Jón á Bægisá - 01.12.2010, Page 90

Magnús Fjalldal
7) Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield,
Iheir furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke; (glebe = jarðvegur)
How jocund did they drive their team afield!
How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke!
8) Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,
Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;
Nor Grandeur hear, with a disdainful smile
The short and simple annals of the poor.
9) Tlie boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, (heraldry = ættgöfgi)
And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave,
Awaits alike th’ inevitable hour.
Tlre paths of glory lead but to the grave.
10) Nor you, ye Proud, impute to these the fault,
If Mem’ry o’er their tomb no trophies raise (trophies = minnisvarðar)
Where thro’ the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault (jretted = skreyttur)
The pealing anthem swells the note of praise.
11) Can storied urn or animated bust
Back to its mansion call thc fleeting breath?
Can Honour’s voice provoke the silent dust,
Or Flatt’ry soothe the dull cold ear of Death?
12) Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;
Hands that the rod of empire might have swayed,
Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre.
13) But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page
Rich with the spoils of time did ne’er unroll;
Chill Penury repressed their noble rage,
And froze the genial current of the soul.
(storied urn = grafker með
áletrun eða myndum)
(animated bust = stytta sem
líkist hinum látna)
(sway = valda eða munda)
(rage merkir hér innblástur)
(genial = skapandi)
88
á .íBaydiá - Ti'marit um þýðingar nr. 14 / 2010