Re: Sigrgardr 4C

Thank you all for the good wishes!

This one was pretty hard; some of the syntax really does
seem to be a bit different from what we’ve seen in older
works.

> Sigrgarðr settist í hásæti hjá meykonunginum.

> Sigrgardr sat down in a high-seat next to the maid-king.

> Sigrgardr sat in the high seat near the maiden king.

> Sigrgarðr set-himelf (ie sat) in (the) high-seat by
> the-maiden-king,

Sigrgarð seated himself on the high seat next to the maiden
king.

> Var þá gleði mikil.

> There was then much merriment.

> There was great merriment.

> (There) was then great merriment.

There was then much merriment.

> Meykonungrinn gjörði sik blíða ok var málreitin við
> Sigrgarð.

> The maid-king acted (with) friendliness and was talkative
> with Sigrgardr.

> The maiden king presented herself (as) friendly and was
> talkative with Sigrgardr.

> The-maiden-king made herself agreeable and was talkative
> with Sigrgarðr.

The maiden king made herself agreeable and was talkative
with Sigrgarð.

> Hon spurði hvat at manni hann væri en hann sagði henni af
> it ljósasta, ok nefndi sik ok sinn föður.

> She asked what kind of man he was, and he told her about
> it the most clearly, and named himself and his father.

> She asked what (sort of) man he was and he told her of it
> most plainly and gave his father’s and his names.

> She asked what (sort) of a person (man) he was but (and)
> he declared to her in the most-open (manner) and named
> himself and his father.

She asked what kind of person he was, and he told her
thereof most clearly and named himself and his father.

> Hon mælti, “þat er mér nú at sýn orðit sem ek hef áðr
> einart frétt til haft, ok þiki mér þat ei orðum aukit sem
> frá yðr er sagt um vöxt ok vænleik, ok vænti ek at svá
> munu eptir fara yðrar íþróttir, ok aðrir hlutir þeir sem
> yðr eru til sæmdar.

> She said, "I have now seen with my eyes what I have
> previously incessantly had news of, and it seemed to me no
> exagerations as about you is spoken concerning stature and
> bodily beauty that so will after go your accomplishments,
> and other matters, those that are honor to you. (compare
> Z. sýn 2: ; er mér þat at s. orðit, er ek hefi opt heyrt
> frá sagt = I have seen with my eyes what I have often
> heard of) (Z. auka 1: eigi er þat aukit = it is no
> exageration)

> She said, “I have seen with my eyes that I have had
> reliable news previously about (you) and it seems to me no
> exaggeration that which is said of you regarding
> appearance and bodily beauty, and I think that your skills
> will go along similarly and those other things which are
> to your honor??

> She spoke, “that is now come to my sight (ie I have now
> seen that with my eyes) which I have already reliably
> heard, and that seems to me not exaggerated (lit:
> augmented in words) which is said about you (‘majestic
> plural’) regarding stature and bodily-beauty, and I hope
> that your feats will conform (lit: go back, fara eptir,
> Z18) thus (ie will match the hype), and those other things
> (lots, blessings?) which are granted to you (ie with which
> you have been endowed, soema, CV).

She said, ‘I have now seen with my eyes that which I have
previously incessantly had news of, and I think that not
exaggerated which is said of you concerning stature and
bodily beauty, and I expect that it will be the same with
your accomplishments [‘your accomplishments will conform
thus’] and those other things that are to your honor.

<Sœmdar> is the gen. sing. of <sœmd>.

> Eðr hvert hafi þér yðra ferð ætlat?”

> Or have you intended your other conduct?"

> And what have you expected(with) your journey.

> So, whither have you intended your journey (to go)? (ie
> what brings you here?)”

So to what end [‘whither’] have you intended your journey?’

> “Í yðru lofi vil ek gjarna segja, bæði hvert ek hefi
> ætlat, ok svá hvert mitt erendi er, ek hefi spurt til
> yðvarar tígnar ok þyki mér mikils um vert, nú er ek hefi
> séð bæði vald yðvart ok ríki, ok hefir mér þat nökkut í
> hug komit at leita þeira mála við yðr at okkart samþykki
> mætti þá vera meir enn áðr, en ei vil ek þau orð
> opinberliga tala, sem þér mættuð styggjast við.”

> "In your praise I will want to say, both what I have
> intended, and so what my business is, and I have heard of
> your honor, and I took it very much to heart, now when I
> have seen both your power and might, and it somewhat comes
> to my mind to try speaking with you that our consent could
> then be more than before, but I will not want these words
> spoken in public, as you would be able to get offended
> with."

> “I will gladly speak to your praise, both what I have
> expected and also what my errand is, I have asked about
> your highness and it seems to me very important now since
> I have seen both your power and might, and something has
> come in my mind to seek those conversations with you and
> our consent might then be more than other(wise?), but I do
> not want to speak openly as you might be offended?”

> “In your (‘majestic plural) praise I want eagerly to say,
> both whither I have intended (to go) (ie what brings me
> here) and also what my errand is, I have learned (spyrja,
> Z4) of your highness (presumably tign, not tígn) and (it)
> seems to me worthy of much (ie to be the real deal), now I
> have seen both your might and power, and that has come
> somewhat into my mind to seek those talks with you, and
> our accord (like-mindedness) might then be greater than
> before, but I want not to speak those words
> openly-in-public, which might cause-offence to you.”

‘In your honor I will gladly say both what I have intended
and also what my business is; I have heard of your majesty,
and it greatly affects me, now that I have seen both your
power and [your] kingdom, and it has come to my mind
somewhat to seek such [‘those’] discussions with you that
our concord might then be more than before, but I do not
want to say those words in public at which you might take
umbrage.’

I don’t know whether <tígn> is a typo for <tign> or a
variant, but it’s probably the latter: De Vries indicates
that both occur, and Baetke uses <tígn> as headword with
<tign> in parentheses.

> “Skilja þykjumst ek,” sagði meykonungrinn, “málaleitan
> þína, eðr hefr þú ei spurn af því hversu þeim hefir
> afferðar orðið, er slíkra mála hafa leitað, ok séð enn
> nökkut merki til þess hér hjá minni borg?”

> "It should seem to me," said the maiden-king, "your
> negotiation, have you not heard of that how to them have
> been (afferdar?), where such speech has sought, and yet
> seen some banner to that here by my city?"

> “I think to break off,” said the maiden king,” your
> negotiations, or have you not heard of it how those have
> been unloaded?, when such talks have been sought and seen
> yet some sign of this here near my castle?”

> “I bethink-myself to understand,” said the-maiden-king,
> “your seeking-of-talks, so do you not have tidings (noun)
> of that, how (there) has happened (3 pers sg) executions
> (nom plural?) (typo for atferð?, Z4 or assaults, Z3, or
> proceedings?, Z1) for those, who have sought such talks,
> and (have you not) yet seen some sign (indication) of that
> here close-by my castle?

‘I think that I understand your negotiation,’ the maiden
king said, ‘so do you not have news of what kind of outcome
has happened to those who have sought such talks, and seen
some remains of that here beside my castle?’

Assuming that <afferðar> is an inflected form of a
derivative of <ferð>, it can only be gen. sing.: the nom.
plur. of <ferð> is <ferðir>. I’ve found a few modern
instances of <afferðar> in contexts suggesting that it’s
‘outcome’, ‘result’, or the like; this makes etymological
sense for a compound <af> + <ferð>. Aha! At
<http://skaldic.abdn.ac.uk/m.php?p=onwword&i=2154> <afferð>
is given as a feminine Old Norse noun, with <afferðar>
(spelled <afferdar>) glossed ‘what becomes of (sby)’
referring to this exact instance of the word.

Baetke does have ‘what kind (of)’ as a possibility for
<hversu>, though I’ve found nothing anywhere to explain the
genitive case of <afferðar>.

I took <merki> to be Z4, though Z3 is also perfectly
reasonable.

> “Mér kemr þat í hug,” segir hann, “þó at nökkut hafi áfátt
> orðið um yðra hagi at þér munuð þat best til vara taka at
> venda aptr af því sem yður hefir yfirgefist.”

> "It comes to my mind," he says, "yet that something has
> been defective concerning your favor that you would that
> best exist to begin to return of that as you have
> abandoned."

> “It comes to my mind,” says he, “even though something
> might have happened faulty regarding your affairs that you
> will best take precautions to return from that which you
> have abandoned.”???

> “That comes to my mind,” says he, “even-though something
> has become defective (amiss) concerning your affairs, that
> you will best take (ie adopt) that (course of action)
> by-way-of-precaution (vari) to turn back from (ie reject,
> give up) that which has been-done-wrong by you (ie that
> you will realise the error of your ways, e-m gefst e-t
> yfir, under gefa, Z8).

‘It occurs to me,’ he says, ‘although something has become
defective concerning your affairs, that you would best take
as a precaution to turn back from that which you have done
wrong.’

Like Alan, I take <yfirgefask> to be equivalent to <gefask
yfir>.

> “Ekki hefir mér þat svá yfirgefist,” segir hon.

> "It doesn't do to me so abandoned," she says.

> “I have not abandoned it thus,” says she.

> “That has not been-done-wrong by me thus (I have not done
> anything wrong in this, e-m gefst e-t yfir, under gefa,
> Z8),” says she.

‘I have not thus done wrong in that [matter],’ she says.

> “Þeir einir hafa til orðið þessa mála at leita at oss hefr
> þótt lítilræði í, nökkut við at skylda, ok höfum vér svá
> viljað leiða lítilsháttar mönnum at spotta oss.”

> "They alone have been ready for this talk to seek for us
> to have yet a trifle in, somewhat to oblige by, and we
> have so wished to loathe lowly men to make sport of us."

> “They alone have happened to seek these discussions that
> to us have yet degradation?? in, something with to part??
> and we have thus wished to lead insignificant men to mock
> us.”

> “They alone have felt-obliged to seek these talks, (such)
> that (it) has seemed a degradation to us (me, ‘majestic
> plural’) in (it) somewhat to deal (skylda?) with (them),
> and we (I, majestic plural) have thus wanted to
> make-it-loathsome for men of insignificance (háttr, Z4) to
> make-sport of us (me).

‘They alone have been ready to pursue these matters whom it
seemed to us degradation in having something to do with, and
we have wanted thus to make people of little importance
loath to mock us.’

I’m taking <hefr> to be an error for <hefir>; <þótt> is the
past participle of <þykkja>, not the contracted form of <þó
at>. Baetke has <eiga við e-n at skylda> ‘to deal with
someone’; it isn’t quite what we have here, but in view of
the context it seems close enough.

> Sigrgarðr svarar at honum þikir þat várkunn “en þó lystir
> oss,” segir hann “at vita hver svör þér vilið oss gefa ef
> ek væri svá djarfr at ek leitaði þeira mála við yðr at þú
> yrðir mín eiginkona.”

> Sigrgardr answers that to him it seemed what is to be
> excused "and yet we desire," he says, "to know what answer
> you wanted to give us if I were so bold that I tried the
> matters with you that you would become my wife."

> Sigrgardr answers that to him that seems to be excused
> “but still (it) pleases us,” says he, “ to know what
> answer you will give us if I were so bold that I sought
> those talks with you that you become my wife.”

> Sigrgarðr answers that that seems to him a
> thing-to-be-excused “but (and) yet (it) is-desired by us
> (me ‘majestic plural’),” he says “to know what answer you
> want to give us (me) if I were so bold that I sought those
> talks with you that you would-become my own-wife.

Sigrgarð replies that he thinks that something to be excused
‘and yet we desire,’ he says, ‘to know what answer you would
wish to give us if I were so bold that I pursued with you
those matters: that you become my wife.’

Brian