down from Norn (with the exception of the irrelevant sense here: forward in the boat).
The verb vog, properly to be awake, be watchful, means in Mod. Shetl. (U.) to remain at rest, or remain lying at the same fishing-ground. Both these words give countenance to the idea that the third line refers to deep-sea fishing: seeking out the fishing-ground at the haaf by day, and remaining there at rest by night. It was formerly the custom among Shetland fishermen, going out to the haaf-fishing, to take cooking utensils with them and stay away for several days and nights.
Line 4. (and) rude kringede ala (jala). This has been interpreted as meaning "to pluck the wool off the home-reared lambs, bound together in couples": (to ru, to pluck the wool off sheep, to kring, to tie two lambs together by the necks. ali-lamb, a little lamb reared at home). That has, however, not the least connection with the foregoing, if the third line is to be accepted in the sense suggested above.
Most of the versions have ala as the last word in the line, but one version (also from Fetlar, acc. to J. Irvine) has jala. If we take this version as the basis for the last line, there is a clear connection with the preceding three lines. rude can then be accepted as rowed, past tense of *ru, vb., to row (a boat), O.N. róa; kringe (de) as: “í kring um”, about, around; and the last word then becomes the old name for the isle of Yell, viz.: Jala, which lies to the west and south-west of Unst and Fetlar respectively.
Jala is found recorded among the island-names in the list of names in Snorre’s Edda, but is now quite obsolete, the more recent form of the name “Yell [jɛl]” having taken its place. The now unintelligible Jala could have become ala by association of the sound with the familiar word ali in “ali-lamb”. Accordingly the line might be translated thus: they rowed round (the north point of) Yell. The Unst fishermen, especially those from Westing, and some also from Fetlar, have, like the Yell inhabitants, carried on haaf-fishing to the north and west of Yell, and on these expeditions the high Valafjel on Unst was a particularly prominent landmark to be taken in finding the fishing-grounds.
The mention of Valafjel in the first line of the verse thus becomes quite natural, and in clear association with that which follows.
A Fable of animals.
The crow and the crab. (Fetlar.)
“No, certainly not!" said the crab,Krabə krabə kɔmə läᶇdə
ǣvə rɩg ri̇̄və mɔg
skäᶅəna ri̇̄və dȯk
nā trɔt sø̄.
— — — — — — —
Krabə jå‘nsa tråƫalȯs.
