The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. |
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| The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs |
| | | XXI. More Wise Words of Brynhild |
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| SIGURD spake now, “Sure no wiser woman than thou art one may be found in the wide world; yea, yea, teach me more yet of thy wisdom!” | 1 |
| She answers, “Seemly is it that I do according to thy will, and show thee forth more redes of great avail, for thy prayer’s sake and thy wisdom;” and she spake withal— | 2 |
| “Be kindly to friend and kin, and reward not their trespasses against thee; bear and forbear, and win for thee thereby long enduring praise of men. | 3 |
| “Take good heed of evil things: a may’s love, and a man’s wife; full oft thereof doth ill befall! | 4 |
| “Let not thy mind be overmuch crossed by unwise men at thronged meetings of folk; for oft these speak worse than they wot of; lest thou be called a dastard, and art minded to think that thou art even as is said; slay such an one on another day, and so reward his ugly talk. | 5 |
| “If thou farest by the way whereas bide evil things, be well ware of thyself; take not harbour near the highway, though thou be benighted, for oft abide there ill wights for men’s bewilderment. | 6 |
| “Let not fair women beguile thee, such as thou mayst meet at the feast, so that the thought thereof stand thee in stead of sleep, and a quite mind; yea, draw them not to thee with kisses or other sweet things of love. | 7 |
| “If thou hearest the fool’s word of a drunken man, strive not with him being drunk with drink and witless; many a grief, yea, and the very death, groweth from out such things. | 8 |
| “Fight thy foes in the field, nor be burnt in thine house. | 9 |
| “Never swear thou wrongsome oath; great and grim is the reward for the breaking of plighted troth. | 10 |
| “Give kind heed to dead men,—sick-dead, sea-dead, or sword-dead; deal heedfully with their dead corpses. | 11 |
| “Trow never in him for whom thou hast slain father, brother, or whatso near kin, yea, though young he be; for oft waxes wolf in youngling. | 12 |
| “Look thou with good heed to the wiles of thy friends; but little skill is given to me, that I should foresee the ways of thy life; yet good it were that hate fell not on thee from those of thy wife’s house.” | 13 |
| Sigurd spake, “None among the sons of men can be found wiser than thou; and thereby swear I, that thee will I have as my own, for near to my heart thou liest.” | 14 |
| She answers, “Thee would I fainest choose, though I had all men’s sons to choose from.” | 15 |
| And thereto they plighted troth both of them. | 16 |
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