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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 27 OF THE
HAVAMAL
Auden & Taylor:
The ignorant booby had best be silent
When he moves among other men, No one will know what a
nit-wit he is Until he begins to talk; No one knows less what
a nit-wit he is Than the man who talks too much.
Bellows:
A witless man, | when he meets with
men, Had best in silence abide; For no one shall find | that
nothing he knows, If his mouth is not open too much. (But a
man knows not, | if nothing he knows, When his mouth has been
open too much.)
Bellow's Note: The last two
lines were probably added as a commentary on lines 3 and
4.
Bray:
For the unwise man 'tis best to be mute
when he come amid the crowd, for none is aware of his lack
of wit if he wastes not too many words; for he who lacks wit
shall never learn though his words flow ne'er so fast.
Chisholm:
When the fool fares among folk it is best
he stay quiet. No one knows that he knows nothing unless he
talks too much.
Hollander:
The unwise man amongst others who
comes, let him be sparing of speech; for no one knows that
naught is in him, but he opens his mouth too much.
Terry:
When a stupid man comes into company he'd
better be silent; no one will notice that he knows
nothing unless he talks a lot. (And if he talks to men of like
talent it's safe for him to speak.)
Thorpe:
A foolish man, who among people
comes, had best be silent; for no one knows that he knows
nothing, unless he talks to much. He who previously knew
nothing will still know nothing talk he ever so much.
DISCUSSION AND
ANALYSIS OF STANZA 27
Lines 1 and 2 express the idea that a
foolish or witless man is better off just shutting up and being
silent when he is among
other people.
Lines 3 and 4 go further and explain that no
one will know the fool is a fool, or that the witless man is
witless, unless he opens his mouth and shows them with his words how
foolish
he is.
Bellows not suggests that lines 5 and 6 were
a later addition, probably added by a skald wanting to add further
explanation to lines 3 and 4. And we can see that some of the
translators choose to leave lines 5 and 6
off altogether.
Lines 5 and 6 are translated here many
different ways here. I prefer Auden and Taylors suggestion
that the man who talks too much, is exactly the guy who is clueless
about how big a fool he is. Some of the other translations
sort of suggest that talking a bunch doesn't make you any smarter,
and a couple of the translations are pretty convoluted. It
makes me think that lines 5 and 6 in the Old Norse must have been
difficult to translate into English...or that they were one of those
Old Norse sayings that just has no real parallel in English.
But, who knows? Not me. I don't know
Old Norse.
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