trampled by horses!
White and black horses,
gray horses, Gothic horses,
horses he broke to ride
for his errands of war.
[4] “You, my sons,
are the last dregs
of my noble family,
you alone live of this line of kings.
[5] “I have become as lonely
as an ash tree on the tundra,
I am stripped of my family
like a pine-tree stripped of needles,
deprived of hopes
like a forest that’s lost all its leaves
when lightning strikes it
on a hot day.”
[6] Then Hamthir spoke,
he was a bold young man:
“You had little good to say
about Hogni
when your brothers woke Sigurth
from his last sleep—
{335} you lay in bed
while his killers laughed.
[7] “Then your blue and white
striped sheets were reddened
in the flowing blood
of your first husband.
Sigurth was dead,
you stared at his corpse.
Your joy was gone,
and Gunnar caused it.
[8] “You had it worse
when you took vengeance
on Attila, and killed
your own sons, Erp and Eitil.
There was no one who’d
swing a battle-loving sword
against your two little boys,
so you had to do it yourself.”
[9] Sorli spoke then,
he was wise: “I don’t want
to exchange barbs
with my mother,
but the two of you
have left something unsaid:
Mother, what are you asking for,
what will make you stop weeping?
[10] “You weep for your brothers
and your dear children,
for children you bore
and who died in horror.
But mother, you will weep
for us two as well—
we will mount up on our horses
and die far away from here.”
{336} [11] They mounted their horses,
they were ready to fight,
those young men
rode over misty mountains,
they rode Hunnish horses,
to avenge their sister’s murder.
[12] Then Erp spoke,
one fateful time,
he looked proud
sitting on his horse—
“It’s no good to show
a coward the way to glory.”
To Hamthir and Sorli, it seemed
this bastard sure thought he was brave.
[13] They met on the street’s
wide cobblestones, and asked him:
“Little dark-haired bastard,
how will you help us in this fight?”
[14] Their half-brother
answered as best he could,
he said he would help
his brothers like a foot helps a foot.
But they doubted him:
“How can a foot help a foot?
How can a hand help a hand,
grown from the same flesh?”
[15] They drew their swords
from their scabbards
and with their sharp blades
they did an evil spirit’s work.
They reduced their numbers
by a third, when two brothers
let their brother
sink dead to the earth.
{337} [16] They shook out their cloaks,
they sheathed their swords,
and those noble, well-dressed men
continued on their way.
[17] Their road lay ahead,
a dangerous road.
They found Randver
hanging from a beam,
on a wind-chilled gallows
east of the city,
and its timbers creaked
and urged them onward.
[18] There was joyful noise
in the beer-happy hall,
when the two young Goths
arrived, and no one heard them,
till a bold, watchful man
blew his horn.
[19] He went to tell
that strangers in helmets
had been spotted:
“Command us, lord!
Strong men are approaching.
It appears that woman you killed
had powerful relatives.”
[20] Jormunrekk laughed,
and stroked his beard—
he stood up to fight,
drunk on wine.
He wagged his brown beard
over his white shield,
and cast his golden chalice
from his hand.
{338} [21] “I’d feel lucky,”
Jormunrekk said,
“to see Hamthir and Sorli
in my hall.
I’d tie those boys up
with their bow-strings,
let those grandsons of Gjuki
choke on a noose.”
[22] Then his mother spoke,
standing among the men,
the soft-fingered lady
spoke to her son:
“I think they swore an oath
that they cannot fulfill;
how can those two men alone
fight successfully against
ten hundred Goths
in their own high hall?”
[23] There was war in the house,
that ale-house shook,
men lay in pools of blood
that poured from the Goths’ chests.
[24] Hamthir the bold
then stood and said:
“King Jormunrekk,
you said you’d feel lucky
if my brother and I came
to visit your hall.
Now your arms are cut off,
and your legs are cut off,
and thrown into the fire
before your eyes, in your own hall.”
[25] Then the king
began to roar
in his suit of armor,
like a bear would roar:
“Men, throw stones at them!
{339} Spears won’t pierce them,
blades and iron do nothing
to Jonaker’s sons!”
[26] Then Sorli turned
to Hamthir:
“You did poorly, brother,
to egg this old windbag on.
A man can still catch death
from an enemy without limbs.
[27] “You have courage, Hamthir,
but you have no wisdom.
And a man lacks too much
when he lacks wisdom.
[28] “Jormunrekk would lose his head,
if only Erp still lived,
our bold brother,
the one we killed on the road.
Evil spirits encouraged us
to kill our hero-souled brother,
our battle-brave companion,
and go without him in our truest need.
[29] “I didn’t think
we had the character of wolves,
that we would kill a brother
like faithless wolves in a forest,
greedy for the food
and wealth of others.
[30] “But we fought well,
we stand over sword-torn
Gothic corpses and set a table for the eagles.
We earned honor here,
though we are fated to die today—
a man will not live one day longer
than the Norns have decided.”
{340} [31] And there Sorli fell
at the threshold,
and Hamthir fell
in the alley.
This is
called the Old Tale of Hamthir.
{341} APPENDIX: THE COWBOY HAVAMAL
“The Cowboy Havamal” is a condensation of the wisdom of the first, most down-to-earth part of Havamal (often called the Gestathattr, it includes stanzas 1–79, give or take a few) into mostly five-line stanzas of a Western American English dialect. I have not endeavored to render this dialect phonetically in a thoroughly consistent way, but only to present an “eye dialect” of sorts, to suggest the dry tones of the accent behind the words.
While my other translation of Havamal in this volume is more complete, the tone of this one seems more authentic to me. The voice is that of my grandfather, sad with wisdom and cynical with experience, which I have always heard when reading this poem in the original.
[1] USE YER EYES,
and never walk blind.
There ain’t no tellin’
where there’s someone waitin’
to put one over on you.
[2] Don’t be unkind to a wanderer.
You know the type: Waiting,
proud, outside your doorstep.
Give ’im a break,
and let ’im in.
[3] Let ’im get close to the fire,
and have a chance
to dry his clothes.
He’s been walkin’ in the mountains,
and that wears a man down.
Some clothes to change into,
a few kind words, not too many,
{342} a chance to tell his story,
a chance to hear what you’ll say.
[5] You ought to have
a damn sight of learnin’,
before you step outside that door.
It’s a lot easier to stay at home,
but no one’ll listen to you if you stay there.
[6] Now, that ain’t to say
that you ought to be showy
about your learnin’.
Don’t say too much
and you’ll say more o’ the right things.
[7] And don’t ever think
that other folks
have nothin’ to teach you, either.
You only stand to gain
by keeping yer ears open, too.
[8] People’s approval ain’t nothin’ you need.
Half the time it ain’t true.
Just be sure you think you’re right;
and that you’re comfortable in your own skin;
you’re all you can count on.
[9] And while you should listen
to people’s advice,
don’t just do whatever they say.
You’ve got a head on your own shoulders;
use it, boy.
[10] That head on your shoulders
is the best thing you’ll ever have.
And no amount o’ money
can make up for not havin’ it.
Keep it in good shape.
[11] The worst way to make yourself
into a goddamned fool
is to drink too much.
{343} Stay out o’ the liquor,
except you know yer limits.
[12] Oh, folks’ll say this and that,
how much fun it is to drink and all.
But the more you drink,
the less you know,
and that’s a poor exchange.
[13] I’ve been drunk, I’m not sayin’ otherwise.
Let me tell you what it’s like:
It’s as if a bird hovered over your head,
drinking more of your wits
the more you drink.
[14] Lord a’mighty, I was drunk,
I was shamefaced drunk.
And I didn’t have myself
near as good a time
as if I’d gone home sober.
[15] So keep quiet,
keep your head clear,
and don’t back off from a fight.
You’ll be happier that way—
and you’ll die soon enough.
[16] You’re a goddamned fool
if you think you’ll live forever
just because you won’t fight.
Say nobody ever kills you—
old age is no peach, either.
[17] I’ll say another thing about drinkin’—
I swear I’m nearly done:
But just you think how much dumber
a dumb man is after a few drinks:
Who ever heard more awful bullshit?
[18] Travel, see the country,
never miss a chance to get outdoors.
You’ll only get smarter
{344} by knowin’ more people, more places,
more ways to be a man.
[19] Accept hospitality, but don’t be a jackass.
Folk can only offer so much.
And if you want to talk,
just consider whether what you want to say
matters to anybody else.
[20] A belly’s a sure sign
that a man’s not in control of himself.
Folks’ll laugh if you’re eatin’ too much.
Yer stomach’s not yer head—
you can put too much in it.
[21] You ever seen a fat cow?
I mean, they’re all fat, but only to a point:
They don’t eat so much they hurt themselves.
And a cow is just about the dumbest thing
on this damn earth.
[22] Nothin’ to learn from a fella
who won’t but laugh at everybody else.
What he ain’t learned
would do him some good:
He’s got his own faults.
[23] You should lie down to sleep
and not think about tomorrow;
you’ll take care of it then.
If you worry at night, you get nothing done,
and you’re in worse shape for the day.
[24] Not everybody
who laughs with you
is yer friend.
Someone who won’t but laugh
hasn’t thought about much.
[25] Not everybody
who laughs with you
is yer friend.
{345} It’s one thing if a fella’ll laugh with you,
it’s another if you can count on ’im.
[26] You’re a damn fool
if you think you can just figure out
a way out of any problem.
It’s good to think ahead,
but sometimes things go wrong.
[27] I wish more damn fools
would just keep their mouths shut.
If they did, we might not realize
just how many goddamned fools
there are in this old world.
[28] Ain’t ever been a single person
who can keep his mouth shut
when it comes to other people.
But try not to gossip,
even if it makes you look smarter.
[29] You will talk yourself into trouble
if you don’t think before you speak:
Hold that tongue, and think a little,
or you’ll find out that it’s a long whip,
and it’s gonna hit you from behind.
[30] Don’t make fun of someone else,
even if he owes you money,
and don’t pester people with questions.
[31] Sarcastic people sound smart
when they make fun of someone else.
But making fun dudn’t make you smart,
and that’s time you could be putting
into somethin’ more worthwhile.
[32] A fella might be nice enough;
there’s still something
that’ll make ’im want to fight.
Where there’s more than one man,
you’ll eventually have a fight.
{346} [33] You shouldn’t sit around
and wait to eat all day.
Go ahead and eat
,
unless you’re eatin’ later with a friend,
otherwise you’ll just be useless.
[34] Don’t concern yerself
with anybody
who won’t repay yer friendship in kind.
Better to walk a long way to a friend,
than a short way to some ornery jackass.
[35] Don’t overstay yer welcome.
Folks like company, but not too much,
and start to resent a guest ’fore long.
So git goin’ after a while,
or you’ll git on people’s nerves.
[36] It dudn’t matter where you live,
long as you have a roof over you.
Better to call some place home,
even if it ain’t much to look at,
than to beg for ever’thing.
[37] It dudn’t matter where you live,
long as you have a place.
Better to call a place home,
or you’ll feel worse and worse,
as you beg for more and more.
[38] Keep yer guns close.
I don’t care what they say,
there ain’t no tellin’
when there’ll be call for ’em.
An armed man has a shot.
[39] Don’t think a generous host
wouldn’t gladly take something
in return for yer room and board.
Never seen a man so nice
he wouldn’t like a little in return.
{347} [40] Don’t save so much money
that you don’t use any of it.
You’ll die, after all,
and it might not go to people you like.
The world ain’t aimin’ to please you.
[41] Give yer friend
a gift that’ll matter to ’im:
Weapons, clothes, you know the kind.
This kind of giving, if he gits you back,
will mean he’ll have yer back when it counts.
[42] Be friendly
to anybody friendly to you,
and repay their gifts.
Repay good with good,
and bad with bad.
[43] Be friendly
to anybody friendly to you;
and to his friends, too.
But be careful not to make friends
with your friends’ enemies.
[44] If you have a good friend,
and really trust ’im,
you should share yer mind with ’im,
exchange gifts with ’im,
visit ’im often.
[45] If you have another friend
and don’t trust him worth a spit,
but want somethin’ from ’im,
speak kindly, but don’t be surprised
if you find yerself betrayin’ that kindness.
[46] Now this fella you don’t trust:
That’s not to say you shouldn’t talk to ’im,
laugh with ’im, even—
hell, who can you trust?
But repay ’im just what he gives you.
{348} [47] I was young once, I walked alone,
and I got lost on my way.
It wasn’t alone that I found happiness,
but in good company, good friends;