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.
[13. The heron: the bird of forgetfulness, referred to in line 1. Gunnloth: the daughter of the giant Suttung, from whom Othin won the mead of poetry.
For this episode see stanzas 104-110.
14. Fjalar: apparently another name for Suttung. This stanza, and probably 13, seem to have been inserted as illustrative.]
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16. Ósnjallr maðr hyggsk munu ey lifa,
ef hann við víg varask;
en elli gefr hánum engi frið,
þótt hánum geirar gefi.
17. Kópir afglapi er til kynnis kemr,
þylsk hann um eða þrumir;
allt er senn, ef hann sylg of getr,
uppi er þá geð guma.
18. Sá einn veit er víða ratar
ok hefr fjölð of farit,
hverju geði stýrir gumna hverr,
sá er vitandi er vits.
19. Haldi-t maðr á keri,
drekki þó at hófi mjöð,
mæli þarft eða þegi,
ókynnis þess vár þik engi maðr,
at þú gangir snemma at sofa.
20. Gráðugr halr, nema geðs viti,
etr sér aldrtrega;
oft fær hlægis, er með horskum kemr,
manni heimskum magi.
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