> En þeir eru svá varir um sik, at þeir hafa njósn á hverri
> götu ok í hverri höfn, ok má þeim ekki á óvart koma, en
> þeim þykkir aldri örvænt, nær þeir Herrauðr ok Bósi koma
> at vitja meyjarinnar.

> And they were so unueasy (?) concerning that, that they
> have news at each street and in each harbor, and they
> could not (be) take(n) by surprise, but it never seems to
> them hopeless, when they, Herraudr and Bosi, came to visit
> the marriage. (Z. úvarr 1:kom e-m á úvart, to come
> unawares upon one, take one by surprise)

> And they were so wary regarding themselves that they had
> spies on every path and in every harbor and none might
> come on them unawares and (it) seems to them almost beyond
> expectation (that) they, Herraudr, and Bosi, (would) come
> to visit the girl.

> They are so wary about this, that they have spies at every
> path and in every harbor, and and they can not take
> someone by surprise, and it never seems unlikely that
> either Herraud or Bosi would come to visit the maiden.

> But they are so on their guard (lit: aware concerning
> themselves), that they have (ie maintain) surveillance
> (njósn, Z1) on every road and in every harbour, and (one)
> may not come upon them unaware (ie not take them by
> surprise), and (it) seems to them ever nearer (aldri, Z2,
> after negative, nær = nærri, Z6?) beyond-expectation,
> (that) they Herrauðr and Bósi come to fetch the maiden.
> (ie the more time goes by, the less likely it is that they
> will see Bósi and Herrauðr)

And they are so much on their guard that they have
surveillance on every street and in every harbor, and [one]
cannot come upon them unawares, and it never seems to them
unexpected when Herrauð and Bósi come to fetch the maiden.

I don’t see <aldri> as being preceded by a negative here:
<ørvænt> is a negative, but it doesn’t appear to precede
<aldri> even in some abstract sense. I think that it’s
simply ‘never’, modifying <þykkir>. Then <nær> can be read
as ‘when’ (Z7), and the sense is that they are always on the
lookout for Bósi and Herrauð and would never be surprised to
see them.

> Konungr hefir látit gera sér höll svá mikla, at á henni
> eru hundrað dyra, ok er jafnt langt í millum allra;
> hundrað manns má rúmliga sitja í millum hverra dyra; tveir
> dyrverðir eru við hverjar dyrr, ok á þar engi inn at
> ganga, sá sem eigi er þekktr við einhverjar dyrrnar, en
> þann, sem við engar er þekktr, skal taka ok hafa í
> varðhaldi, þar til at prófat er, hverr maðr hann er.

> The king had so big a hall made that a hundred doors were
> on it and it is equally long in between each (door); 100
> men could sit roomily between each door; two door-guards
> were by each door, and at that place none went in (?), the
> one who is not recognized by the door guards, but that,
> who no one recognizes, shall be taken in custody, until it
> is proven which man he is.

> The king had had a hall built for himself so large that on
> it were a hundred doors and even so long between all; a
> hundred men could sit comfortably between each door; two
> door watchmen were at each door, and at there none to go
> in that one as not recognized at each door, and then when
> with someone is not recognized, shall seize and keep in
> restraint by the watch until is proven what man he is.

> The king has had built himself a hall so large, that it
> has a hundred doors, and the same length between them; a
> hundred men can sit roomily in between each door; two door
> watchers are at each door, and no one can go in, who is
> not known to one of the doorsmen, and that man who is not
> one who is known shall be taken into custody, and is held
> there until it is found out who that man is.

> (The) king has caused to build for himself a hall so
> large, that on it are a hundred (of) doorways, and (it) is
> equi-distant (equally long) between all; a hundred (of)
> person(s) may roomily sit between each doorway; two
> door-keepers (dyrr + vörðr) are by each doorway, and
> no-one has a right (á, eiga, Z4 to go inside there,
> that-one (ie, he) who is not recognised (þekkja, Z2) at
> (the) some doorways, (but) and (one) shall take (seize)
> and have into custody that-one (þann, accusative, ie
> him,), who is recognised by none, until (it) is proven,
> which person (man) he is.

[The] king has had a hall built for himself so big that on
it are a hundred doorways, and [there] is the same distance
between all [of them]; a hundred men can sit without
crowding [‘roomily’] between each all [i.e., each pair of
adjacent] doorways; two doorkeepers are at each doorway, and
none is entitled to go in who [‘he who’] is not recognized
at one of the doorways, and he who is recognized by none
shall be taken and held in custody until it is determined
what man man he is.

It’s clear from the remainder of the sentence that
<einhverjar dyrrnar> can’t be ‘all of the doorways’, but I
have to admit that I don’t understand either why it’s plural
or why it’s definite.

> Sæng stendr á miðju hallargólfi, ok er þar fimm palla upp
> at ganga.

> A bed stands in the middle of the floor of the hall, and 5
> steps are there to go up.

> A bed stands in the middle of the floor of the hall and
> there five steps to go up.

> A bed stands in the middle of the hall floor and there are
> five steps going up to it.

> A bed stands in (the) middle (of the) hall-floor, and five
> (of) steps are (lit: is) there to walk up.

A bed stands in [the] middle of the hall floor, and there
are five steps going up to it [‘and there is a five of steps
to walk up there’].

> Þar skal liggja brúðrin ok brúðguminn, en hirðin öll skal
> vaka um kringum, ok má þeim því ekki á óvart koma.

> The bride and groom shall lie there, and all the king's
> men's shall keep watch around, and they will not be taken
> by surprise. (C.V. úvarr: koma á úvart = to take one by
> surprise)

> There shall the bride and bridegroom lie and the king’s
> men all shall stay all around and none may come upon them
> unawares.

> There the bride shall lay and the bridegroom, and all the
> king's men shall keep watch around it, so that they may
> not be surpriseed by anyone.

> The-bride and bride-groom shall lie there, but (and) all
> the-king’s-bodyguard shall keep-awake (ie keep vigil)
> around (them), and (one) may not therefore come upon them
> unaware (ie not take them by surprise).

The bride and the bridegroom shall lie there, and all [of]
the king’s men shall keep vigil around [it], and therefore
[one] cannot come upon them unawares.

> "Hverir eru með konungi?" segir Bósi, "þeir sem hann heldr
> mest af?"

> "Who are with the king?" says Bosi, "they whom he makes
> the most of?" (Z. halda III: halda mikit af e-m, to make
> much of one)

> “Who are with the king?” says Bosi, “those who he thinks
> most of?”

> "Who is with the king," said Bosi, "that he holds most
> highly of."

> “Who are with the-king?” says Bósi, “those who he makes
> most of (ie values most, cf halda mikit af e-m, Z8)

‘Who are with [the] king,’ says Bósi, ‘those whom he values
most?’

> "Sá heitir Sigurðr," sagði hún, "hann er ráðgjafi konungs
> ok svá mikill meistari til hljóðfæra, at hans líki er
> engi, þó at allvíða sé leitat, ok þó mest á hörpuslátt.

> "One is named Sigurdr," she said, "he is the king's
> adviser, and so great a master of a musical instrument,
> that no one is his equal, although very widely would be
> sought, and yet most (talented) at striking the harp.

> “The one is called Sigurdr,” said she, “he is the king’s
> counsellor and such a great master at musical instruments,
> that none is his like, even though one might search far
> and wide and still best at striking the harp.”

> "He is called Sigurd," she said, "he is a king's advisor
> and so great a master of music, that there is none like
> him, though searched for very widely, and he is best at
> harp playing.

> “That-one (ie he) is-called Sigurðr,” said she, “he is
> counsellor (lit: advice-giver) of (the) king and also a
> great master of musical-instruments (plural), that no-one
> is his like (equal), even-though (he) be sought
> very-widely, and nevertheless greatest at striking-a-harp.

‘That one is called Sigurð,’ she said; ‘he is a counsellor
to the king and so great a master of musical instruments
that no one is his equal, though [one] be sought far and
wide [‘very widely’], and yet best at striking the harp.

> Hann er nú farinn til frillu sinnar; hún er ein
> bóndadóttir her við skóginn, ok lætr hann sauma sér klæði
> ok semr hljóðfæri sín."

> He is now gone to his mistress: she is a farmer's daughter
> here by the forest, and he has her sew his clothes and
> tune his musical instrument." (Z. semja 1: semja hljóðfœri
> = to tune instruments)

> He is now gone to his mistress, she is a farmer’s daughter
> here near the forest, and he has her sew him clothing like
> a musician’s for himself?”

> He is now traveling to his mistress; she is a farmer's
> daughter who lives here next to the woods, and he has his
> clothes sewn by her and he tunes his instruments there."

> He is (has) now journeyed to his concubine; she is a
> certain farmer’s-daughter here by the-wood, and he causes
> (her) to make-by-sewing his clothes and (he) tunes (semja)
> his instrument (which instrument would that be? )

He has now gone to his mistress; she is a farmer’s daughter
here by the wood, and he has her make [‘sew’] his clothes
and tunes his instruments.’

(All of them, I expect: <hljóðfœri sín> is plural. Given
the rest of this saga, I wonder whether the metaphor was
present for the original audience as well.)

> Ok fellr þar nú tal þeira, ok sofa þau af um náttina.

> And their conversation now falls off, and they sleep
> during the night.

> And their talking ceased now and they slept away the
> night.

> Then stopped there now their talking and they slept
> through the night.

> And their conversation now falls (ie subsides) there, and
> they sleep the night through

And now their conversation dies there, and they sleep the
night through.

> 12. Frá brullaupsveizlu.

> Concerning the wedding feast

> Of the wedding feast.

> About the wedding feast

> About the wedding-feast.

Of [the] wedding feast.

> Um morguninn snemma kemr Bósi til Herrauðar ok segir
> honum, hvat hann hefir frétt um náttina, ok síðan bjuggust
> þeir frá bónda, ok gaf Bósi dóttur hans fingrgull, ok fóru
> þeir nú at tilvísan hennar, þar til at þeir sá þann bæ, er
> Sigurðr var á.

> Early during the morning Bosi comes to Herraudr and tell
> him what he has heard during the night, and then they
> prepare to go from the farm, and Bosi gave the daughter
> his gold ring, and they now went according to her
> instruction until they saw the farm where Sigurdr was.

> During the morning early, Bosi comes to Herraudr and tells
> him what he has learned during the night, and afterwards
> they get ready to go from the farmer and Bosi gave his
> daughter a gold ring and they went now at her direction
> until they saw that farm where Sigurdr was.

> In the morning early Bosi came to Herrad and told him what
> he had heard that night, and afterwards they left the
> farmers dwelling, and Bosi gave his daughter a finger
> ring, and they now went to her directions, there till they
> saw the farm, where Sigurr was at.

> Early the next morning Bósi comes to Herrauðr and says to
> him, what he has heard during the-night (expurgated), and
> after-that they readied-themselves (to go) from (the)
> farmer, and Bósi gave his (ie the farmer’s) daughter a
> gold-finger-ring, and they journeyed now according to her
> direction, until they saw that farmstead, that Sigurðr was
> (ie stayed) at.

Early the next morning Bósi comes to Herrauð and tells him
what he has learned during the night, and after that they
prepared [to go] from [the] farmer, and Bósi gave his
daughter a gold finger-ring, and now they travelled
according to her directions [singular in ON] until they saw
the farm where Sigurð was.

The last bit perfectly matches the now-common construction
‘that Sigurð was at’, but this is ungrammatical in my
idiolect.

> Þeir sá nú, hvar hann fór ok einn sveinn með honum ok
> stefndu heim til hallarinnar.

> They saw now, where he went, along with a boy with him,
> and they were heading home to the palace.

> They saw now, where he went and one boy with him and
> (they) headed home to the hall.

> They now saw where he went and one servant with him, and
> heading home to the hall.

> They saw now, where he journeyed and one servant-lad with
> him and headed home to the-hall.

They saw now where he was travelling, and a servant with
him, and [they] were heading home to the hall.

> Þeir gengu nú á veginn fyrir Sigurð.

> They now went along the path against Sigurdr. (another
> possibility is: C.V. ganga á = to encroach upon, to go
> against)

> They present themselves now on the way before Sigurd.

> They now went to the way before Sigurd.

> They went (on foot) now on the-way before (in front of, ie
> to intercept) Sigurðr

They now went onto the road in front of Sigurð.

> Bósi rak spjótit í gegnum hann, en Herrauðr kyrkti
> sveininn til bana.

> Bosi thrust his spear through him, and Harraudr strangled
> the boy to death.

> Bosi drove through him with a spear and Herraudr choked
> the boy to death.

> Bosi ran his spear through him, and Herrad strangled the
> servant to death.

> Bósi drove the-spear through him, but (and) Herrauðr
> strangled the-servant-lad to death.

Bósi drove his [‘the’] spear through him, and Herrauð
strangled the servant to death.

Brian