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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 21 OF THE
HAVAMAL
Auden & Taylor:
The herd knows its homing time, And
leaves the grazing ground: But the glutton never knows how much
His belly is able to hold,
Bellows:
The herds know well | when home they shall
fare, And then from the grass they go; But the foolish man |
his belly's measure Shall never know aright.
Bray:
Herds know the hour of their going home
and turn them again from the grass; but never is found a
foolish man who knows the measure of his maw.
Chisholm:
The herd knows when to go home and leave
the grazing ground behind. The unwise man never knows how much
to eat.
Hollander:
The herd to know when from home they
shall, and gang from the grass to their stalls; but the unwise
man will not ever learn how much his maw will hold.
Terry:
The herds know when it's time to go
home and give up grazing, but a foolish man will always
forget the size of his stomach.
Thorpe:
Cattle know when to go home, and then
from grazing cease; but a foolish man never knows his
stomach’s measure.
DISCUSSION AND
ANALYSIS OF STANZA 21
Stanza 21 continues the train of thought
that began in stanza 20. In stanza 20, the greedy man eats
until he is sick...and his big belly is laughed at when he is among
the wise.
Here in stanza 21, lines 1 and 2 talk about
how cattle or herd animals know when it is time to stop grazing
(eating) and go
on home.
In lines 3 and 4, the foolish man is then
compared to the cattle...and falls short. The foolish man
seems to be unaware of this size of his stomach (or how much he
should eat).
This is sort of comparison is particularly
effective, because it sort of has this smart-ass tone to it.
"Even stupid herd-animals know when to stop eating and go home...but
the fool just keeps
gorging himself."
It has been said that this stanza could
refer to more than just eating. It can refer to almost
anything that a foolish person might over-do, or be unaware of
his/her limits. Taking a joke too far, not knowing when to
drop a conversation or argument, or putting a strain on your body or
mind that is excessive
or harmful.
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