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.
[70. The manuscript has "and a worthy life" in place of "than to lie a corpse" in line I, but Rask suggested the emendation as early as 1818, and most editors have followed him.]
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66. Mikilsti snemma kom ek í marga stađi,
en til síđ í suma;
öl var drukkit, sumt var ólagat,
sjaldan hittir leiđr í líđ.
67. Hér ok hvar myndi mér heim of bođit,
ef ţyrftak at málungi mat,
eđa tvau lćr hengi at ins tryggva vinar,
ţars ek hafđa eitt etit.
68. Eldr er beztr međ ýta sonum
ok sólar sýn, heilyndi sitt,
ef mađr hafa náir,
án viđ löst at lifa.
69. Er-at mađr alls vesall,
ţótt hann sé illa heill;
sumr er af sonum sćll, sumr af frćndum,
sumr af fé ćrnu, sumr af verkum vel.
70. Betra er lifđum en sé ólifđum,
ey getr kvikr kú;
eld sá ek upp brenna auđgum manni fyrir,
en úti var dauđr fyr durum.
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