Studia Islandica - 01.06.1957, Blaðsíða 34

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One example will show what becomes of the couplet
at the hands of the translator. We select at random the
translation of lines 383—384, Epistle IV, which at least
conveys the thought of the original:
Oh! while along the stream of Time thy name
Expanded flies, and gathers all its fame.
This is translated:
Ó! nær þitt flýgur útbreitt nafn
endilöngum með tímans straum,
fullt með þitt hrós og sæmdarsafn
svo langt jörð heyrir mannaglaum.
Obviously, this metrical form is vastly different from
the heroic couplet, entirely losing the symmetry and
balance of the latter, and because of the rhythmical dif-
ference in the two measures, producing an entirely new
movement which creates new impressions.
As to the length of the translation, our comparison
shows that it is about twice the length of the original,
even if the shorter verse line is taken into account. This
lengthening of the original is the result of a number of
additions and expansions, nearly all of which already
exist in the Danish translation. A close comparison of
the first half of the Icelandic and the Danish versions
reveals this, and it is safe to assume that a completed
comparison would lead to the same conclusion. The ad-
ditions are, in most cases, mere amplifications of the
original, and their general character is indicated by the
following illustration. After the famous opening line of
Epistle II: “Know then thyself, presume not God to
scan” is added:
Grunda: það skilnings fyrir flug
forhátt þín sál ei sköpuð er.
(Ponder, for that soaring flight of the
understanding, your soul is not created.)