Studia Islandica - 01.06.1957, Blaðsíða 44

42
with the aid of your connections and acquaintances in
England, should attempt to interest an Englishman of
means in defraying the cost of the printing, in which the
English no doubt would take certain pride, as Milton is
their principal poet in the epic realm, and this would both
flatter the English and maintain their love for Iceland
and the Icelandic literature, and at the same time contri-
bute immeasurably to the prestige of the Icelandic name
among other nations. Should this be possible through the
influence of Your Excellency, and the printing take place
in Copenhagen at a time when I am there, I should with
great pleasure undertake reading the proofs free of
charge, however, with the understanding that I be given
a free hand in that respect, as I have in mind following
as far as possible the orthography which I have used in
my Introduction to the Icelandic. I recommend this idea,
which in my opinion is a very happy one, to the patrio-
tism of Your Excellency.” In a postscript Rask adds that
he can furnish a copy of the translation which is well
written and without abbreviations to be used as basis
for the printing.
Naturally, the translation attracted the attention of
English travellers who visited Iceland in those years. Sir
G. S. Mackenzie, who travelled there in the summer of
1810, but did not visit Þorláksson, thus refers to the
translation of Paradise Lost: “Twenty or thirty years
ago, the whole of Milton’s Paradise Lost was translated
into Icelandic by Jonas [should, of course, be Jón] Þor-
láksson, a priest at Backa, in the northern part of the
island, of which translation two books were published in
the Acts of the Icelandic Society; the remainder are yet in
manuscript. The merits of the poetry in this translation
are spoken of in terms of high eulogium by the Bishop,
who is, however, unacquainted with the original.”
1) Travels in the Island of Iceland, Edinburgh, 1812, p. 322.