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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 16 OF THE
HAVAMAL
Auden & Taylor:
The coward believes he will live forever
If he holds back in the battle, But in old age he shall have
no peace Though spears have spared his limbs
Bellows:
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.
Bray:
A coward believes he will ever live if
he keep him safe from strife: but old age leaves him not long in
peace though spears may spare his life.
Chisholm:
The unwise man thinks he will live
forever by avoiding battle But old age will give him no
rest though he be spared from spears.
Hollander:
The unwise man thinks that he ay will
live if from fighting he flees; but the ails and aches of old
age dog him though spears have spared him.
Terry:
The foolish man thinks he'll live
forever if he stays away from war, but old age shows him no
mercy though the spears spare him.
Thorpe:
A cowardly man thinks he will ever
live, if warfare he avoids; but old age will give him no
peace, though spears may spare him.
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
OF STANZA 16
Stanza 16 seems to be loosely connected with
Stanza 15, in that their lessons work well together. Stanza 15
suggested that the son of an important man was silent, attentive,
prudent, and brave in battle. And it seems to suggest that if
we emulate this good behavior, then we can all be glad and generous
all the days of
our life.
Stanza 16 describes the opposite...it
describes the cowardly man and
his life.
Lines 1 and 2 describes the coward (or the
fool) believing he can live forever if he stays out of battle (or if
he runs from
every fight).
Lines 3 and 4 make it very clear that such a
coward may escape spears and the damage they deal, but that he won't
escape old age and all the hardships that come with
old age.
I've put a lot of thought into lines 3 and
4, and they are worth thinking about. They seem to reference
an idea among ancestors that one did not want to die a straw
death...A death from old age or disease that occurred while lying in
bed (which were stuffed with straw). That a coward dooms
himself to old age and its hardships by not facing battle and not
dying in battle. A loss of strength. The pain and
weakness of old age. Not being able to help your family, and
even becoming a burden on your family. This is how most people
interpret the meaning of lines 3
and 4.
But, there is another way to read lines 3
and 4 as well. "Old Age will give him no peace." "But in
Old Age he will have no peace." "But old age will give him no
rest." You could read these translations to refer to a deep unrest
that exists in the coward in his old age. Because he ran from
every battle, he did manage to live a long time. But, he lived
the life of a coward...with all of the regrets...the loss of
honor...and the poor reputation that comes from that. The
coward avoids death, but lives a life of weakness and regret that is
worse
than death.
Obviously, the coward in this stanza does
not get to be "glad and generous all the days of his life" as is
mentioned in
Stanza 15.
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