Hovamol - The Ballad of the High One
1. Within the gates | ere a man shall go, (Full warily let him watch,) Full long let him look about him; For little he knows | where a foe may lurk, And sit in the seats within.
2. Hail to the giver! | a guest has come; Where shall the stranger sit? Swift shall he be who, | with swords shall try The proof of his might to make.
3. Fire he needs | who with frozen knees Has come from the cold without; Food and clothes | must the farer have, The man from the mountains come.
4. Water and towels | and welcoming speech Should he find who comes, to the feast; If renown he would get, | and again be greeted, Wisely and well must he act.
5. Wits must he have | who wanders wide, But all is easy at home; At the witless man | the wise shall wink When among such men he sits.
6. A man shall not boast | of his keenness of mind, But keep it close in his breast; To the silent and wise | does ill come seldom When he goes as guest to a house; (For a faster friend | one never finds Than wisdom tried and true.)
7. The knowing guest | who goes to the feast, In silent attention sits; With his ears he hears, | with his eyes he watches, Thus wary are wise men all.
8. Happy the one | who wins for himself Favor and praises fair; Less safe by far | is the wisdom found That is hid in another's heart.
9. Happy the man | who has while he lives Wisdom and praise as well, For evil counsel | a man full oft Has from another's heart.
10. A better burden | may no man bear For wanderings wide than wisdom; It is better than wealth | on unknown ways, And in grief a refuge it gives.
11. A better burden | may no man bear For wanderings wide than wisdom; Worse food for the journey | he brings not afield Than an over-drinking of ale.
12. Less good there lies | than most believe In ale for mortal men; For the more he drinks | the less does man Of his mind the mastery hold.
13. Over beer the bird | of forgetfulness broods, And steals the minds of men; With the heron's feathers | fettered I lay And in Gunnloth's house was held.
14. Drunk I was, | I was dead-drunk, When with Fjalar wise I was; 'Tis the best of drinking | if back one brings His wisdom with him home.
15. The son of a king | shall be silent and wise, And bold in battle as well; Bravely and gladly | a man shall go, Till the day of his death is come.
16. The sluggard believes | he shall live forever, If the fight he faces not; But age shall not grant him | the gift of peace, Though spears may spare his life.
17. The fool is agape | when he comes to the feast, He stammers or else is still; But soon if he gets | a drink is it seen What the mind of the man is like.
18. He alone is aware | who has wandered wide, And far abroad has fared, How great a mind | is guided by him That wealth of wisdom has.
19. Shun not the mead, | but drink in measure; Speak to the point or be still; For rudeness none | shall rightly blame thee If soon thy bed thou seekest.
20. The greedy man, | if his mind be vague, Will eat till sick he is; The vulgar man, | when among the wise, To scorn by his belly is brought.
21. The herds know well | when home they shall fare, And then from the grass they go; But the foolish man | his belly's measure Shall never know aright.
22. A paltry man | and poor of mind At all things ever mocks; For never he knows, | what he ought to know, That he is not free from faults.
23. The witless man | is awake all night, Thinking of many things; Care-worn he is | when the morning comes, And his woe is just as it was.
24. The foolish man | for friends all those Who laugh at him will hold; When among the wise | he marks it not Though hatred of him they speak.
25. The foolish man | for friends all those Who laugh at him will hold; But the truth when he comes | to the council he learns, That few in his favor will speak.
26. An ignorant man | thinks that all he knows, When he sits by himself in a corner; But never what answer | to make he knows, When others with questions come.
27. A witless man, | when he meets with men, Had best in silence abide; For no one shall find | that nothing he knows, If his mouth is not open too much. (But a man knows not, | if nothing he knows, When his mouth has been open too much.)
28. Wise shall he seem | who well can question, And also answer well; Nought is concealed | that men may say Among the sons of men.
29. Often he speaks | who never is still With words that win no faith; The babbling tongue, | if a bridle it find not, Oft for itself sings ill.
30. In mockery no one | a man shall hold, Although he fare to the feast; Wise seems one oft, | if nought he is asked, And safely he sits dry-skinned.
31. Wise a guest holds it | to take to his heels, When mock of another he makes; But little he knows | who laughs at the feast, Though he mocks in the midst of his foes.
32. Friendly of mind | are many men, Till feasting they mock at their friends; To mankind a bane | must it ever be When guests together strive.
33. Oft should one make | an early meal, Nor fasting come to the feast; Else he sits and chews | as if he would choke, And little is able to ask.
34. Crooked and far | is the road to a foe, Though his house on the highway be; But wide and straight | is the way to a friend, Though far away he fare.
35. Forth shall one go, | nor stay as a guest In a single spot forever; Love becomes loathing | if long one sits By the hearth in another's home.
36. Better a house, | though a hut it be, A man is master at home; A pair of goats | and a patched-up roof Are better far than begging.
37. Better a house, | though a hut it be, A man is master at home; His heart is bleeding | who needs must beg When food he fain would have.
38. Away from his arms | in the open field A man should fare not a foot; For never he knows | when the need for a spear Shall arise on the distant road.
39. If wealth a man | has won for himself, Let him never suffer in need; Oft he saves for a foe | what he plans for a friend, For much goes worse than we wish.
40. None so free with gifts | or food have I found That gladly he took not a gift, Nor one who so widely | scattered his wealth That of recompense hatred he had.
41. Friends shall gladden each other | with arms and garments, As each for himself can see; Gift-givers' friendships | are longest found, If fair their fates may be.
42. To his friend a man | a friend shall prove, And gifts with gifts requite; But men shall mocking | with mockery answer, And fraud with falsehood meet.
43. To his friend a man | a friend shall prove, To him and the friend of his friend; But never a man | shall friendship make With one of his foeman's friends.
44. If a friend thou hast | whom thou fully wilt trust, And good from him wouldst get, Thy thoughts with his mingle, | and gifts shalt thou make, And fare to find him oft.
45. If another thou hast | whom thou hardly wilt trust, Yet good from him wouldst get, Thou shalt speak him fair, | but falsely think, And fraud with falsehood requite.
46. So is it with him | whom thou hardly wilt trust, And whose mind thou mayst not know; Laugh with him mayst thou, | but speak not thy mind, Like gifts to his shalt thou give.
47. Young was I once, | and wandered alone, And nought of the road I knew; Rich did I feel | when a comrade I found, For man is man's delight.
48. The lives of the brave | and noble are best, Sorrows they seldom feed; But the coward fear | of all things feels, And not gladly the niggard gives.
49. My garments once | in a field I gave To a pair of carven poles; Heroes they seemed | when clothes they had, But the naked man is nought.
50. On the hillside drear | the fir-tree dies, All bootless its needles and bark; It is like a man | whom no one loves,-- Why should his life be long?
51. Hotter than fire | between false friends Does friendship five days burn; When the sixth day comes | the fire cools, And ended is all the love.
52. No great thing needs | a man to give, Oft little will purchase praise; With half a loaf | and a half-filled cup A friend full fast I made.
53. A little sand | has a little sea, And small are the minds of men; Though all men are not | equal in wisdom, Yet half-wise only are all.
54. A measure of wisdom | each man shall have, But never too much let him know; The fairest lives | do those men live Whose wisdom wide has grown.
55. A measure of wisdom | each man shall have, But never too much let him know; For the wise man's heart | is seldom happy, If wisdom too great he has won.
56. A measure of wisdom | each man shall have, But never too much let him know; Let no man the fate | before him see, For so is he freest from sorrow.
57. A brand from a brand | is kindled and burned, And fire from fire begotten; And man by his speech | is known to men, And the stupid by their stillness.
58. He must early go forth | who fain the blood Or the goods of another would get; The wolf that lies idle | shall win little meat, Or the sleeping man success.
59. He must early go forth | whose workers are few, Himself his work to seek; Much remains undone | for the morning-sleeper, For the swift is wealth half won.
60. Of seasoned shingles | and strips of bark For the thatch let one know his need, And how much of wood | he must have for a month, Or in half a year he will use.
61. Washed and fed | to the council fare, But care not too much for thy clothes; Let none be ashamed | of his shoes and hose, Less still of the steed he rides, (Though poor be the horse he has.)
62. When the eagle comes | to the ancient sea, He snaps and hangs his head; So is a man | in the midst of a throng, Who few to speak for him finds.
63. To question and answer | must all be ready Who wish to be known as wise; Tell one thy thoughts, | but beware of two,-- All know what is known to three.
64. The man who is prudent | a measured use Of the might he has will make; He finds when among | the brave he fares That the boldest he may not be.
65. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oft for the words | that to others one speaks He will get but an evil gift.
66. Too early to many | a meeting I came, And some too late have I sought; The beer was all drunk, | or not yet brewed; Little the loathed man finds.
67. To their homes men would bid | me hither and yon, If at meal-time I needed no meat, Or would hang two hams | in my true friend's house, Where only one I had eaten.
68. Fire for men | is the fairest gift, And power to see the sun; Health as well, | if a man may have it, And a life not stained with sin.
69. All wretched is no man, | though never so sick; Some from their sons have joy, Some win it from kinsmen, | and some from their wealth, And some from worthy works.
70. It is better to live | than to lie a corpse, The live man catches the cow; I saw flames rise | for the rich man's pyre, And before his door he lay dead.
71. The lame rides a horse, | the handless is herdsman, The deaf in battle is bold; The blind man is better | than one that is burned, No good can come of a corpse.
72. A son is better, | though late he be born, And his father to death have fared; Memory-stones | seldom stand by the road Save when kinsman honors his kin.
73. Two make a battle, | the tongue slays the head; In each furry coat | a fist I look for.
74. He welcomes the night | whose fare is enough, (Short are the yards of a ship,) Uneasy are autumn nights; Full oft does the weather | change in a week, And more in a month's time.
75. A man knows not, | if nothing he knows, That gold oft apes begets; One man is wealthy | and one is poor, Yet scorn for him none should know.
76. Among Fitjung's sons | saw I well-stocked folds,-- Now bear they the beggar's staff; Wealth is as swift | as a winking eye, Of friends the falsest it is.
77. Cattle die, | and kinsmen die, And so one dies one's self; But a noble name | will never die, If good renown one gets.
78. Cattle die, | and kinsmen die, And so one dies one's self; One thing now | that never dies, The fame of a dead man's deeds.
79. Certain is that | which is sought from runes, That the gods so great have made, And the Master-Poet painted; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . of the race of gods: Silence is safest and best.
80. An unwise man, | if a maiden's love Or wealth he chances to win, His pride will wax, but his wisdom never, Straight forward he fares in conceit.
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81. Give praise to the day at evening, | to a woman on her pyre, To a weapon which is tried, | to a maid at wed lock, To ice when it is crossed, | to ale that is drunk.
82. When the gale blows hew wood, | in fair winds seek the water; Sport with maidens at dusk, | for day's eyes are many; From the ship seek swiftness, | from the shield protection, Cuts from the sword, | from the maiden kisses.
83. By the fire drink ale, | over ice go on skates; Buy a steed that is lean, | and a sword when tarnished, The horse at home fatten, | the hound in thy dwelling.
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84. A man shall trust not | the oath of a maid, Nor the word a woman speaks; For their hearts on a whirling | wheel were fashioned, And fickle their breasts were formed.
85. In a breaking bow | or a burning flame, A ravening wolf | or a croaking raven, In a grunting boar, | a tree with roots broken, In billowy seas | or a bubbling kettle,
86. In a flying arrow | or falling waters, In ice new formed | or the serpent's folds, In a bride's bed-speech | or a broken sword, In the sport of bears | or in sons of kings,
87. In a calf that is sick | or a stubborn thrall, A flattering witch | or a foe new slain. 88. In a brother's slayer, | if thou meet him abroad, In a half-burned house, | in a horse full swift-- One leg is hurt | and the horse is useless-- None had ever such faith | as to trust in them all.
89. Hope not too surely | for early harvest, Nor trust too soon in thy son; The field needs good weather, | the son needs wisdom, And oft is either denied.
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90. The love of women | fickle of will Is like starting o'er ice | with a steed unshod, A two-year-old restive | and little tamed, Or steering a rudderless | ship in a storm, Or, lame, hunting reindeer | on slippery rocks.
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91. Clear now will I speak, | for I know them both, Men false to women are found; When fairest we speak, | then falsest we think, Against wisdom we work with deceit.
92. Soft words shall he speak | and wealth shall he offer Who longs for a maiden's love, And the beauty praise | of the maiden bright; He wins whose wooing is best.
93. Fault for loving | let no man find Ever with any other; Oft the wise are fettered, | where fools go free, By beauty that breeds desire.
94. Fault with another | let no man find For what touches many a man; Wise men oft | into witless fools Are made by mighty love.
95. The head alone knows | what dwells near the heart, A man knows his mind alone; No sickness is worse | to one who is wise Than to lack the longed-for joy.
96. This found I myself, | when I sat in the reeds, And long my love awaited; As my life the maiden | wise I loved, Yet her I never had.
97. Billing's daughter | I found on her bed, In slumber bright as the sun; Empty appeared | an earl's estate Without that form so fair.
98. "Othin, again | at evening come, If a woman thou wouldst win; Evil it were | if others than we Should know of such a sin."
99. Away I hastened, | hoping for joy, And careless of counsel wise; Well I believed | that soon I should win Measureless joy with the maid.
100. So came I next | when night it was, The warriors all were awake; With burning lights | and waving brands I learned my luckess way.
101. At morning then, | when once more I came, And all were sleeping still, A dog found | in the fair one's place, Bound there upon her bed.
102. Many fair maids, | if a man but tries them, False to a lover are found; That did I learn | when I longed to gain With wiles the maiden wise; Foul scorn was my meed | from the crafty maid, And nought from the woman I won.
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103. Though glad at home, | and merry with guests, A man shall be wary and wise; The sage and shrewd, | wide wisdom seeking, Must see that his speech be fair; A fool is he named | who nought can say, For such is the way of the witless.
104. I found the old giant, | now back have I fared, Small gain from silence I got; Full many a word, | my will to get, I spoke in Suttung's hall.
105. The mouth of Rati | made room for my passage, And space in the stone he gnawed; Above and below | the giants' paths lay, So rashly I risked my head.
106. Gunnloth gave | on a golden stool A drink of the marvelous mead; A harsh reward | did I let her have For her heroic heart, And her spirit troubled sore.
107. The well-earned beauty | well I enjoyed, Little the wise man lacks; So Othrörir now | has up been brought To the midst of the men of earth.
108. Hardly, methinks, | would I home have come, And left the giants' land, Had not Gunnloth helped me, | the maiden good, Whose arms about me had been.
109. The day that followed, | the frost-giants came, Some word of Hor to win, (And into the hall of Hor;) Of Bolverk they asked, | were he back midst the gods, Or had Suttung slain him there?
110. On his ring swore Othin | the oath, methinks; Who now his troth shall trust? Suttung's betrayal | he sought with drink, And Gunnloth to grief he left.
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111. It is time to chant | from the chanter's stool; By the wells of Urth I was, I saw and was silent, | I saw and thought, And heard the speech of Hor. (Of runes heard I words, | nor were counsels wanting, At the hall of Hor, In the hall of Hor; Such was the speech I heard.)
112. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,--- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: Rise not at night, | save if news thou seekest, Or fain to the outhouse wouldst fare.
113. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: Beware of sleep | on a witch's bosom, Nor let her limbs ensnare thee.
114. Such is her might | that thou hast no mind For the council or meeting of men; Meat thou hatest, | joy thou hast not, And sadly to slumber thou farest.
115. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: Seek never to win | the wife of another, Or long for her secret love.
116. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: If o'er mountains or gulfs | thou fain wouldst go, Look well to thy food for the way.
117. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: An evil man | thou must not let Bring aught of ill to thee; For an evil man | will never make Reward for a worthy thought.
118. I saw a man | who was wounded sore By an evil woman's word; A lying tongue | his death-blow launched, And no word of truth there was.
119. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: If a friend thou hast | whom thou fully wilt trust, Then fare to find him oft; For brambles grow | and waving grass On the rarely trodden road.
120. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: A good man find | to hold in friendship, And give heed to his healing charms.
121. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: Be never the first | to break with thy friend The bond that holds you both; Care eats the heart | if thou canst not speak To another all thy thought.
122. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: Exchange of words | with a witless ape Thou must not ever make.
123. For never thou mayst | from an evil man A good requital get; But a good man oft | the greatest love Through words of praise will win thee.
124. Mingled is love | when a man can speak To another all his thought; Nought is so bad | as false to be, No friend speaks only fair.
125. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: With a worse man speak not | three words in dispute, Ill fares the better oft When the worse man wields a sword.
126. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: A shoemaker be, | or a maker of shafts, For only thy single self; If the shoe is ill made, | or the shaft prove false, Then evil of thee men think.
127. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: If evil thou knowest, | as evil proclaim it, And make no friendship with foes.
128. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: In evil never | joy shalt thou know, But glad the good shall make thee.
129. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: Look not up | when the battle is on,-- (Like madmen the sons | of men become,--) Lest men bewitch thy wits.
130. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: If thou fain wouldst win | a woman's love, And gladness get from her, Fair be thy promise | and well fulfilled; None loathes what good he gets.
131. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: I bid thee be wary, | but be not fearful; (Beware most with ale or another's wife, And third beware | lest a thief outwit thee.)
132. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: Scorn or mocking | ne'er shalt thou make Of a guest or a journey-goer.
133. Oft scarcely he knows | who sits in the house What kind is the man who comes; None so good is found | that faults he has not, Nor so wicked that nought he is worth.
134. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: Scorn not ever | the gray-haired singer, Oft do the old speak good; (Oft from shrivelled skin | come skillful counsels, Though it hang with the hides, And flap with the pelts, And is blown with the bellies.)
135. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: Curse not thy guest, | nor show him thy gate, Deal well with a man in want.
136. Strong is the beam | that raised must be To give an entrance to all; Give it a ring, | or grim will be The wish it would work on thee.
137. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: When ale thou drinkest) | seek might of earth, (For earth cures drink, | and fire cures ills, The oak cures tightness, | the ear cures magic, Rye cures rupture, | the moon cures rage, Grass cures the scab, | and runes the sword-cut;) The field absorbs the flood.
138. Now are Hor's words | spoken in the hall, Kind for the kindred of men, Cursed for the kindred of giants: Hail to the speaker, | and to him who learns! Profit be his who has them! Hail to them who hearken!
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139. I ween that I hung | on the windy tree, Hung there for nights full nine; With the spear I was wounded, | and offered I was To Othin, myself to myself, On the tree that none | may ever know What root beneath it runs.
140. None made me happy | with loaf or horn, And there below I looked; I took up the runes, | shrieking I took them, And forthwith back I fell.
141. Nine mighty songs | I got from the son Of Bolthorn, Bestla's father; And a drink I got | of the goodly mead Poured out from Othrörir.
142. Then began I to thrive, | and wisdom to get, I grew and well I was; Each word led me on | to another word, Each deed to another deed.
143. Runes shalt thou find, | and fateful signs, That the king of singers colored, And the mighty gods have made; Full strong the signs, | full mighty the signs That the ruler of gods doth write.
144. Othin for the gods, | Dain for the elves, And Dvalin for the dwarfs, Alsvith for giants | and all mankind, And some myself I wrote.
145. Knowest how one shall write, | knowest how one shall rede? Knowest how one shall tint, | knowest how one makes trial? Knowest how one shall ask, | knowest how one shall offer? Knowest how one shall send, | knowest how one shall sacrifice?
146. Better no prayer | than too big an offering, By thy getting measure thy gift; Better is none | than too big a sacrifice, . . . . . . . . . . So Thund of old wrote | ere man's race began, Where he rose on high | when home he came.
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147. The songs I know | that king's wives know not, Nor men that are sons of men; The first is called help, | and help it can bring thee In sorrow and pain and sickness.
148. A second I know, | that men shall need Who leechcraft long to use; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
149. A third I know, | if great is my need Of fetters to hold my foe; Blunt do I make | mine enemy's blade, Nor bites his sword or staff.
150. A fourth I know, | if men shall fasten Bonds on my bended legs; So great is the charm | that forth I may go, The fetters spring from my feet, Broken the bonds from my hands.
152. A fifth I know, | if I see from afar An arrow fly 'gainst the folk; It flies not so swift | that I stop it not, If ever my eyes behold it.
152. A sixth I know, | if harm one seeks With a sapling's roots to send me; The hero himself | who wreaks his hate Shall taste the ill ere I.
153. A seventh I know, | if I see in flames The hall o'er my comrades' heads; It burns not so wide | that I will not quench it, I know that song to sing.
154. An eighth I know, | that is to all Of greatest good to learn; When hatred grows | among heroes' sons, I soon can set it right.
155. A ninth I know, | if need there comes To shelter my ship on the flood; The wind I calm | upon the waves, And the sea I put to sleep.
156. A tenth I know, | what time I see House-riders flying on high; So can I work | that wildly they go, Showing their true shapes, Hence to their own homes.
157. An eleventh I know, | if needs I must lead To the fight my long-loved friends; I sing in the shields, | and in strength they go Whole to the field of fight, Whole from the field of fight, And whole they come thence home.
158. A twelfth I know, | if high on a tree I see a hanged man swing; So do I write | and color the runes That forth he fares, And to me talks.
159. A thirteenth I know, | if a thane full young With water I sprinkle well; He shall not fall, | though he fares mid the host, Nor sink beneath the swords.
160. A fourteenth I know, | if fain I would name To men the mighty gods; All know I well | of the gods and elves, Few be the fools know this.
161. A fifteenth I know, | that before the doors Of Delling sang Thjothrörir the dwarf; Might he sang for the gods, | and glory for elves, And wisdom for Hroptatyr wise.
162. A sixteenth I know, | if I seek delight To win from a maiden wise; The mind I turn | of the white-armed maid, And thus change all her thoughts.
163. A seventeenth I know, | so that seldom shall go A maiden young from me; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
164. Long these songs | thou shalt, Loddfafnir, Seek in vain to sing; Yet good it were | if thou mightest get them, Well, if thou wouldst them learn, Help, if thou hadst them.
165. An eighteenth I know, | that ne'er will I tell To maiden or wife of man,-- The best is what none | but one's self doth know, So comes the end of the songs,-- Save only to her | in whose arms I lie, Or who else my sister is.
