Old Norse facing a living language
Sigmundr Völsungsson var konungr á Frakklandi. Sinfjötli var elztr hans sona, annarr Helgi, þriði Hámundr. Borghildr, kona Sigmundar, átti bróður, er hét . . . . . . En Sinfjötli, stjúpson hennar, ok . . . . . . báðu einnar konu báðir, ok fyrir þá sök drap Sinfjötli hann.
Sigmund, son of Volsung, was king in the land of the Franks. Sinfjotli was the eldest of his sons, Helgi the second, Hamund the third. Sigmund's wife Borghild had a brother named — . Sinfjotli, her stepson, and — both courted the same woman, and for that reason Sinfjotli killed him.
En er hann kom heim, þá bað Borghildr hann fara á brott, en Sigmundr bauð henni fébætr, ok þat varð hon at þiggja. En at erfinu bar Borghildr öl. Hon tók eitr mikit, horn fullt, ok bar Sinfjötla.
When he came home, Borghild told him to leave, but Sigmund offered her payment, which she had to accept. At the funeral ale, Borghild carried round the drink. She took a great deal of poison, filled a horn with it, and brought it to Sinfjotli.
En er hann sá í hornit, skilði hann, at eitr var í, ok mælti til Sigmundar: "Göróttr er drykkrinn, ái."
When he looked into the horn, he saw there was poison in it, and said to Sigmund, "There's something foul in this drink, grandfather."
Sigmundr tók hornit ok drakk af. Svá er sagt at Sigmundr var harðgörr, at hvárki mátti hánum eitr granda útan né innan, en allir synir hans stóðust eitr á hörund útan.
Sigmund took the horn and drank from it. It's said Sigmund was so hardy that poison could never harm him, outside or in, though all his sons could only withstand poison on the skin.
Borghildr bar annat horn Sinfjötla ok bað drekka, ok fór allt sem fyrr. Ok enn it þriðja sinn bar hon hánum hornit ok þó ámælisorð með, ef hann drykki eigi af. Hann mælti enn sem fyrr við Sigmund.
Borghild brought Sinfjotli a second horn and told him to drink, and it went just as before. And a third time she brought him the horn, with insults besides, if he wouldn't drink it. He said the same thing to Sigmund as before.
Sinfjötli drakk ok varð þegar dauðr. Sigmundr bar hann langar leiðir í fangi sér ok kom at firði einum mjóvum ok löngum, ok var þar skip eitt lítit ok maðr einn á. Hann bauð Sigmundi far of fjörðinn. En er Sigmundr bar líkit út á skipit, þá var bátrinn hlaðinn. Karl mælti, at Sigmundr skyldi fara fyrir innan fjörðinn. Karl hratt út skipinu ok hvarf þegar.
Sinfjotli drank and dropped dead on the spot. Sigmund carried him a long way in his arms and came to a fjord, narrow and long, where a small boat sat with one man aboard. The man offered to ferry Sigmund across the fjord. But when Sigmund carried the body out onto the boat, the boat was already full. The man told Sigmund to go around by the inner shore instead. Then he pushed the boat out and vanished at once.
Sigmundr konungr dvalðisk lengi í Danmörk í ríki Borghildar, síðan er hann fekk hennar. Fór Sigmundr þá suðr í Frakkland til þess ríkis, er hann átti þar. Þá fekk hann Hjördísar, dóttur Eylima konungs. Þeira son var Sigurðr.
King Sigmund stayed a long time in Denmark, in Borghild's realm, after he had married her. Then Sigmund went south to the land of the Franks, to the kingdom that was his there. There he married Hjordis, daughter of King Eylimi. Their son was Sigurd.
Sigmundr konungr fell í orrostu fyrir Hundingssonum, en Hjördís giftist þá Álfi, syni Hjálpreks konungs. Óx Sigurðr þar upp í barnæsku. Sigmundr ok allir synir hans váru langt um fram alla menn aðra um afl ok vöxt ok hug ok alla atgervi. Sigurðr var þó allra framastr, ok hann kalla allir menn í fornfræðum um alla menn fram ok göfgastan herkonunga.
King Sigmund fell in battle against the sons of Hunding, and Hjordis then married Alf, son of King Hjalprek. Sigurd grew up there as a boy. Sigmund and all his sons surpassed every other man in strength, stature, courage, and every kind of skill — but Sigurd outdid them all, and the old sagas call him the foremost of all men and the noblest of warrior-kings.
Grípir hét sonr Eylima, bróðir Hjördísar. Hann réð löndum ok var allra manna vitrastr ok framvíss. Sigurðr reið einn saman ok kom til hallar Grípis. Sigurðr var auðkenndr. Hann hitti mann at máli úti fyrir höllini. Sá nefndist Geitir. Þá kvaddi Sigurðr hann máls ok spyrr:
Gripir was the name of Eylimi's son, Hjordis's brother. He ruled over lands and was the wisest and most far-seeing of all men. Sigurd rode out alone and came to Gripir's hall. Sigurd was easy to recognize. Outside the hall he fell into talk with a man who gave his name as Geitir. Sigurd greeted him and asked: