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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 26 OF THE
HAVAMAL
Auden & Taylor:
The fool who fancies he is full of wisdom While he sits by
his hearth at home. Quickly finds when questioned by others .
That he knows nothing at all.
Bellows:
An ignorant man | thinks that all he knows, When he sits by
himself in a corner; But never what answer | to make he
knows, When others with questions come.
Bray:
The unwise man thinks all to know, while he sits in a
sheltered nook; but he knows not one thing, what he shall
answer, if men shall put him to proof.
Chisholm:
The stupid man thinks he knows all when he is at home. But
he does not know what to say when men test him.
Hollander:
The unwise man wens heknows all, if from harm he is far at
home; but knows not ever what answer to make when others ask
him aught.
Terry:
When the stupid man sits in his corner, there's nothing he
doesn't know; he'll find that difficult to demonstrate if
someone tries him out.
Thorpe:
A foolish man thinks he know everything if placed in
unexpected difficulty; but he knows not what to answer, if
to the test he is put.
DISCUSSION AND
ANALYSIS OF STANZA 26
Stanza 26 has some parallels to Stanza
5. Here is Thorpe's translation of Stanza 5, just as
a reminder:
5. Wit is needful to him who travels far: at home
all is easy. A laughing-stock is he who nothing knows, and
with the instructed sits.
Lines 1 and 2 of Stanza 26 describe how easy it is for the
foolish man to think he is wise when he is at home. Sitting in
his own little corner...in his own little home...the foolish man
knows everything. He knows how to do everything better.
His advice is perfect. Or, as Stanza 5 says, "at home all is
easy."
These first two lines of Stanza 26 remind me of the know-it-all
sitting in his easy-chair at home yelling at his television.
Yelling advice at political leaders on the television.
Commenting out-loud on shows on the history channel. It just
remind me of how easy it is when you are at home by yourself or with
your family, to think you have all the answers. That you know
best about everything.
Lines 3 and 4 state very clearly that this home-wisdom is
difficult to demonstrate when you are out and about and someone
challenges you or asks you a question. While the fool thinks
he knows everything, it becomes clear how foolish this belief is
when that wisdom is put to the test by others.
In modern terms, I think we see the affects of this "home-wisdom"
when people are on-line. They are sitting at home, thinking
they know everything...and they are able to get on the internet
while not really going out and about. Sure, people can
challenge when they say on-line, but that's not a face-to-face
interaction. So, the fool in his home will turn defensive and
troll-like when he is challenged. Rather than answering the
questions, the fool will turn the discussion into a semantic
argument. The fool will nitpick their opponent at length,
picking the choosing small points made by the other, take them out
of context, and type pages and pages of insulting mockery.
I really believe this stanza applies so well to what we see
on-line. The keyboard cowboy. The internet
Asa-Pope. So, very very "wise and clever" from their mother's
basement...but you will never see them out and about...you will
never see them face-to-face at a gathering.
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