Gripla - 2023, Page 76

74 GRIPLA
The presence of such additions could be motivated by a wish to clarify
otherwise obscure concepts or terms on the part of Z. During his speech, the
body claims to have been created from mud in order to become a host for the
soul. N transmits the noun “moldo” (nom. mold = soil/dust/mud), to which
Z adds “jordu” (nom. jǫrð = earth), thus creating a synonymous couplet
which, as is well-known, was one of the most common translation strategies
throughout the Middle Ages (table 14).32 The reading is omitted in R1.
Table 14.
P (136/632) N (286/13) A (287/19) R2 (287/32–33)
terre
[earth].
moldo
[dust].
iördu … oc moldu
[earth and dust].
jordu… ok moldu
[earth and dust].
In other cases, the additions are employed to further dramatize the narrative
and obtain a greater emotional response on the part of the audience. For
instance, in N the soul claims that after one’s death the relatives greedily
take possession of the deceased’s inheritance in order to lead a life of excess
at his/her expense. In this passage, Z adds that the deceased in question,
whose goods was taken by his/her greedy relatives, will fall into oblivion “en
minnaz þin alldri” (They will never remember you) (table 15). This section
of text is missing in R2.
Table 15.
P (116/99–101) N (281/12–13) A (281/43–44) R1 (281/27–28)
tot cil qui l’ont
ravi,
ti parent, ti ami,
en feront mais lor
preu
[All of those
who have robbed
him—your
relatives, your
friends—will
make this their
own profit].
þeir aller er tækit
hafa þeir muno
gera sér gaman af
[All of those who
have taken will
rejoice].
þeir muna giöra
sier gamn af
þínum ꜹdæfum;
enn minnast þo
þín aldre
[They will enjoy
your wealth,
and yet they will
never remember
you].
þeir allir er tekid
hafa þina penga
munu gera ser af
gaman en minnaz
þin alldri
[All of those who
took your money
will rejoice, but
they will never re-
member you].
32 See, for example, the discussion in Brenda Hosington, “Henry Watson, ‘Apprentyse of London’
and ‘Translatoure’ of Romance and Satire,” in The Medieval Translator: Traduire au Moyen Age,
ed. J. Jenkins and O. Bertrand, Medieval Translator 10 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2007), 13.