Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1959, Blaðsíða 239

225
hann helt upp hægri hendi sinni til himna ok glofa sinum me5 til jarteigna (p.
52418-20).
The shortening of this passage is a striking contrast to the careful trans-
lation of the passage dealing vvith the death of Oliver in vv. 2013-20.
The explanation of the omission of the details in vv. 2391-92, and in the
two laisses that have been left out, must be that a remanieur has seen that
these details did not agree with the story of the recovery of Durendal from
Roland’s hånd, an episode which is found only in the Kms version, but
which must be of French origin. It should then be safe to conclude that
the omission of vv. 2391-92 is due to the French remanieur who inserted
the Durendal episode in the poem. The addition in the translation between
vv. 2875 and 2878 must have been put there by the same remanieur as an
introduction to the Durendal episode. Roland had to die with his sword
in his hånd, and therefore could not die juntes ses mains.
Laisses CCVI-CCX, vv. 2881-2944, contain Charlemagne’s lament
over the body of Roland: he regains consciousness, and Naimes, Gefrei
d’Anjou and two more of his councillors
2884: Prenent le rei, sil drecent suz un pin.
Guardet a la tere, veit sun nevold gesir.
Tant dulcement a regreter le prist:
Then follows his speech, interspersed with a few descriptive verses, such
as vv. 2892—97, a variation of vv. 2881—86, and vv. 2907—08, 2932, which
describe the reaction of the French warriors. The emperor pulis his beard
and sheds tears,
2943: Pioret des oilz, sa blanche barbe tiret,
E dist dux Naimes: “Or ad Caries grant ire.”
Then Gefrei d’Anjou intervenes:
2946: “Ceste dolor ne demenez tant fort!
Par tut le camp faites querre les noz,
and thus introduces the next scene of the O version, the preparations for
the departure, soon interrupted by the arrival of Baligant. V4 follows O,
and P, whose text is assonanced here, has shortened the O laisses con-
siderably, but without making any important changes. T, whose text is
15 Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana, XIX