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.
[36. The manuscript has "little" in place of "a hut" in line I, but this involves an error in the initial-rhymes, and the emendation
has been generally accepted.
37. Lines I and 2 are abbreviated in the manuscript, but are doubtless identical with the first two lines of stanza 56.
39. In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 40.]
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36. Bú er betra, ţótt lítit sé,
halr er heima hverr;
ţótt tvćr geitr eigi ok taugreftan sal,
ţat er ţó betra en bćn.
37. Bú er betra, ţótt lítit sé,
halr er heima hverr;
blóđugt er hjarta, ţeim er biđja skal
sér í mál hvert matar.
38. Vápnum sínum skal-a mađr velli á
feti ganga framar,
ţví at óvíst er at vita,
nćr verđr á vegum úti geirs of ţörf guma.
39. Fannk-a ek mildan mann eđa svá matar góđan,
at vćri-t ţiggja ţegit,
eđa síns féar
svági [glöggvan], at leiđ sé laun, ef ţćgi.
40. Féar síns, er fengit hefr,
skyli-t mađr ţörf ţola;
oft sparir leiđum, ţats hefr ljúfum hugat;
margt gengr verr en varir.
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