The Quotable Icelanders

Following are a few quotations from Icelandic Literature,
spanning the range from the Sagas to the 20th century.
These quotations appear first in Icelandic,
then in an English translation that is entirely my responsibility,
and lastly the source.
This is just a very small sampler,
I might be adding to these, as time and inspiration permit.

Eigi leyna augu ef ann kona manni.
Eyes can not hide a woman's love for a man.
Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu - The Saga of Gunnlaugur the Worm-tongue

Ekkert veitir slíka yfirburði
sem það að vera dauður.
Nothing grants such an advantage as being dead.
Brot (Fragments), Jóhann Sigurjónsson

Það vinnur aldrei neinn sitt dauðastríð.
Nobody is victorious in his death throes.
Imperium Britannicum, Steinn Steinarr

Til frægðar skal konung hafa,
en ekki til langlífis.
A King is for fame, not longevity.
Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson

Margt skipast á mannsævi.
Many things are settled in a lifetime.
Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson

Að fortíð skal hyggja, ef frumlegt skal byggja.
Take notice of the past if you would achieve originality.
Aldamót (Turn of the Century), Einar Benediktsson

Hve blásnautt er hjarta sem einskis saknar.
How destitute is a heart that misses nothing.
Ýmir, Einar Benediktsson

Vel lýgur sá er með vitnum lýgur.
He is a good liar, who lies with witnesses.
Þorsteins saga Síðu-Hallssonar - The Saga of Thorsteinn, son of Sidu-Hallur

Konungs garður er rúmur inngangs,
en þröngur brottfarar.
A King's court has a wide entrance, but a narrow exit.
Egils saga - The Saga of Egill Skallagrimsson

Fár bregður hinu betra, ef hann veit hið verra.
Few use the better, if they know the worse.
Njáls saga - The Saga of Burnt Njal

Ber er hver að baki nema sér bróður eigi.
One's back is vulnerable, unless one has a brother.
Njáls saga - The Saga of Burnt Njal

Engi er alheimskur, ef þegja má.
Nobody is completely stupid, if he can be silent.
Grettis saga - The Saga of Grettir the Strong

Jafnan er hálfsögð saga, ef einn segir.
A tale is but half told, when only one person tells it.
Grettis saga - The Saga of Grettir the Strong

Hverju reiddust goðin þá er hér brann hraunið
er nú stöndum vér á?
What angered the gods, when the lava flowed,
on which we are standing now?
Kristni saga, Snorri goði

Sjaldan verður ósinn eins
og uppsprettuna dreymir.
Seldom will the the delta be
like the dreams of the source.
Sigurður Nordal

Það er löng leið frá Íslandi til Himnaríkis.
It is a long road from Iceland to Heaven.
Gullna hliðið (The Pearly Gates), Davíð Stefánsson

Sífellt dekur við dauða hluti
er dulbúið sálarmorð.
Ceaseless pampering of dead things
is a disguised murder of the soul.
Úr Prédikaranum (From the Preacher), Davíð Stefánsson

"Ég skildi, að orð er á Íslandi til
um allt, sem er hugsað á jorðu."
I understood, that a word in Iceland
exists, covering every thought on Earth.
Úr Móðir mín (From My Mother), Einar Benediktsson
learning the Icelandic language at his mothers knee

If you have a favourite quotation that is missing, please email Virtually Virtual Iceland.
Suggestions and corrections are always welcome.

Very loose translation: Virtually Virtual Iceland