Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1959, Qupperneq 234

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one who knew the poem, and was able to carry out his intentions. The
shortening here must have been carried out by the remanieur who reduced
laisses LXXIX-LXXXII so ruthlessly (above, pp. 187-89).
There are several short omissions in the part of the Norse text which
describes Charlemagne’s pursuit of the pagans and their defeat. The names
of the peers in vv. 2404-09 are left out, probably because a similar list
had been given in vv. 2186-89. These verses are omitted in CV7 as well,
presumably for the same reason. Other verses may have been omitted be-
cause the translator did not understand them, e.g. v. 2470,
Li adubez en sunt li plus pesant.
The translator, with his scant knowledge of matters of chivalry, may not
have seen why li adubez should be more easily drowned than others. And
when v. 2416,
Encuntre tere se pasment .XX. millers,
has become:
ok fell (sc. Karlamagnus) af hesti sinum fyrir ugleSi sakir (p. 5257),
this is probably a deliberate change, because some remanieur thought .XX.
millers fainting Christians a little extravagant.
Kms leaves out vv. 2435-41, Charlemagne’s detailed instructions to the
four counts who are left behind to see that the bodies of the dead French-
men are not disturbed by men and beasts (the saga has only three chief-
tains, having left out Tedbalt de Reins). The verses are not particularly
important, but they do convey information. The same is true of vv. 2484—
86, the emperor’s orders to his men to take off saddles and bridles and let
the horses rest, and vv. 2507-10, with some further details about Joiuse,
Charlemagne’s sword.
Then two whole laisses have been omitted: w. 2488-95, which tell how
the emperor’s orders are carried out, saddles taken off, the horses let loose,
while the French lie down on the ground, and secondly, vv. 2512-24,
which depict the scene after Charlemagne and the other warriors have
made their preparations for the night, the emperor thinking of the dead
peers and going to sleep at last. The laisse is meant as an introduction to
the dreams, and it has the same function as laisses CLXXIV and CLXXV,
vv. 2355-74, which prepare us for the death of Roland, and which are