Poetic Edda - Thorpe Trans.
19. To thy enemies
trust thou never,
although they speak thee fair:
promise them good:
'tis good to have another's injury
as a warning.
20. So it befell
Sörli the upright,
when he placed himself in Vigolf's power;
he confidently trusted him,
his brother's murderer,
but he proved false.
21. Peace to them he granted,
with heart sincere;
they in return promised him gold,
feigned themselves friends.,
while they together drank;
but then came forth their guile.
22. Then afterwards,
on the second day,
when they in Rýgiardal rode,
they with swords wounded him
who sackless was,
and let his life go forth.
23. His corpse they dragged
(on a lonely way,
and cut up piecemeal) into a well,
and would it hide;
but the holy Lord
beheld from heaven.
24. His soul summoned home
the true God
into his joy to come;
but the evil doers
will, I ween, late
be from torments called.
************************************
25. Do thou pray the Disir
of the Lord's words
to be kind to thee in spirit:
for a week after,
all shall then go happily,
according to thy will.
26. For a deed of ire
that thou has perpetrated,
never atone with evil:
the weeping thou shalt
sooth with benefits:
that is salutary to the soul.
27. On God a man
shall for good things call,
on him who has mankind created.
Greatly sinful is
every man
who late finds the Father.
28. To be solicited, we opine,
is with all earnestness
for that which is lacking:
of all things may be destitute
he who for nothing asks:
few heed the wants of the silent.
29. Late I came,
though called betimes,
to the supreme Judge's door;
thitherward I yearn;
for it was promised me,
he who craves it shall of the feast partake.
30. Sins are the cause
that sorrowing we depart
from this world:
no one stands in dread,
if he does no evil:
good it is to be blameless.
31. Like unto wolves
all those seem
who have a faithless mind:
so he will prove
who has to go
through ways strewed with gleeds.
32. Friendly counsels,
and wisely composed, seven
I have imparted to thee:
consider thou them well,
and forget them never:
they are all useful to learn.
*************************************
33. Of that I will speak,
how happy I was
in the world,
and secondly,
how the sons of men
reluctantly become corpses.
34. Pleasure and pride
deceive the sons of men
who after money crave;
shining riches
at last become a sorrow:
many have riches driven to madness.
35. Steeped in joys
I seemed to men;
for little did I see before me:
our worldly sojourn
has the Lord created
in delights abounding.
36. Bowed down I sat,
long I tottered,
of life was most desirous;
but He prevailed
who was all_powerful:
onward are the ways of the doomed.
37. The cords of Hel
were tightly
bound round my sides;
I would rend them,
but they were strong.
"Tis easy free to go.
38. I alone knew,
how on all sides
my pains increased.
The maids of Hel each eve
with horror bade me
to their home.
39. The sun I saw,
true star of day,
sink in its roaring home;
but Hel's grated doors
on the other side I heard
heavily creaking.
40. The sun I saw
with blood_red beams beset:
(fast was I then from this world declining)
mightier she appeared,
in many ways
than she was before.
41. The sun I saw,
and it seemed to me
as if I saw a glorious god:
I bowed before her,
for the last time,
in the world of men.
42. The sun I saw:
she beamed forth so
that I seemed nothing to know;
but Giöll's streams
roared from the other side
mingled much with blood.
43. The sun I saw,
with quivering eyes,
appalled and shrinking;
for my heart
in great measure was
dissolved in languor.
44. The sun I saw
seldom sadder;
I had then almost from the world declined:
my tongue was
as wood become,
and all was cold without me.
45. The sun I saw
never after,
since that gloomy day;
for the mountain_waters
closed over me,
and I went called from torments.
46. The star of hope,
when I was born,
fled from my breast away;
high it flew,
settled nowhere,
so that it might find rest.
47. Longer than all
was that one night,
when stiff on my straw I lay;
then becomes manifest
the divine word:
"Man is the same as earth."
48. The Creator God can
it estimate and know,
(He who made heaven and earth)
how forsaken
many go hence,
although from kindred parted.
49. Of his works
each has the reward:
happy is he who does good.
Of my wealth bereft,
to me was destined
a bed strewed with sand.
50. Bodily desires
men oftentimes seduce,
of them has many a one too much:
water of baths
was of all things to me
most loathsome.
51. In the Norns' seat
nine days I sat,
thence I was mounted on a horse:
there the giantess's sun
shone grimly
through the dripping clouds of heaven.
52. Without and within,
I seemed to traverse all
the seven nether worlds:
up and down,
I sought an easier way,
where I might have the readiest paths.
************************************
<< Previous Page Next Page >>
© 2004-2007 Northvegr.
Most of the material on this site is in the public domain. However, many people have worked very hard to bring these texts to you so if you do use the work, we would appreciate it if you could give credit to both the Northvegr site and to the individuals who worked to bring you these texts. A small number of texts are copyrighted and cannot be used without the author's permission. Any text that is copyrighted will have a clear notation of such on the main index page for that text. Inquiries can be sent to info@northvegr.org. Northvegr™ and the Northvegr symbol are trademarks and service marks of the Northvegr Foundation.
|