Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1959, Page 168
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Kms translates:
hann tok Nobilisborg fyrir utan leyfi laitt, cp. 1775
ok elti ut alla heiSna menn er i våru borginni
let suma brenna BbS (blinda a)
suma hengja, suma let hann til hoggs leiSa aS (suma hoggva, Bb)
ok var engi så maSr at JjyrSi at berjast å moti honum, cp. 1782,
ok alian dag mun hann fara riSandi ok blåsandi [at sinni skemtan
eptir einum hera heldr en sakir nokkurs otta (from [: Bb, om. aS,
cp. 1780; p. 51814"19, S 27921-25).
The differences between O and Kms are to be found in tbe passage ok elti
------til hoggs leiSa. The other French versions are of little help here. V4
has omitted the difficult verses 1778-79, and the passage has this form:
V4 1883: Fora insi Saragin ch’era davant, cp. O 1776
Si combate al bon cont Rollant, cp. O 1777
Rollant in ancis cum Duridarda el brant.
Soto el cel no e gent etc., cp. O 1782
1887: Por una levorxella va tut li corno cornant, cp. O 1780.
Apart from the faet that both Kms and V4 have v. 1782 before v. 1780,
there is no particular similarity between these versions here.
C and V7 have a text which is very similar to that of O, with some
additions:
C 3089 = O 1775.
3090: Fors s’en issirent li Sarazin as chans: — O 1776.
Tuit s’entrocissent a lor espiez trenchant.
R(ollant) li fers, li hardi combatanz,
Se fist lever enz es pré verdoianz, cp. O 1778
Saisi les cors a toz les combatanz
3095: Q’il volst li sans en fust aparisanz, cp. O 1779.
Sor toz les pers est il ore gabanz, cp. O 1781
Apres une lievre, etc., cp. O 1780.
P, normally the longest version, is here shorter than CV7:
P 1736 = 0 1775
1737: Li Sarrasin s’enfuirent as champs,
Il les ocist a s’espee tranchant;
La nos mena par les pres verdoians.
1740 = O 1780, O 1781-82 omitted.
L omits the whole passage; T strikes a middle course between C and P.
The French texts show beyond doubt that the O version, however cor-
rupt, is the nearest we can get to the original form of this laisse. The addi-