Studia Islandica - 01.06.1957, Blaðsíða 41

39
tionary, or a German translation, and urged the trans-
lator to use the most beautiful and pure language, and
that the verse form be made as like the old (Icelandic) as
possible. Þorláksson replied that he would gratefully ac-
cept a German translation, but stated that the original
in English would be of no particular use to him, “although
in former years I acquired some slight knowledge of
English.” Recalling that during his school years he re-
ceived no instruction in languages other than the classi-
cal and Danish, it is a safe assumption that he must have
studied English and German on his own. He did not, how-
ever, receive the German translation offered him until
the spring of 1796. *) Having by that time completed the
translation of the third book, but not as yet sent it away
for publication, he revised and corrected it, basing it on
the German as well as the Danish. The first three books
of the translation appeared in the publications of the So-
ciety, Vol. 13—15, 1794—1798. Unfortunately, Vol. 15
was never printed in full because of a decline in the for-
tunes of the Society.
It is of interest at this point to inquire into what re-
ception the printed books of the translation met with. At
the time of their publication, the annual in which they
appeared was the only periodical in the field, and no
newspapers were as yet published in Iceland.1 2) There-
fore, any detailed criticism or comment of contemporary
writers is lacking. We can, however, glean a little from
other sources. Halldór Hjálmarsson’s comment, in recom-
mending the translation for publication, has already been
referred to, an opinion of value, as he was a man of culture
1) This was Das verlorene Paradies translated from the English,
with explanatory notes, by Friederich Wilhelm Zacharia, second,
revised edition, Altona, 1762. That Þorláksson used this edition, and
not the first one of 1760, appears probable from the identity of the
footnotes which he frequently translates.
2) See Halldór Hermannsson, The Periodical Literature of Ice-
land (Islandica XI, 1918).