Prose Edda — Old Norse facing a living language
Þá mælti Gangleri: "Mikil tíðendi kannt þú at segja af himninum. Hvat er þar fleira höfuðstaða en at Urðarbrunni?" Hárr segir: "Margir staðir eru þar göfugligir. Sá er einn staðr þar, er kallaðr er Álfheimr. Þar byggvir fólk þat, er Ljósálfar heita, en Dökkálfar búa niðri í jörðu, ok eru þeir ólíkir þeim sýnum ok miklu ólíkari reyndum.
Then Gangleri said: "You know a great deal to tell about the sky. What other chief places are there besides Urd's Well?" High said: "There are many noble places. One is called Alfheim, where the people known as the Light-Elves live, while the Dark-Elves live down in the earth — they look different from the Light-Elves, and are even more different in nature.
Ljósálfar eru fegri en sól sýnum, en Dökkálfar eru svartari en bik. Þar er einn sá staðr, er Breiðablik er kallaðr, ok engi er þar fegri staðr. Þar er ok sá, er Glitnir heitir, ok eru veggir hans ok steðr allar ok stólpar af rauðu gulli, en þak hans af silfri. Þar er enn sá staðr, er Himinbjörg heita. Sá stendr á himins enda við brúarsporð, þar er Bifröst kemr til himins.
The Light-Elves are fairer than the sun to look at; the Dark-Elves are blacker than pitch. There's a place called Breidablik — no fairer place exists. There's also one called Glitnir, whose walls, posts, and pillars are all of red gold, and its roof of silver. There's also a place called Himinbjorg — it stands at the edge of the sky, by the bridgehead, where Bifrost meets heaven. And there's a great place called Valaskjalf.
Þar er enn mikill staðr, er Valaskjálf heitir. Þann stað á Óðinn. Þann gerðu goðin ok þökðu skíru silfri, ok þar er Hliðskjálfin í þessum sal, þat hásæti, er svá heitir, ok þá er Alföðr sitr í því sæti, þá sér hann of alla heima. Á sunnanverðum himins enda er sá salr, er allra er fegrstr ok bjartari en sólin, er Gimlé heitir.
That one belongs to Odin — the gods built it and thatched it in bright silver, and Hlidskjalf, the high seat that bears that name, stands in this hall. And when Allfather sits in that seat, he sees over every world. At the southern edge of the sky stands the hall that is fairest of all, brighter than the sun — it's called Gimle.
Hann skal standa, þá er bæði himinn ok jörð hefir farizt, ok byggja þann stað góðir menn ok réttlátir of allar aldir. Svá segir í Völuspá: 27. Sal veit ek standa sólu fegra, gulli þakðan, á Gimlé; þar skulu dyggvar dróttir byggva ok um aldrdaga ynðis njóta." Þá mælti Gangleri: "Hvat gætir þess staðar, þá er Surtalogi brennir himin ok jörð?"
It will still stand when both heaven and earth have perished, and good, righteous people will live there for all time. So it says in Voluspa: I know a hall standing, fairer than the sun, / thatched with gold, at Gimle; / there the worthy people shall dwell / and live in joy for all their days." Then Gangleri asked: "What will guard that place, when Surt's fire burns up heaven and earth?"
Hárr segir: "Svá er sagt, at annarr himinn sé suðr ok upp frá þessum himni, ok heitir sá Andlangr, en inn þriði himinn sé enn upp frá þeim, ok heitir sá Víðbláinn, ok á þeim himni hyggjum vér þenna stað vera. En Ljósálfar einir, hyggjum vér, at nú byggvi þá staði."
High answered: "It's said that there's another heaven to the south and above this one, called Andlang, and a third heaven above that, called Vidblain, and we believe this place stands in that heaven. But we think that only the Light-Elves live in those halls now."