
> (are) better than mine.”

> Þórir answers: “To me your wealth is not better than
> mine.” (I´m not sure what this means)

Þóri replies: ‘Your animals are worth no more to me [‘no
better to me’] than mine.’

> Blund-Ketill mælti: "Ýmist veitir það."

> Blund-Ketill said: “It is sometimes granted.” (?)

> Blund (Dozy)-Ketill said: “That happens now-this-now-that
> (circumstances can change from time to time?)

Blund-Ketil said: ‘That depends [‘happens variously’].’

> Þórir svarar: "Hví ertu í heyþroti, auðigur maður?"

> Thorir answers: “Why are you, a rich man, in need of hay?”

> Thorir answers: “Why are you in hay-shortage, rich man?”

Þóri replies: ‘Why are you in need of hay, rich man?’

> Blund-Ketill segir: "Eigi er eg greiðlega í heyþroti og
> fala eg fyrir landseta mína er þurfa þykjast úrlausna.

> Blind-Ketill says: “I am not plainly in need of hay and I
> demand for purchase for my tenants who need it seems free.
> (??)

> Blund (Dozy)-Ketill says: “I am plainly not in a
> hay-shortage and I am-demandin for purchase on-behalf-of
> my tenants who bethink-themselves to be in need of help
> (release from difficulty).

Blund-Ketil said: ‘I am not actually short of hay, and I am
trying to buy for my tenants, who think that they need help.

> Vildi eg gjarna fá þeim ef til væri."

> I willingly wanted (to) obtain for them if (they) were to
> exist.”

> I would-want willingly to get (it) for them if (it)
> existed.”

I would gladly give it them, if it were available.’

> "Það muntu eiga allra heimilast að veita öðrum þitt en
> eigi mitt."

> “You will have that, all the most right to give to your
> others but not to mine.”

> “You will have that most of all (at your disposal), to
> grant to others (that which is) yours but not mine.”

‘You surely have the greatest right of all to give others
yours, but not mine.’

Brian