THE STORY OF THE VOLSUNGS (VOLSUNGA SAGA)
APPENDIX: EXCERPTS FROM THE POETIC EDDA

PART OF THE LAY OF SIGRDRIFA ⁽¹⁾

Online Medieval and Classical Library Release #29

       Now this is my first counsel,
       That thou with thy kin
     Be guiltless, guileless ever,
       Nor hasty of wrath,
       Despite of wrong done --
     Unto the dead good that doeth.



       Lo the second counsel,
       That oath thou swearest never,
     But trusty oath and true:
       Grim tormenting
       Gripes troth-breakers;
     Cursed wretch is the wolf of vows.



       This is my third rede,
       That thou at the Thing
     Deal not with the fools of folk;
       For unwise man
       From mouth lets fall
     Worser word than well he wotteth.



       Yet hard it is
       That holding of peace
     When men shall deem thee dastard,
     Or deem the lie said soothly;
     But woeful is home-witness,
     Unless right good thou gettest it.
       Ah, on another day
       Drive the life from out him,
     And pay the liar back for his lying.



       Now behold the fourth rede:
       If ill witch thee bideth,
     Woe-begatting by the way,
       Good going further
       Rather than guesting,
     Though thick night be on thee.



       Far-seeing eyes
       Need all sons of men
     Who wend in wrath to war;
       For baleful women
       Bide oft by the highway,
     Swords and hearts to soften.



       And now the fifth rede:
       As fair as thou seest
     Brides on the bench abiding,
       Let not love's silver
       Rule over thy sleeping;
     Draw no woman to kind kissing!



       For the sixth thing, I rede
       When men sit a-drinking
     Amid ale-words and ill-words,
       Dead thou naught
       With the drunken fight-staves
     For wine stealeth wit from many.



       Brawling and drink
       Have brought unto men
     Sorrow sore oft enow;
       Yea, bane unto some,
       And to some weary bale;
     Many are the griefs of mankind.



       For the seventh, I rede thee,
       If strife thou raisest
     With a man right high of heart,
       Better fight a-field
       Than burn in the fire
     Within thine hall fair to behold.



       The eighth rede that I give thee:
       Unto all ill look thou,
     And hold thine heart from all beguiling;
       Draw to thee no maiden,
       No man's wife bewray thou,
     Urge them not unto unmeet pleasure.



       This is the ninth counsel:
       That thou have heed of dead folk
     Whereso thou findest them a-field;
       Be they sick-dead,
       Be they sea-dead,
     Or come to ending by war-weapons.



       Let bath be made
       For such men fordone,
     Wash thou hands and feet thereof,
       Comb their hair and dry them
       Ere the coffin has them;
     Then bid them sleep full sweetly.



       This for the tenth counsel:
       That thou give trust never
     Unto oaths of foeman's kin,
     Be'st thou bane of his brother,
     Or hast thou felled his father;
     Wolf in young son waxes,
     Though he with gold be gladdened.



       For wrong and hatred
       Shall rest them never,
     Nay, nor sore sorrow.
       Both wit and weapons
       Well must the king have
     Who is fain to be the foremost.



       The last rede and eleventh:
       Until all ill look thou.
     And watch thy friends' ways ever
       Scarce durst I look
       For long life for thee, king:
     Strong trouble ariseth now already.

Go to The Lay Called the Short Lay of Sigurd

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ENDNOTES:

(1) This continues the first part of the lay given in Chapter XX of the Saga; and is, in fact, the original verse of Chapter XXI.