[32. Soga um Kaupmannen i Venetia.  Oslo, 1905.]

I

In the year 1903, midway between the publication of Madhus’ Macbeth and the appearance of his Kaupmannen i Venetia, there appeared in the chief literary magazine of the Landsmaal movement, “Syn og Segn,” a translation of the fairy scenes of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Erik Eggen.[33] This is the sort of material which we should expect Landsmaal to render well.  Oberon and Titania are not greatly different from Nissen and Alverne in Norwegian fairy tales, and the translator had but to fancy himself in Alveland to be in the enchanted wood near Athens.  The spirit of the fairy scenes in Shakespeare is akin to the spirit of Asbjornson’s “Huldre-Eventyr.”  There is in them a community of feeling, of fancy, of ideas.  And whereas Madhus had difficulty with the sunny romance of Italy, Eggen in the story of Puck found material ready to hand.  The passage translated begins Act II, Sc. 1, and runs through Act II to Oberon’s words immediately before the entrance of Helen and Demetrius: 

  But who comes here?  I am invisible;
  And I will overhear their conference.

    [33. Alveliv.  Eller Shakespeare’s Midsumarnatt Draum ved Erik
    Eggen. Syn og Segn, 1903.  No. 3-6, pp. (105-114); 248-259.]

Then the translator omits everything until Puck re-enters and Oberon greets him with the words: 

  Velkomen, vandrar; hev du blomen der? 
  (Hast thou the flower there?  Welcome, wanderer.)

Here the translation begins again and goes to the exit of Oberon and the entrance of Lysander and Hermia.  This is all in the first selection in Syn og Segn, No. 3.

In the sixth number of the same year (1903) the work is continued.  The translation here begins with Puck’s words (Act III): 

  What hempen homespuns have we swaggering here? 
  So near the cradle of the fairy queen? 
  What, a play toward!  I’ll be an auditor;
  An actor, too, if I see cause.

Then it breaks off again and resumes with the entrance of Puck and Bottom adorned with an ass’s head.  Quince’s words:  “O monstrous!  O strange!” are given and then Puck’s speech:  “I’ll follow you:  I’ll lead you about a round.”  After this there is a break till Bottom’s song: 

  “The ousel cock, so black of hue,” etc.

And now all proceeds without break to the Hail of the last elf called in to serve Bottom, but the following speeches between Bottom and the fairies, Cobweb, Mustardseed and Peaseblossom, are all cut, and the scene ends with Titania’s speech: 

  “Come, wait upon him, lead him to my bower,” etc.

Act III, Sc. 2, follows immediately, but the translation ends with the first line of Oberon’s speech to Puck before the entrance of Demetrius and Hermia: