> Hann var slyppr ok fór leikandi sem aðrir, þar til er hann
> kom fyrir konung.

> He was unarmed and went (on) dancing as the others until
> he came before the king.

> He was unarmed and moved playfully with the others, till
> he came there before the king.

> He was unarmed and went (ie started) dancing like (the)
> others, until he came before (the) king.

He was unarmed and danced along [‘went dancing’] like [the]
others until he came before [the] king.

> Hann reiðir þá upp hnefann ok dregr svá snöggt um nasir
> konungi, at ór honum hrutu þrjár tennrnar, en blóð stökk
> ór nösum hans ok munni, en hann fell sjálfr í öngvit.

> He brandishes up (his) fist and draws (punches) so swiftly
> about the king’s nose that three teeth flew out of him and
> blood sprang out of his nose and mouth and he fell
> unconscious.

> He then swung up a fist and drew it suddenly at the king's
> nose, that out of him flew three teeth, and blood sprang
> from his nose and mouth and he fell in a swoon.

> He then brandishes up (his) the-fist and draws (swipes)
> (it) so suddenly across (the) nostrils of (the) king, that
> three teeth flew out of him (ie the king), and blood
> spurted out of his nostrils and mouth, but (and) he
> himself fell into a fainting-fit.

Then he swings up his fist and draws [it] so quickly across
[the] king’s nostrils that three of his teeth flew from him,
and blood sprang from his nostrils and mouth, and he himself
became unconscious.

The use of the verb <draga> might at first be a little
misleading, but other mss. have different versions that make
it a little clearer that he’s actually hitting the king:
<dregr svó snöggvan pústr við nasir konungi> ‘draws such a
quick blow to the face against [the] king’s nostrils’ and
<drepr konungi svó mikit högg> ‘strikes [the] king such a
great blow’.

> Sigurðr sér nú þetta.

> Sigurdr sees this now.

> Sigur now saw that.

> Sigurðr now sees this.

Sigurð now sees this.

> Hann kastar nú hörpunni upp í sængina, en rak báða hnefana
> í millum herða kvámumanninum, en hann sneri undan, en
> Sigurðr eftir honum ok þeir Siggeirr ok allir aðrir, en
> sumir styrmdu yfir konunginum.

> He throws the harp up now to the bed and drove both fists
> between the shoulders of the stranger and he turns away
> and Sigurd after him and they Siggeir and all the others,
> but some thronged about the king.

> He cast up the harp in the bedding and drove both fists in
> between the shoulders of the newcomer but he twisted under
> and Sigurd after him and then Sigurd and all the others,
> but some thronged over the king.

> He casts now the-harp up into the-bed, but (and) drove
> both fists between (the) shoulders of the-recent-arrival
> (stranger, lit: the-person-of-arrival, kvámumaðr, CV), but
> (and) he retreats (flees, lit: turns away), but (and)
> Sigurðr (goes) after him and-also they, Siggeirr and all
> (the) others, but some (folk) crowded-around the (wounded)
> king.

He now throws the harp up into the bed and thrust both his
fists between the newcomer’s shoulders, and he fled, and
Sigurð [went] after him, and Siggeir and all the others, but
some crowded about the king.

> Smiðr tók í hönd brúðinni ok leiddi hana upp í sængina ok
> læsti hana innan í maga hörpunnar, en þeir drógu hana út
> um glugginn, sem úti váru, ok svá Smið með, ok flýttu sér
> til skips ok gengu síðan út á þat.

> Smidr took the bride by the hand and led her up to the bed
> and shut her inside the belly of the harp and they drew it
> out of the window – those who were outside - - and also
> Smidr along with (her) and carried himself to the ship and
> (they) went out afterwards at that.

> Smith took the bride in his hands and laid her up in the
> bedding and locked her up in the belly of the harp, and
> they drew her out of the opening, as were outside, and
> Smith with them and they flew to the ship and afterwards
> went out on that.

> Smiðr extended (his) hand to the-bride and led her up into
> the-bed and locked her from-within (it reads to me a bit
> like, perhaps, Smiðr has locked himself inside the harp as
> well) in (the) belly of the-harp, and those who were
> outside drew her out through the-window, and also Smiðr
> with (her) (perhaps, because he was inside the harp also),
> and made-haste (sped themselves, flýta) to (the) ship and
> went (on foot) after-that out on to that (ie boarded it).

Smið offered the bride his hand and led her up into the bed
and locked her inside [the] belly of the harp, and those who
were outside dragged her out through the window, and
similarly Smið with [her], and made haste to [the] ship and
then went aboard [‘out upon’] it.

<Innan> can be simply ‘within, on the inside’. Since Smið
is free to cut the mooring lines a few sentences later, I
take this to mean that Smið locked her inside the harp while
himself remaining outside it, after which the folks outside
pulled him and the harp out through the window.

> Þá var sá þar kominn, er konunginn hafði slegit.

> It was come to that there that the king had ??

> Then was seen coming there he who had struck the king.

> Then (ie by that time) that-one (ie he) who had struck the
> king (accusative) was (had) come there.

The one who had struck the king had then [already] got
there.

> Sigurðr gekk ok út á skipit, er hann kom at, en Siggeirr
> eftir honum með brugðit sverð.

> Sigurdr went and out to the ship which he regained, but
> Siggeirr after him with drawn sword.

> And Sigurd went out from the ship where he had come to and
> Siggeirr after him with a drawn sword.

> Sigurðr also went (on foot) out onto (ie aboard) the-ship,
> when he came to (it), but (and) Siggeirr (went) after him
> with (his) sword drawn (pp of bregða, Z1)

Sigurð also went aboard the ship when he got there, and
Siggeir after him with drawn sword.

> Sigurðr snýr þá aftr í móti honum ok hratt honum á kaf;
> urðu hans menn at draga hann á land verr en dauðan.

> Sigurdr turns then back towards him and pushed him
> underwater, his men were forced to drag him on land worse
> than dead.

> Sigurd twisted then after towards him and tumbled him
> under water; his men happened to draw him on the land
> worse than death

> Sigurðr turns now back towards him and thrust him under
> water; his folk (men) were-forced to pull him on to land
> (ashore) worse than dead.

Sigurð then turns back to face him and shoved him into [the]
water; his men had to drag him ashore [‘on land’] worse than
dead.

The phrase <á kaf> can mean simply ‘into the water’. He
probably did go under water, at least briefly, but it seems
unlikely that Sigurð actually pushed him all the way under.

> En Smiðr hjó landfestina, ok drógu menn segl upp ok gerðu
> bæði at sigla ok róa ok létu ganga út á haf slíkt er
> mátti.

> And Smidr cut the moorings and men drew the sail up and
> were forced both to sail and row and caused (the ship) to
> go out to sea such as it might.

> But Smith cut the moorings and mean drew up sails and
> began both to sail and row, and let go out as much as they
> were able.

> But (And) Smiðr (has Smiðr got out of the harp or was he
> never inside it?) cut (the) moorings, and folk (men) drew
> up (the) sail(s) and did (göra as auxiliary verb, Z11)
> both sail and row and caused (the ship) to go out to sea
> in-such-wise as (they) could (ie by whatever means
> available to them.)

And Smið cut the mooring lines, and men raised [‘pulled up’]
[the] sail and did both sail and row and made to go out to
sea as [fast] as [they] could.

Here I think that <ganga slíkt er mátti> is more or less
equivalent to <ganga sem skjótast>. The Anthony Faulkes
book of readings (green book) has an instance of <œpir slíkt
sem hann má>, and the glossary (yellow book) offers the
gloss ‘as much as, as loud as’ for <slíkt sem> here.

> Hrærekr hljóp til skips ok margir menn aðrir með honum, en
> er skipum var fram hrundit, fell þar inn kolblár sjór, ok
> urðu þeir at landi at leggja ok urðu at hafa sitt hugarmót
> svá búit, váru ok allir menn verr en ráðlausir af
> drykkjuskap.

> Hraerekr ran to a ship and many men other men with him and
> when the ship was launched forward, fell there into the
> coal-black sea and they were forced to land to lie up and
> had to have themselves a meeting of the minds as matters
> stood, and all men were worse than useless from hard
> drinking.

> Hraekr leapt on the ships and many other men with him but
> their ships were collapsed, they fell into the coal-black
> sea, and they came on land to lay, and happened to have
> sat thoughtfully making their plans, and all men were
> worse then shiftless from drunkenness.

> Hrærekr ran towards (the) ship and many other folk (men)
> with him, but when (it) was thrust forward with the ships
> (plural) (ie when they set their ships in motion), (the)
> coal-black sea flowed there-in (Remember: Herrauðr lætr
> menn sína meiða öll þau skip), and they were-forced (back)
> onto land (leggja at landi, Z14) and were-forced to have
> their meeting-of-mind/heart (pep-talk, brainstorming
> session?) thus, also all folk (men) were worse than
> useless from (the) hard-drinking.

Hrœrek ran to [the] ship, and many other men with him, but
when [the] ships were launched, coal-black sea flowed into
them [‘therein’], and they had to land and as yet had to
keep their state of mind [unchanged], and all of the men
were worse than clueless from hard drinking.

The biggest problem here, though by no means the only one,
is <hugarmót>. I found a claim that this is its only
appearance in Old Norse literature, that it has here the
sense ‘state of mind’, and that it is a modern Icelandic
word in the sense ‘mood, disposition, temper’. The source
seems to fall in the knowledgeable amateur category, but I
couldn’t find independent verification. If <mót> here has
the sense ‘form, manner’, the compound would be literally
something like ‘mind’s form’, and ‘disposition, temper’
would make excellent sense.

The source says that the Strilemål dialect word <hogamot> is
a reflex of ON <hugarmót>. His dialect informant says, if
I’m reading the Nynorsk correctly, that <hogamot> is used of
frightening news and of fear of something that might happen.

I did find that <hugarmót> occurs a few times in later
medieval official documents; the contexts that I found
didn’t make the meaning immediately clear, but some seem
compatible with ‘state of mind’.

That leaves the precise interpretation of <hafa> and of <svá
búit>. The simplest possibility that makes some kind of
sense seems to be to take <hafa> in the sense ‘keep,
maintain’ and <svá búit> in the sense ‘at present, as yet’.

> Konungr raknar nú við ok var þó lítils máttar, ok leituðu
> menn við at næra hann, en hann var mjök máttdreginn.

> The king came to himself now and yet (with) little
> strength and men tried to refresh him, but he was very
> faint.

> The King now came to but was still of little strength, and
> men sought to be near him, but he was much exhausted.

> (The) king now recovered-his-senses and was nevertheless
> of little-strength, and folk (men) tried to invigorate
> him, but he was very weak (drained of strength)

[The] king now comes to his senses and yet was of little
strength, and men tried to strengthen him, but he was very
weak.

> Snerist nú veizlan í sút ok sorg.

> The feast turned now to grief and sorrow.

> Now the feast turned to grief and sorrow.

> The-banquet now turns-itself into grief and sorrow.

The wedding feast now turns to grief and sorrow.

> En þá konungr hresstist, gerðu þeir ráð sín, ok kom þeim
> þat saman at slíta eigi fjölmenninu ok búast sem skjótast
> at fara eftir þeim fóstbræðrum.

> And then the king recovered, they took their counsel and
> it came together for them not to break up? the crowd of
> people and readied themselves as quickly as possible to go
> after those foster brothers.

> But then the king recovered strength, they resolved
> themselves, and they came to that together that they would
> not break up the number of men and would prepare as
> quickly to go after those foster brothers.

> But (And) when (the) king recovered-his-strength, they
> made their plans, and that came together for them (ie they
> came to an agreement) to not split the-crowd-of-people
> (“break up-the-band”) and to-ready-themselves
> as-swiftly-as-possible to go after those foster-brothers.

And when [the] king recovered, they made their plans, and
they agreed not to break up the crowd and prepared as
quickly as possible to go after the foster brothers.

I was unable to decide strictly on the basis of the sentence
in isolation whether the <búast> clause, like <at slíta eigi
fjölmenninu>, is included in the <þat> of <kom þeim þat
saman>, as Alan has translated it, or whether it’s an
independent clause, as I’ve translated it. For the former
sense I’d want <at slíta ... ok at búast>, but I’ve no idea
whether writers of Old Norse had as strong a requirement for
exactly parallelism in such constructions as I have. In the
end I made my decision on the basis of the next sentence:

Ok látum þá nú búast, en víkjum sögunni aftr til þeira
kumpána, ...

And we’ll let them get ready now, but we’ll turn the story
back to their companions, ...

It’s far from dispositive, but to me it suggests that the
previous sentence said that they *were* getting ready, not
that they had agreed to do so.

Brian