Es jubelte sein Volk dem Herren zu,
Der kühn sein Wort gelöst, nachdem er so
Im Wettkampf glänzend hatte obgesiegt!’
Criticism of the Extract.
The translation is very free. Lines that are obscure in the original are not allowed to be obscure in the translation, even if they have to have a meaning read into them. For example, in the extract quoted above, beadu-runen onband of the original is rendered ‘sucht’ er Händel,’ thoroughly intelligible, but not accurate. There is at times a tendency to paraphrase, or even to introduce an original sentence into the poem. An example of this may be seen at the close of the first canto:—
‘unerforschlich sind
Und dunkel oft die Wege des Geschickes[2].’ —Page 5, l. 54.
Words are occasionally omitted. In the extract above ne lēof nē lāð (l. 511) and sunu Bēanstānes (l. 524) are omitted in translation. There are no lines in the original which correspond to the last line and a half of the extract.
Of course by adopting this method of translation the writer attains his purpose. His poem is readable, but readable at the expense of accuracy. As a paraphrase, the version is commendable; but it is hardly of importance in any other way.
[1.] According to the Old English text, 836.