The impersonal verb in Old Icelandic

CLASS
V
CL4.SS V:
Impersonal wi th a pI'eposi tional p11raseo
SnQ.rra Edda~
pat val' sninrrna { gndverba bygb goo8...n.na. • • (p.5, 1,,1)
Compare p.16, 1.374 (Olass III (a) ): 11
.... patti ptr seint
'rhe sub j eet is not exp1ici t out vaguely L'ldi cates
time.
Time is generally expr'essed impersonally in Icelandic,
as in English.
En e1" t. leio vetrinn ••• (p.5, 1.22)
/
IILi3a !l is usually conceived of as impersonal in Icelano_ie;
so livetrinntl is accusative ..
I
• " pa lysti af hondum he1L71ar b@bi .... (p.6, 1.57)
The best English translation would be 1111.er hands shone both.
. .
It seems that the fact of her hands shini.ng rather than that
of the light shi.ning from them is to be emphasized, for the
wri tel' is portraying the lady's (Frey's love! s) beauty.
So
it is best not to add lI·wi th a light;; to the rendering aOove •
. . 1 . + .. t' ( 9 - 11 4"
... en""Gl V1s ... a val' e1g1 go -c. \,p. , .i.. 4')
The literal tr·anslation would be II concerning food and lodging
it was not goodi' .
The best English equivalent is lIand they
Yvere badly off for lodgings;l; the :2ngli sh has supplied a
defini te subject.
En er korn at dagan .••• (p.9, 1.155)
.. "
ef { einu.111 dryl-c.l{ gengr af. • • (p .13, 1.275)
English would sup';'Jly the subject ll cu-'ink l"
and would probably