Iceland day 9: East Fjords

At 08:00 the Viking Jupiter cruise ship arrived. It was on an “Iceland’s Natural Beauty” tour that circumnavigates the island.

I thought about taking that tour sometime in the future just to eat sushi here again, but $2800 for a sushi meal seems excessive. 🙂 Cheaper to fly in and stay for a few days.

At the summit on the way back in to Egilsstaðir we passed the old (now unused) bridge from when it was a one-lane road. Well, actually we passed it on the way out too, but I missed taking a picture then.

In some of the Eastfjords there is fish farming.

For lunch, we stopped at the Hotel Framtíð restaurant in Djúpivogur. I had the Fish Soup, which came with bread and an extra pitcher of soup.

Carol had the catch of the day (salmon in Bearnaise sauce) with onion soup.

After lunch we headed to the famous “black sand reflecting beach”.

Except it wasn’t sand at all (Icelanders do not seem to know what “sand” means), as I found out when I tried to walk on it. It was a mud flat. I sank in up to my ankles.

For dinner, we headed to Kaffi Hornið in Höfn. Carol splurged on the Grilled Lobster (langoustine) platter, while I settled for “just” Lobster Pasta.

Sonnets To Orpheus I, 6

Ist er ein Hiesiger? Nein, aus beiden
Reichen erwuchs seine weite Natur.
Kundiger böge die Zweige der Weiden,
wer die Wurzeln der Weiden erfuhr.

Geht ihr zu Bette, so laßt auf dem Tische
Brot nicht und Milch nicht; die Toten ziehts -.
Aber er, der Beschwörende, mische
unter der Milde des Augenlids

ihre Erscheinung in alles Geschaute;
und der Zauber von Erdrauch und Raute
sei ihm so wahr wie der klarste Bezug.

Nichts kann das gültige Bild ihm verschlimmern;
sei es aus Gräbern, sei es aus Zimmern,
rühme er Fingerring, Spange und Krug.

---

Is he a local? No, his extended
nature grows from both domains.
The willow's twig he skillfully bends,
who knowledge of the roots has gained.

When you go to bed, don't leave on the table
bread or milk; these attract the dead.
But he, who conjures them up, is able
under his eyes' forgiving lids

to blend their visage with all happenings;
and the magic of fumaria and rue
is as real to him as the clearest issue.

His bona fide vision, nothing can debase;
be it from rooms, be it from graves,
he praises bracelet, pitcher and ring.

---

Translation notes:

Connection from previous sonnet: “beyond existence … where you can’t go” => “both domains”

Line 10: “Erdrauch” – “earthsmoke”: The plant fumaria. In the German original this “rauch” presages the Rauch of II,27 line 11. This connection is weakened in the translation, although fumaria does faintly suggest “fume”.

Line 14: “bracelet, pitcher and ring”: Items that might be found buried in an ancient grave, or around someone’s house.