The first part of the Havamal [from The Poetic Edda] is a stream of advice and counsel, much of it clearly from the pagan era. Here I have selected some of my favourite lines [I have numbered the ones chosen below], which culminate in the great trope, 'cattle die, kinsmen die, but a noble name lives forever', and then goes on to evoke the runes and the gods. This section precedes 'Odins Rune Song' which I have treated in my 'Runes Cure the Sword's Cut'
lyrics
1. Within the gates, ere a man shall go,
(Full warily let him watch,)
Full long let him look about him;
For little he knows, where a foe may lurk.
6. A man shall not boast of his keenness of mind,
But keep it close in his breast;
To the silent and wise does ill come seldom
9. Happy the man who has while he lives
Wisdom and praise as well,
For evil counsel a man full oft
Has from another's heart.
10. A better burden may no man bear
For wanderings wide than wisdom;
It is better than wealth on unknown ways,
And in grief a refuge it gives.
16. The sluggard believes he shall live forever,
If the fight he faces not;
But age shall not grant him the gift of peace,
Though spears may spare his life.
19. Shun not the mead, but drink in measure;
Speak to the point or be still;
For rudeness none shall rightly blame thee
If soon thy bed thou seekest.
23. The witless man is awake all night,
Thinking of many things;
Care-worn he is when the morning comes,
And his woe is just as it was.
The babbling tongue, if a bridle it find not,
Oft for itself sings ill.
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.
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.
43. To his friend a man a friend shall prove,
To him and the friend of his friend;
But never a man shall friendship make
With one of his foeman's friends.
62. When the eagle comes to the ancient sea,
He snaps and hangs his head;
So is a man in the midst of a throng,
Who few to speak for him finds.
63. To question and answer must all be ready
Who wish to be known as wise;
Tell one thy thoughts, but beware of two,--
All know what is known to three.
A man must be watchful and wary as well,
And fearful of trusting a friend.
Oft for the words that to others one speaks
Ye will get but an evil gift.
68. Fire for men is the fairest gift,
And power to see the sun
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.
71. The lame rides a horse, the handless is herdsman,
The deaf in battle is bold;
The blind man is better than one that is burned,
No good can come of a corpse.
72. A son is better, though late he be born,
And his father to death have fared;
Memory-stones seldom stand by the road
Save when kinsman honors his kin.
Wealth is as swift as a winking eye,
Of friends the falsest it is.
77. Cattle die, and kinsmen die,
And so one dies one's self;
But a noble name will never die,
If good renown one gets.
78. Cattle die, and kinsmen die,
And so one dies one's self;
One thing now that never dies,
The fame of a dead man's deeds.
79. Certain is that which is sought from runes,
That the gods so great have made,
And the Master-Poet painted;
... of the race of gods:
Silence is safest and best.
[lines selected from the Poetic Edda]
credits
from Cattle Die, Kinsmen Die,
released July 1, 2021
Bill Boethius, 12 string acoustic guitars, acoustic-electric slide guitar
Tom B: reading
Straddling the threshold between studio performance and digital technique; the NYC artist applies "fake jazz" principles to synthpop. Bandcamp New & Notable May 2, 2024
A collection of tracks from the singer and multi-disciplinary artist's 111 collaboration series, featuring KMRU, Laraaji, and others. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 25, 2024
