Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1959, Blaðsíða 287

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a very free translation of the Chanson de Roland, or rather an adaptation
of it, and even in the cases quoted above, the context differs greatly from
that of Kms and the French MSS. There are some omissions and addi-
tions in the German text, but they do not coincide with those of the saga,
and in all the important episodes where the saga differs from the French
MSS, Baligant episode, Roncevaux episode, punishment of Ganeion, etc.,
Konrad follows O2.
The Welsh translation (w) follows the French text closely, and is
based on a text of the V4 type. There are numerous omissions, and only
a few additions. The Margariz episode is shorter than in V4, but includes
laisses of which there is no trace in the saga (e.g. V4 laisses 115-16, while
117 is omitted). In their versions of O v. 134 both the saga and w make
Blancandrin say that the emperor has been in Spain for seven years (Kms
p. 48713-14, ecj_ 0f w p. 48836), while O has En cest pa'is avez estet asez.
But the verse is omitted in V4, and the version rimée differs from both O
and Kms (C 158 = V7; the change is due to the rhyming of the laisse),
and it is therefore quite possible that the reading of w and Kms is that of
the source of the later versions3 * * *.
To sum up, we may say that of the eight groups discussed in this
chapter, the first four may be used in support of the two-forked stemma
of Muller and Bédier as well as of the more complicated stemma proposed
here. The four last groupings cannot be reconciled with the new stemma.
The evidence in favour of any one of these groupings must therefore be
carefully weighed against the evidence for the new stemma adduced in
Chapter 5. The similarities between Kms and the German and Welsh
versions pointed out above are obviously of no importance, but as far as
I can see, even the parallels between Kms and V4, and Kms and the version
rimée, discussed under groups 5 and 6 above, are accidental and conse-
quently unimportant, and cannot counterbalance the facts that seem to
support the new stemma.
2 Cp. W. Golther: Das Rolandslied des pfaffen Konrad (Munich 1886), pp. 11-
20, 39-42.
3 Cp. O v. 35:
En ceste tere ad asez osteiet:
but V4 v. 39:
In cest pars el e set agni ester;
Kms here follows V4 (p. 4857) ; the verse is omitted in CV7.
18 Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana, XIX