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The
discussion and analysis presented after these
translated stanzas is our
opinion. Read the translations for yourself and our analysis, but also seek
out varied sources and come to your own conclusions.
STANZA 17 OF THE
HAVAMAL
Auden & Taylor:
When he meets friends, the fool gapes, Is
shy and sheepish at first, Then he sips his mead and immediately
All know what an oaf he is,
Bellows:
The fool is agape | when he comes to the
feast, He stammers or else is still; But soon if he gets | a
drink is it seen What the mind of the man is like.
Bray:
A fool will gape when he goes to a friend,
and mumble only, or mope; but pass him the ale cup and all
in a moment the mind of that man is shown.
Chisholm:
The fool gapes when among the folk. He
mutters and mopes, and soon it is seen, when he gets
drunk, what his mind is like.
Hollander:
The fool but gapes when to folks he
comes, he mumbles and mopes; soon is seen, when his swillhe
had, what the mind of the man is like.
Terry:
The stupid man on a visit stares, he
mutters or he mopes; all he has to do is take a drink and what
wit he has collapses.
Thorpe:
A fool gapes when to a house he
comes, to himself mutters or is silent; but all at once, if
he gets drink, then is the man’s mind displayed.
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
OF STANZA 17
It is interesting, because the translations of
lines 1 and 2 vary so much from one another. We have a fool
who is visiting a feast, visiting with friends, visiting a house,
among the folk, or just visiting in general. I'm not sure why
the translations describe so many varied circumstances. It is
fair to say though, that the stanza is talking about a fool and he
is a visiting fool. It probably just doesn't matter that
much where he is visiting or who he is visiting...but he is
certainly visiting.
And this visiting fool mutters and mopes, or
mutters and is silent, or stammers and gapes, or is shy and
sheepish. What image do all of these translations give
us? Essentially, the fool is visiting among people...and he is
enormously awkward and somewhat quiet. He's uncomfortable,
mutters a bit, and then
says nothing.
Lines 3 and 4 describe what happens when
alcohol is introduced to the scenario. Basically, once the
visiting fool is given alcohol...his status as an absolute fool is
revealed to all. The translations say this in different
ways. Some say his "mind is displayed" or his "mind is shown,"
while some say that his "wit collapses" or he is shown to be
an "oaf."
We have earlier in the Havamal warnings that
alcohol will steal away a man's wisdom, and how bad this
situation can be. Here we have it clearly stated that not
only does alcohol steal you wisdom...but it will clearly reveal
those that have no wisdom in the
first place.
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