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.
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.
[81. With this stanza the verse-form, as indicated in the translation, abruptly changes to Malahattr. What has happened seems to
have been something like this. Stanza 80 introduces the idea of man's love for woman. Consequently some reciter or compiler (or
possibly even a copyist) took occasion to insert at this point certain stanzas concerning the ways of women. Thus stanza 80 would
account for the introduction of stanzas 81 and 82, which, in turn, apparently drew stanza 83 in with them. Stanza 84 suggests the
fickleness of women, and is immediately followed--again with a change of verse-form--by a list of things equally untrustworthy
(stanzas 85-90). Then, after a few more stanzas on love in the regular measure of the Hávamál (stanza 91-9s), is introduced, by way
of illustration, Othin's story of his {footnote p. 46} adventure with Billing's daughter (stanzas 96-102). Some such process of growth,
whatever its specific stages may have been, must be assumed to account for the curious chaos of the whole passage from stanza 81 to
stanza 102.
84. Lines 3 and 4 are quoted in the Fostbrćthrasaga.
85. Stanzas 85-88 and go are in Fornyrthislag, and clearly come from a different source from the rest of the Hávamál.]
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81. At kveldi skal dag leyfa,
konu, er brennd er, mćki, er reyndr er,
mey, er gefin er, ís, er yfir kemr,
öl, er drukkit er.
82. Í vindi skal viđ höggva,
veđri á sjó róa, myrkri viđ man spjalla,
mörg eru dags augu; á skip skal skriđar orka,
en á skjöld til hlífar, mćki höggs,
en mey til kossa.
83. Viđ eld skal öl drekka,
en á ísi skríđa, magran mar kaupa,
en mćki saurgan, heima hest feita,
en hund á búi.
84. Meyjar orđum skyli manngi trúa
né ţví, er kveđr kona, ţví at á hverfanda hvéli
váru ţeim hjörtu sköpuđ, brigđ í brjóst of lagiđ.
85. Brestanda boga, brennanda loga,
gínanda ulfi, galandi kráku,
rýtanda svíni, rótlausum viđi,
vaxanda vági, vellanda katli,
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