THE HAVAM.il.. 



407 



And another poor ; 

 Blame not a man for that. 



Cattle die, 



Kinsmen die, 



One's self dies too ; 



But the fame 



Never dies 



Of him who gets a good name. 



Cattle die, 



Kinsmen die, 



We ourselves die ; 



I know one thing 



That never dies, 



The doom over everv dead man. 1 



Full stocked folds 



I saw at the sons of Fitjung ; 



Now they carry beggars' staffs ; 



Wealth is 



Like the twinkling of an eye 



The most unstable of friends. 



An unwise man 



1 f he gets 



Wealth or a woman's love 



Grows in pride, 



But never in wits ; 



He goes on further in his conceit. 



It will be found 



When thou askest about 



The god-born runes 



Which the hiy;h powers made, 



And the all wise marked, 



Then it is best that he be silent. 



A day should be praised at night, 



A woman when she is burnt, 



A sword when it is tried, 



A maiden when she is married, 



Ice when crossed, 



Ale when drank. 



In a gale should trees be cut, 

 In a breeze row out at sea, 

 In the dark to a maiden talk, 

 Many are the eyes of day, 



A ship is made for sailing, 

 A shield for sheltering, 

 A sword for striking, 

 A maiden for kisses. 



At the fire shalt thou drink ale 



And glide on the ice, 



Buy a lean horse, 



And a rusty sword, 



Fatten (thy) horse at home, 



And (thy) dog at (thy) farm. 



The words of a maiden 



Or the talk of a woman 



Should no man trust ; 



For their hearts were shaped 



On a whirling wheel, 



And fickleness laid in their breasts. 



A creaking bow, 

 A burning flame, 

 A gaping wolf, 

 A croaking crow, 

 A squealing swine, 

 A rootless tree, 

 A waxing wave, 

 A boiling cauldron, 



A flying arrow, 

 A falling billow, 

 A one night old ice, 

 A ring-coiled snake, 

 The bed-talk of a br'de, 

 Or a broken sword, 

 The play of a bear, 

 Or a king'.-' child 



A sick calf, 



A wilful thrall, 



The kind words of a volva, 



The new-felled slain,' 2 



An early sown field 

 Shall no man trua.t, 

 Nor his son too early ; 

 The weather rules the field, 

 And wit guides the son ; 

 Each of them is uncertain. 



1 Doom, judgment passed by men over 

 m;m = his name. 



2 In a paper MS. of 1684 some verses 

 are found which are not on the skin text. 



