Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1979, Blaðsíða 88
76
contained in a common French/Anglo-Norman source and should not
be viewed as an innovation on the part of the Norwegian translator:
Doe spraken si alle ghemeenlike:
“Ammirael, heere, wreect haestelike
Den lachter, die di es ghedaen,
Met groten tormenten doese verslaen.”
Alle die ghene, die waren ghinder,
Wijsden te verdoen die kinder.
Daer en was niement in haer ghedinge;
Some riedense, dat mense hinge;
Some, dat mense op rade brake;
Some, dat mense met paerden trake;
Some, dat mense berne in enen viere;
Some, dat mense indie riviere
Met swaren stenen versinken soude;
Alle, diere bi waren, jonghe ende oude,
Wijsden hem martelién ghenoech,
Welcsins dat haer raét gedroech. (3472—87)8
I shall add a few points of criticism. When comparing two texts it is
only fair to quote both of them or at least to give an accurate
representation of their content. It is in itself difficult to appreciate the
8 Diederic van Assenede, Floris ende Blancefloer, ed. J. J. Mak, Klassieken uit de
nederlandse letterkunde, 13 (Zwolle, 1964).
Lines 3485-87 should be compared with the last line in the corresponding passage in
the Swedish version:
Tha øpte a thingith marghin man
ok badho thaghar dræpa han
ok hænne grafua qwikka ij iordh,
swa at hon matte aldre tala ordh.
Some badho han siwdha ok fla
ok sidhan sudhith a hænne sla;
hwar mælir til, æ slikt han vil. (1807-13)
Flores och Btanzeflor, ed. E. Olson, Samlingar utg. av Svenska fornskrift-sållskapet, 46
(Lund, 1921; rpt., with an app., 1956).