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.
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.
[102. Rask adds at the beginning of this stanza two lines from a late paper manuscript, running:
"Few are so good | that false they are never
To cheat the mind of a man."
He makes these two lines plus lines I and 2 a full stanza, and line 3, 4, 5, and 6 a second stanza.
103. With this stanza the subject changes abruptly, and apparently the virtues of fair speech, mentioned in the last
three lines, account for the introduction, from what source cannot be known, of the story of Othin and the mead of
song (stanzas 104-110).
104. The giant Suttung ("the old giant") possessed the magic mead, a draught of which conferred the gift of poetry. Othin,
desiring to obtain it, changed himself into a snake, bored his way through a mountain into Suttung's home, made love to the
giant's daughter, Gunnloth, and by her connivance drank up all the mead. Then he flew away in the form of an eagle, leaving
Gunnloth to her fate. While with Suttung he assumed the name of Bolverk ("the Evil-Doer").
105. Rati ("the Traveller"): the gimlet with which Othin bored through the mountain to reach Suttung's home.]
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101. Auk nćr morgni, er ek var enn of kominn,
ţá var saldrótt of sofin;
grey eitt ek ţá fann innar góđu konu
bundit beđjum á.
102. Mörg er góđ mćr, ef görva kannar,
hugbrigđ viđ hali;
ţá ek ţat reynda, er it ráđspaka
teygđa ek á flćrđir fljóđ;
háđungar hverrar leitađi mér it horska man,
ok hafđa ek ţess vettki vífs.
103. Heima glađr gumi ok viđ gesti reifr,
sviđr skal um sig vera, minnigr ok málugr,
ef hann vill margfróđr vera,
oft skal góđs geta;
fimbulfambi heitir, sá er fátt kann segja,
ţat er ósnotrs ađal.
104. Inn aldna jötun ek sótta,
nú em ek aftr of kominn: fátt gat ek ţegjandi ţar;
mörgum orđum mćlta ek í minn frama
í Suttungs sölum.
105. Gunnlöđ mér of gaf gullnum stóli á
drykk ins dýra mjađar;
ill iđgjöld lét ek hana eftir hafa
síns ins heila hugar, síns ins svára sefa.
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