Re: Bosa Saga 5 C

> Svá skal ek þjarma
> þér at brjósti,
> at hjarta þitt
> höggormar gnagi,
> en eyru þín
> aldregi heyri
> ok augu þín
> úthverf snúist,
> nema þú Bósa
> björg of veitir
> ok honum Herrauð
> heift upp gefir.

> So I shall handle
> you roughly at mind,
> at your heart
> vipers would gnaw,
> but your ears
> never hear
> and your eyes
> turned inside out,
> except you Bosi
> gives help concerning
> and to Herraudr
> give up spite,

> Thus shall I roughly handle,
> vipers would gnaw at your breast,
> at your heart,
> and your ears (will) never hear,
> and your eyes, turned inside out,
> unless you grant deliverance to Bosi
> and to him, Herraudr, give ??

> I shall roughly-handle
> your chest
> so that (svá...at)
> vipers (blow-worms) would-gnaw your heart,
> but (and) (let) your ears
> never hear
> and your eyes
> turn-themselves inside-out
> unless you
> grant of deliverance to Bósi
> and
> give up (the) feud (heipt) against/with(?) him Herrauðr (case?)

So shall I handle
you roughly at [the] breast,
that your heart
vipers may gnaw,
and your ears
never hear
and your eyes
be turned inside out,
unless you to Bósi
grant deliverance
and against him, Herrauð,
give up deadly hatred.

<Heipt> could just as well be ‘feud’ here. <Herrauð> seems
to be dative, to match <honum>; I’ve a standard reference
work that says that the dative appears both as <Herrauði>
and as <Herrauð>, so this isn’t a priori impossible.

> Ef þú siglir,
> slitni reiði,
> en af stýri
> stökkvi krókar,
> rifni reflar,
> reki segl ofan,
> en aktaumar
> allir slitni,
> nema þú Herrauð
> heift upp gefir
> ok svá Bósa
> biðir til sátta.

> If you sail,
> would end tossed,
> but from the rudder
> would spring hooks,
> tapestries would split,
> would drive the sail down,
> and/but braces of a sail
> all would snap,
> except you
> give up spite to Herraudr
> and so to Bosi
> ask for an agreement.

> If you sail,
> the riggings will break up,
> and rudder (break) off?
> and sternpost spring apart,
> sails burst apart,
> drive sails down,
> and sail braces
> all torn away,
> unless you give Herraudr
> also Bosi, both quarter.

> If you sail,
> (let) (the) rigging break,
> but (and)
> hooks cause-to-drive-off (tear away?) (the) rudder,
> shrouds be-rent,
> sails be-driven down,
> but (and) sail-braces (straps)
> all snap,
> unless you
> give up (the) feud (heipt) against/with(?) Herrauðr (case?)
> and also
> ask Bósi for settlements.

If you sail,
may [your] rigging break,
and from [the] rudder
spring [the] pegs,
may shrouds be rent,
may [the] sail drive down
and [its] braces
all break,
unless you against Herrauð
deadly hate relinquish
and also from Bósi
ask reconciliation.

> Ef þú ríðr,
> raskist taumar,
> heltist hestar,
> en hrumist klárar,
> en götur allar
> ok gagnstígar
> troðist allar
> í tröllhendr fyrir þér,
> nema þú Bósa
> bjargir veitir
> ok Herrauð
> heift upp gefir.

> If you ride,
> reins would be disturbed,
> (the) horses would become lame,
> and/but cart-horses would be enfeebled
> and/but all paths
> and shortcuts
> all thronged
> in giant hands for you,
> except you
> give help to Bosi
> and
> make an agreement with Herraud.

> If you ride,
> (the) reins will be disturbed,
> (the) horses lamed.
> and cart horses enfeebled by age,
> and all paths
> and shortcuts
> all crowded upon each other
> in troll hands before you
> unless you grant help to Bosi
> and give ?? to Herraudr.

> If you ride,
> (let) (the) reins be-disarranged,
> (the) horses become-lame,
> but (and) (the) cart-horses become-enfeebled
> (but) and all roads
> and short-cuts
> all become-crowded
> in troll-arms (become strewn with rocks?) in front of you (ie impeding your way),
> unless you
> grant deliverance to Bósi
> and
> give up (the) feud (heipt) against/with(?) Herrauðr (case?)

If you ride,
may [your] reins be tangled,
may your stallions go lame
and your cart-horses be enfeebled,
and all paths
and shortcuts
all be trod
into the hands of trolls before you,
unless you to Bósi
grant deliverance
and against Herrauð
deadly hate relinquish.

I take <troðist> here to be passive.

> Sé þér í hvílu
> sem í hálmeldi,
> en í hásæti
> sem á hafbáru;
> þó skal þér seinna
> sýnu verra,
> en ef þú vilt við meyjar
> manns gaman hafa,
> villist þú þá vegarins;
> eða viltu þulu lengri?"

> I see you in bed
> as in straw (??),
> and/but in the high-seat
> as at a wave;
> yet shall your slow
> sons worse,
> than if you wanted with maidens
> to have man's pleasure,
> would you then want the way;
> our did you want a longer string of words?"

> (Whether) you be in bed
> as in ??
> and in a high seat
> as to a wave,
> still you shall delay?
> and if you want to have a man’s game with girls
> or do you want to to have it drawn out longer?”

> (Let) (it) be for you in bed
> like in (a) straw-fire
> but (and) in (your) high-seat
> like on a wave;
> though (I) shall delay (seina?)
> a worse sight for you,
> but (and) if you want
> to have (the) amusement of a person with maidens
> (let) you then lose the-way;
> so do you want a longer recitation? (‘Lay on, Busla!’)

Let [it] be for you in bed
as in a straw fire,
and in [your] high-seat
as on a wave;
yet later shall [be] to you
much worse,
and if you want with maidens
to have a man’s pleasure,
may you then lose the way;
so do you want a longer list?

<Seinna> appears to be an early instance of the modern
adverb ‘later’. <Sýnu> is the dative sing. of <sýnn>
‘clear, evident, certain’; with a comparative it means ‘a
great deal, much’.

> Þá svarar konungr: "Þegi þú, vánd vættr, ok vert í burtu,
> elligar mun ek láta meiða þik fyrir forbænir þínar."

> Then the king answers: "Shut up, wretched being, and (vert
> = go???) away, or else I will have you maimed because of
> your evil imprecations."

> Then the king answers, “You be quiet, wretched wight, and
> begone or else I will have you harmed for your
> imprecations.”

> Then (the) king answers: “Be-silent you, wicked wight, and
> get (you) away, or I will cause to do-you-serious-harm for
> your evil imprecations (curses).”

Then [the] king replies: ‘Be silent, wicked being, and be
off with you, or I will have you maimed for your evil
wishes.’

Brian