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sochews · 6 years ago

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2019: a year of grace

* I like to begin every year with a word or phrase that rings in my heart, and serves as a guide for the year ahead. In 2010, the phrase was “a year of gifts”. In 2011, it was “a year of remembrance”. In 2012, it was a year of courage. In 2013, it was a year to believe. In 2014, it was a year of seeing. In 2015, it was a year offorgiveness. In 2016, it was a year of listening. In 2017, it was a year of bravery. Last year, it was a year of hope. Thanks to some amazing people who taught me this, it has become a practice I’ve cherished at the dawn of every new year.

“Mary said, I’m bursting with God-news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened — I’m the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him…

When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son. Her neighbours and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her…

Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied… Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.” (Luke 1: 46–50, 57–58,78–79)

Elizabeth and Mary each received the grand surprise of their lives: a baby, sheltered in two wombs that were both forsaken, cast aside. It was a gift: completely unexpectedly, joyfully embraced.

They sang. They shouted. They gave thanks for this most undeserving of favours, an unmerited hand of life upon their lives. What does it feel like to be touched by God, to be given a chance at new birth, new hope? This was mercy. This was love.

I stand at the passagio of two years, in awe, in trepidation. I look back, and can’t put into words the absolute gift that was 2018. At the start, I labelled it “the year of hope.” I would give myself over to hope, and the myriad of questions I had about her.

What is hope? What does it mean to hope? What do I hope for?

Hope didn’t just visit me like a night breeze. Hope blew open every idea, dream and thought I had about my self, my home, my work, and led me on the most thrilling journey of all. I learned to hope badly as a first prerequisite to learning to hope at all — I put my hope in people, relationships and friendships that were never mine to own. I learned to feel the crunching weight of disappointment, and then, to still perform the insane act of hoping again, in spite of, but now, to hope in deeper and higher truths, to find out what those really were.

I saw my country transform on one election day. I saw my country feel the rejuvenating presence of hope like an intravenous infusion, and then to see how the work of hope doesn’t end in birth, but continues in its awkward, failing first steps.

And in the magical journey of The Bee, The King and I and Forgotten, in the company of unique, frail, inspiring human beings, hope became the sustenance found in conversations, the thread that bound all the nerves and excitement, the idea that made every single day of work such a joy to face.

The year of hope will be one that will leave a deep imprint in me. Thank you, for letting me hope badly, for teaching me that what I hope for is vitally important. To let go of what I can’t control, to trust in roads that beggar logic or belief. Only because I’m learning to place my hope in You.

Now, I stand at the entrance of a new year. And 2019 feels very different to the year before. The canvas is empty. The horizon is unclear. Over the last week, God has been sharpening a word down to its most potent, basic force. A word that, it seems, will form the foundation upon which this year will be built upon.

I sense God saying, let 2019 be a year of grace.

Grace, I’ve always thought, has been a core part of who I am. Even my name, in its essence, means “God has given.” Yet, at the mention of this word, I find myself feeling reduced, cowered.

That’s because grace is a big, big idea. Grace acknowledges that all is a gift. My relationships, my work, my history, my mistakes. More than that, grace says all are gifts I do not deserve. Grace says I am loved — no, that I am accepted. I am accepted in the face of my triumphs and failures, and nothing I do will change this. It is why it is the core of gratitude, thanking the heavens for our stars.

It is like a gift bestowed upon wombs thought too old or too young, too over-used or too un-used, too discarded or too untried. It is a love that, as Robert Farrar Capon writes, “wild, outrageous and vulgar. Any God who would do such a thing is a God who has no taste. And worst of all, it doesn’t sell worth beans. But, it is Good News.”

When Grace knocks, how will I respond? What Grace seeks is nothing less than a transformation of my being, and a capitulation to that transformation. It means kindness to myself, to those closest to me, because we’re all kept afloat in the same hole-ridden boat by an unimaginable ocean of grace and love. It wipes away the need for entitlement, for possession, because all I have, all I am, may never be mine to begin with. It produces an antiphony of gratitude between Grace and the grace-e, that we are blessed because we have been given, daily, immeasurably, without fear of shame or guilt.

That is why I tremble. Because how can anyone, least of all I, ever respond to the immensity of Grace? My pride, my pains, my ego, my dreams, my weaknesses are too much to let go of. In a world that tells me I only get and give what is deserved, how will I ever be grace-full?

It is why the ordinary stories of Elizabeth, Mary and Zechariah are very much extraordinary. On the receiving of their gifts, they let go, and celebrated, sang, danced, exclaimed, worried not about what they were missing out on. To them, the gifts and mercies of God shone upon them like the brightest sun, and they were saved. Nothing else mattered.

Grace requires me to surrender. I give up my ideas and my rights, in work and in bonds, and rely on His gifts. As Paul writes, grace becomes enough. She’s all I need. The weaker I become, the stronger I become. And in turn, it becomes a celebration of one simple truth: God has given.

Father, I am so, so grateful for 2018. It was indeed a gift. There were so many things I couldn’t have made happen by myself, so many lessons you brought me through. Thank you. Thank you so much.

I am weak. But you say, when I am weak, I am strong.

I dedicate 2019 to you. Let 2019 be a year of grace. That in all I receive — the work, the relationships, the things I’ll need to learn — all are gifts.

I ask that grace fill me like water into every room, every habit. That I will let grace change me. Change my relationships, change my work, change my dreams. That I will show grace, to myself, then to others.

That I will be broken by grace, wrestle with grace, sing by grace, that grace will shine in all my darkest days, be the reason for all my unexpected glories, light up the path ahead, and take all my fears and use it to wash me white as snow.

That, at the end of 2019, I will look back and say, God has given.

Amen.

“Grazie signore, for your lips twisted in love to accommodate my sinful self, for judging me not by my shabby good deeds, but by your love that is your gift to me, for your unbearable forgiveness and infinite patience with me, for other people who have greater gifts than mine, and for the honesty to acknowledge that I am a ragamuffin. When the final curtain falls and you summon me home, may my last whispered word on earth be the wholehearted cry, “Grazie signore.” — Brennan Manning, “The Ragamuffin Gospel”

#devotions #2019

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quotespicture · 6 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://quoteswithpicture.com/90-success-quotes-you-ought-to-have-tattooed-on-your-arm/

90 Success Quotes You Ought to Have Tattooed On Your Arm!

Today we have 90 of the Beefiest Success & Motivation Quotes you should have tattooed on your body.

Add these quotes on your wallpaper, iPhone, or anywhere else you’d read through them and live by these religiously. Without a doubt these quotes are also ideal for tattoos to motivate you for extreme success!

Below are 90 Success Quotes You Should Have Tattooed On Your Arm:

1. “When it looks impossible and you are ready to quit, victory is near!” – Tony Robbins

2. “Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.” – Jerry Rice

3. “Losers quit when they’re tired. Winners quit when they’ve won.” – Unknown

4. “The Man Who Has Confidence In Himself Gains The Confidence Of Others.” – Hasidic Proverb

5. “To get something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” – Unknown

6. “Some people dream of success… others stay awake to achieve it.” – Unknown

7. ”You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretzky

8. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs

9. “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan

10. “It took us so long to realize that a purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.” – Kurt Vonnegut

11. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

12. “You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” – Beverly Sills

13. “Do what you can with what you’ve got wherever you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt

14. “Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.” – Henry Van Dyke

15. “It is not length of Life, but depth of life.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

16. “See the Invisible, Believe the Incredible, Achieve the Impossible.” – Joel Brown

17. “You build walls & boundaries when you give into your mind. Fear nothing & take control of who you are & who you are meant to be” – Joel Brown

18. “We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere.” – Tim McGraw

19. “Laughter is the music of life.” – Sir William Osler

20. “In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true either is true or becomes true.” – John Lilly

21. “Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson afterward.” – Unknown

22. “Friendship makes prosperity more shining and lessens adversity by dividing and sharing it.” – Cicero

23. “In the giving-is the getting.” – David Matoc

24. “The impossible is often the untried.” – Jim Goodwin

25. “Anyone can become angry-that is easy, but to become angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way-that is not easy.” – Aristotle

26. “Character, in great and little things, means carrying through what you feel able to do.” – Goethe

27. “Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” – Will Rogers

28. “My religion is very simple, my religion is kindness.” – Dalai Lama

29. “The important thing is to not stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein

30. “It’s not your circumstances that shape you, it’s how you react to your circumstances.” – Anne Ortlund

31. “The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.” – Abraham Lincoln

32. “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” – Buddha

33. “It takes strength to be gentle and kind.” – Stephen Morrisey

34. “A hero is a person who does what he or she can.” – Roman Rolland

35. “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matter compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

36. “Where there is unity there is always victory.” – Publilius Syrus

37. “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” – E. Hubbard

38. “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” – Jordan Belfort

39. “Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.” – Victoria Holt

40. “It’s not denial. I’m selective about the reality I accept.” – Calvin

41. “The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.” – Madeleine L’Engle

42. “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” – Mother Teresa

43. “I like nonsense,it wakens up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” – Dr. Seuss

44. “A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” – Herm Albright

45. “Nothing is worth more than this day.” – Goethe

46. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

47. “If at first you don’t succeed, you’re running about average.” – M.H. Alderson

48. “Life is like a ten speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use.” – Charles Schultz

49. “There is nothing permanent except change.” – Heraditus

50. “The miracle is this; the more we share, the more we have.” – Leonard Nimoy

51. “Out of clutter, find simplicity; from discord, find harmony; in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

52. “Hope is like a road in the country. There never was a road; but, when many people walk together, the road comes into existence.” – From the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

53. “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. Especially when that time will pass you by anyway.” – Unknown

54. “Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.” – John Updike, 1989, U.S. author & critic

55. “Our greatest glory is not failing, but in rising every time we fail.” – Confucius

56. “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” – John Wooden

57. “Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so, it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are.” – Henry Van Dyke

58. “A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.“ – Jonathan Swift

59. “The pain you feel today is the strength you feel tomorrow.” – Unknown

60. “Worry is as useless as a handle on a snowball.” – Mitzi Chandler

61. “The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It;s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the wind and rains and the scorching sun.” – Napoleon Hill

62. “It’s not the load that breaks you down; it’s the way you carry it.” – Lena Horne

63. “Keep you face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.” – Helen Keller

64. “If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward your always in the same place.” – Nora Roberts

65. “A good hand and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” – Nelson Mandela

66. “There are two ways of exerting ones strength; one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.” – Booker T. Washington

67. “Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” – John Maxwell

68. “A person that values it’s privileges above its principles soon loses both.” – Dwight Eisenhower

69. “It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.” – Robert H. Goddard

70. “Never deprive someone of hope; it may be all they have.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.

71. “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” – Sir Winston Churchill

72. “It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret” – Jackie Joyner-Kersee

73. “We all have a few failures under our belt. It’s what makes us ready for the successes.” – Randy K. Milholland

74. “Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.” – Anonymous

75. “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – The Dalai Lama

76. “A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose – a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve.” – John Maxwell

77. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” – Albert Einstein

78. “The faintest ink is better than the best memory” – Unknown

79. “Every dog must have his day.“ – Jonathan Swift

80. “Dear tomorrow, do whatever you want to do. I have already lived my today and I am not afraid of you anymore .” – Unknown

81. “The Pessimist Sees Difficulty In Every Opportunity. The Optimist Sees Opportunity In Every Difficulty.” – Winston Churchill

82. “Don’t Let Yesterday Take Up Too Much Of Today.” – Will Rogers

83. “You Learn More From Failure Than From Success. Don’t Let It Stop You. Failure Builds Character.” – Unknown

84. “It’s Not Whether You Get Knocked Down, It’s Whether You Get Up.” – Vince Lombardi

85. “If You Are Working On Something That You Really Care About, You Don’t Have To Be Pushed. The Vision Pulls You.” – Steve Jobs

86. “People Who Are Crazy Enough To Think They Can Change The World, Are The Ones Who Do.” – Rob Siltanen

87. “Failure Will Never Overtake Me If My Determination To Succeed Is Strong Enough.” – Og Mandino

88. “Entrepreneurs Are Great At Dealing With Uncertainty And Also Very Good At Minimizing Risk. That’s The Classic Entrepreneur.” – Mohnish Pabrai

89. “We May Encounter Many Defeats But We Must Not Be Defeated.” – Maya Angelou

90. “Imagine Your Life Is Perfect In Every Respect; What Would It Look Like?” – Brian Tracy

Which one of these quotes do you like the most?

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bjornjernskjold-blog · 7 years ago

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Hávamál-The words of Odin the high one from the Elder or Poetic Edda(Sæmund's Edda) translated by Olive Bray

Wisdom for Wanderers and Counsel to Guests

1. At every door-way, ere one enters, one should spy round, one should pry round for uncertain is the witting that there be no foeman sitting, within, before one on the floor

2. Hail, ye Givers! a guest is come; say! where shall he sit within? Much pressed is he who fain on the hearth would seek for warmth and weal.

3. He hath need of fire, who now is come, numbed with cold to the knee; food and clothing the wanderer craves who has fared o'er the rimy fell.

4. He craves for water, who comes for refreshment, drying and friendly bidding, marks of good will, fair fame if 'tis won, and welcome once and again.

5. He hath need of his wits who wanders wide, aught simple will serve at home; but a gazing-stock is the fool who sits mid the wise, and nothing knows.

6. Let no man glory in the greatness of his mind, but rather keep watch o'er his wits. Cautious and silent let him enter a dwelling; to the heedful comes seldom harm, for none can find a more faithful friend than the wealth of mother wit.

7. Let the wary stranger who seeks refreshment keep silent with sharpened hearing; with his ears let him listen, and look with his eyes; thus each wise man spies out the way.

8. Happy is he who wins for himself fair fame and kindly words; but uneasy is that which a man doth own while it lies in another's breast.

9. Happy is he who hath in himself praise and wisdom in life; for oft doth a man ill counsel get when 'tis born in another's breast.

10. A better burden can no man bear on the way than his mother wit; 'tis the refuge of the poor, and richer it seems than wealth in a world untried.

11. A better burden can no man bear on the way than his mother wit: and no worse provision can he carry with him than too deep a draught of ale.

12. Less good than they say for the sons of men is the drinking oft of ale: for the more they drink, the less can they think and keep a watch o'er their wits.

13. A bird of Unmindfulness flutters o'er ale feasts, wiling away men's wits: with the feathers of that fowl I was fettered once in the garths of Gunnlos below.

14. Drunk was I then, I was over drunk in that crafty Jötun's court. But best is an ale feast when man is able to call back his wits at once.

15. Silent and thoughtful and bold in strife the prince's bairn should be. Joyous and generous let each man show him until he shall suffer death.

16. 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.

17. A fool will gape when he goes to a friend, and mumble only, or mope; but pass him the ale cup and all in a moment the mind of that man is shown.

18. He knows alone who has wandered wide, and far has fared on the way, what manner of mind a man doth own who is wise of head and heart.

19. Keep not the mead cup but drink thy measure; speak needful words or none: none shall upbraid thee for lack of breeding if soon thou seek'st thy rest.

20. A greedy man, if he be not mindful, eats to his own life's hurt: oft the belly of the fool will bring him to scorn when he seeks the circle of the wise.

21. Herds know the hour of their going home and turn them again from the grass; but never is found a foolish man who knows the measure of his maw.

22. The miserable man and evil minded makes of all things mockery, and knows not that which he best should know, that he is not free from faults.

23. The unwise man is awake all night, and ponders everything over; when morning comes he is weary in mind, and all is a burden as ever.

24. The unwise man weens all who smile and flatter him are his friends, nor notes how oft they speak him ill when he sits in the circle of the wise.

25. The unwise man weens all who smile and flatter him are his friends; but when he shall come into court he shall find there are few to defend his cause.

26. 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.

27. 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.

28. Wise he is deemed who can question well, and also answer back: the sons of men can no secret make of the tidings told in their midst.

29. Too many unstable words are spoken by him who ne'er holds his peace; the hasty tongue sings its own mishap if it be not bridled in.

30. Let no man be held as a laughing-stock, though he come as guest for a meal: wise enough seem many while they sit dry-skinned and are not put to proof.

31. A guest thinks him witty who mocks at a guest and runs from his wrath away; but none can be sure who jests at a meal that he makes not fun among foes.

32. Oft, though their hearts lean towards one another, friends are divided at table; ever the source of strife 'twill be, that guest will anger guest.

33. A man should take always his meals betimes unless he visit a friend, or he sits and mopes, and half famished seems, and can ask or answer nought.

34. Long is the round to a false friend leading, e'en if he dwell on the way: but though far off fared, to a faithful friend straight are the roads and short.

35. A guest must depart again on his way, nor stay in the same place ever; if he bide too long on another's bench the loved one soon becomes loathed.

36. One's own house is best, though small it may be; each man is master at home; though he have but two goats and a bark-thatched hut 'tis better than craving a boon.

37. One's own house is best, though small it may be, each man is master at home; with a bleeding heart will he beg, who must, his meat at every meal.

38. Let a man never stir on his road a step without his weapons of war; for unsure is the knowing when need shall arise of a spear on the way without.

39. I found none so noble or free with his food, who was not gladdened with a gift, nor one who gave of his gifts such store but he loved reward, could he win it.

40. Let no man stint him and suffer need of the wealth he has won in life; oft is saved for a foe what was meant for a friend, and much goes worse than one weens.

41. With raiment and arms shall friends gladden each other, so has one proved oneself; for friends last longest, if fate be fair who give and give again.

42. To his friend a man should bear him as friend, and gift for gift bestow, laughter for laughter let him exchange, but leasing pay for a lie.

43. To his friend a man should bear him as friend, to him and a friend of his; but let him beware that he be not the friend of one who is friend to his foe.

44. Hast thou a friend whom thou trustest well, from whom thou cravest good? Share thy mind with him, gifts exchange with him, fare to find him oft.

45. But hast thou one whom thou trustest ill yet from whom thou cravest good? Thou shalt speak him fair, but falsely think, and leasing pay for a lie.

46. Yet further of him whom thou trusted ill, and whose mind thou dost misdoubt; thou shalt laugh with him but withhold thy thought, for gift with like gift should be paid.

47. Young was I once, I walked alone, and bewildered seemed in the way; then I found me another and rich I thought me, for man is the joy of man.

48. Most blest is he who lives free and bold and nurses never a grief, for the fearful man is dismayed by aught, and the mean one mourns over giving.

49. My garments once I gave in the field to two land-marks made as men; heroes they seemed when once they were clothed; 'tis the naked who suffer shame!

50. The pine tree wastes which is perched on the hill, nor bark nor needles shelter it; such is the man whom none doth love; for what should he longer live?

51. Fiercer than fire among ill friends for five days love will burn; bun anon 'tis quenched, when the sixth day comes, and all friendship soon is spoiled.

52. Not great things alone must one give to another, praise oft is earned for nought; with half a loaf and a tilted bowl I have found me many a friend.

53. Little the sand if little the seas, little are minds of men, for ne'er in the world were all equally wise, 'tis shared by the fools and the sage.

54. Wise in measure let each man be; but let him not wax too wise; for never the happiest of men is he who knows much of many things.

55. Wise in measure should each man be; but let him not wax too wise; seldom a heart will sing with joy if the owner be all too wise.

56. Wise in measure should each man be, but ne'er let him wax too wise: who looks not forward to learn his fate unburdened heart will bear.

57. Brand kindles from brand until it be burned, spark is kindled from spark, man unfolds him by speech with man, but grows over secret through silence.

58. He must rise betimes who fain of another or life or wealth would win; scarce falls the prey to sleeping wolves, or to slumberers victory in strife.

59. He must rise betimes who hath few to serve him, and see to his work himself; who sleeps at morning is hindered much, to the keen is wealth half-won.

60. Of dry logs saved and roof-bark stored a man can know the measure, of fire-wood too which should last him out quarter and half years to come.

61. Fed and washed should one ride to court though in garments none too new; thou shalt not shame thee for shoes or breeks, nor yet for a sorry steed.

62. Like an eagle swooping over old ocean, snatching after his prey, so comes a man into court who finds there are few to defend his cause.

63. Each man who is wise and would wise be called must ask and answer aright. Let one know thy secret, but never a second, -- if three a thousand shall know.

64. A wise counselled man will be mild in bearing and use his might in measure, lest when he come his fierce foes among he find others fiercer than he.

65. Each man should be watchful and wary in speech, and slow to put faith in a friend. for the words which one to another speaks he may win reward of ill.

66. At many a feast I was far too late, and much too soon at some; drunk was the ale or yet unserved: never hits he the joint who is hated.

67. Here and there to a home I had haply been asked had I needed no meat at my meals, or were two hams left hanging in the house of that friend where I had partaken of one.

68. Most dear is fire to the sons of men, most sweet the sight of the sun; good is health if one can but keep it, and to live a life without shame.

69. Not reft of all is he who is ill, for some are blest in their bairns, some in their kin and some in their wealth, and some in working well.

70. More blest are the living than the lifeless, 'tis the living who come by the cow; I saw the hearth-fire burn in the rich man's hall and himself lying dead at the door.

71. The lame can ride horse, the handless drive cattle, the deaf one can fight and prevail, 'tis happier for the blind than for him on the bale-fire, but no man hath care for a corpse.

72. Best have a son though he be late born and before him the father be dead: seldom are stones on the wayside raised save by kinsmen to kinsmen.

73. Two are hosts against one, the tongue is the head's bane, 'neath a rough hide a hand may be hid; he is glad at nightfall who knows of his lodging, short is the ship's berth, and changeful the autumn night, much veers the wind ere the fifth day and blows round yet more in a month.

74. He that learns nought will never know how one is the fool of another, for if one be rich another is poor and for that should bear no blame.

75. Cattle die and kinsmen die, thyself too soon must die, but one thing never, I ween, will die, -- fair fame of one who has earned.

76. Cattle die and kinsmen die, thyself too soon must die, but one thing never, I ween, will die, -- the doom on each one dead.

77. Full-stocked folds had the Fatling's sons, who bear now a beggar's staff: brief is wealth, as the winking of an eye, most faithless ever of friends.

78. If haply a fool should find for himself wealth or a woman's love, pride waxes in him but wisdom never and onward he fares in his folly.

79. All will prove true that thou askest of runes -- those that are come from the gods, which the high Powers wrought, and which Odin painted: then silence is surely best.

Maxims for All Men

81. Hew wood in wind, sail the seas in a breeze, woo a maid in the dark, -- for day's eyes are many, -- work a ship for its gliding, a shield for its shelter, a sword for its striking, a maid for her kiss;

82. Drink ale by the fire, but slide on the ice; buy a steed when 'tis lanky, a sword when 'tis rusty; feed thy horse neath a roof, and thy hound in the yard.

83. The speech of a maiden should no man trust nor the words which a woman says; for their hearts were shaped on a whirling wheel and falsehood fixed in their breasts.

84. Breaking bow, or flaring flame, ravening wolf, or croaking raven, routing swine, or rootless tree, waxing wave, or seething cauldron,

85. flying arrows, or falling billow, ice of a nighttime, coiling adder, woman's bed-talk, or broken blade, play of bears or a prince's child,

86. sickly calf or self-willed thrall, witch's flattery, new-slain foe, brother's slayer, though seen on the highway, half burned house, or horse too swift -- be never so trustful as these to trust.

87. Let none put faith in the first sown fruit nor yet in his son too soon; whim rules the child, and weather the field, each is open to chance.

88. Like the love of women whose thoughts are lies is the driving un-roughshod o'er slippery ice of a two year old, ill-tamed and gay; or in a wild wind steering a helmless ship, or the lame catching reindeer in the rime-thawed fell.

Lessons for Lovers

90. -- Let him speak soft words and offer wealth who longs for a woman's love, praise the shape of the shining maid -- he wins who thus doth woo.

91. -- Never a whit should one blame another whom love hath brought into bonds: oft a witching form will fetch the wise which holds not the heart of fools.

92. Never a whit should one blame another for a folly which many befalls; the might of love makes sons of men into fools who once were wise.

93. The mind knows alone what is nearest the heart and sees where the soul is turned: no sickness seems to the wise so sore as in nought to know content.

Odin's Love Quests

95. Billing's daughter I found on her bed, fairer than sunlight sleeping, and the sweets of lordship seemed to me nought, save I lived with that lovely form.

96. "Yet nearer evening come thou, Odin, if thou wilt woo a maiden: all were undone save two knew alone such a secret deed of shame."

97. So away I turned from my wise intent, and deemed my joy assured, for all her liking and all her love I weened that I yet should win.

98. When I came ere long the war troop bold were watching and waking all: with burning brands and torches borne they showed me my sorrowful way.

99. Yet nearer morning I went, once more, -- the housefolk slept in the hall, but soon I found a barking dog tied fast to that fair maid's couch.

100. Many a sweet maid when one knows her mind is fickle found towards men: I proved it well when that prudent lass I sought to lead astray: shrewd maid, she sought me with every insult and I won therewith no wife.

Odin's Quest after the Song Mead

102. I sought that old Jötun, now safe am I back, little served my silence there; but whispering many soft speeches I won my desire in Suttung's halls.

103. I bored me a road there with Rati's tusk and made room to pass through the rock; while the ways of the Jötuns stretched over and under, I dared my life for a draught.

104. 'Twas Gunnlod who gave me on a golden throne a draught of the glorious mead, but with poor reward did I pay her back for her true and troubled heart.

105. In a wily disguise I worked my will; little is lacking to the wise, for the Soul-stirrer now, sweet Mead of Song, is brought to men's earthly abode.

106. I misdoubt me if ever again I had come from the realms of the Jötun race, had I not served me of Gunnlod, sweet woman, her whom I held in mine arms.

107. Came forth, next day, the dread Frost Giants, and entered the High One's Hall: they asked -- was the Baleworker back mid the Powers, or had Suttung slain him below?

108. A ring-oath Odin I trow had taken -- how shall one trust his troth? 'twas he who stole the mead from Suttung, and Gunnlod caused to weep.

The Counseling of the Stray-Singer

110. Of runes they spoke, and the reading of runes was little withheld from their lips: at the High One's hall, in the High One's hall, I thus heard the High One say: --

111. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: rise never at nighttime, except thou art spying or seekest a spot without.

112. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: thou shalt never sleep in the arms of a sorceress, lest she should lock thy limbs;

113. So shall she charm that thou shalt not heed the council, or words of the king, nor care for thy food, or the joys of mankind, but fall into sorrowful sleep.

114. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: seek not ever to draw to thyself in love-whispering another's wife.

115. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: should thou long to fare over fell and firth provide thee well with food.

116. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: tell not ever an evil man if misfortunes thee befall, from such ill friend thou needst never seek return for thy trustful mind.

117. Wounded to death, have I seen a man by the words of an evil woman; a lying tongue had bereft him of life, and all without reason of right.

118. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: hast thou a friend whom thou trustest well, fare thou to find him oft; for with brushwood grows and with grasses high the path where no foot doth pass.

119. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: in sweet converse call the righteous to thy side, learn a healing song while thou livest.

120. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: be never the first with friend of thine to break the bond of fellowship; care shall gnaw thy heart if thou canst not tell all thy mind to another.

121. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: never in speech with a foolish knave shouldst thou waste a single word.

122. From the lips of such thou needst not look for reward of thine own good will; but a righteous man by praise will render thee firm in favour and love.

123. There is mingling in friendship when man can utter all his whole mind to another; there is nought so vile as a fickle tongue; no friend is he who but flatters.

124. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: oft the worst lays the best one low.

125. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: be not a shoemaker nor yet a shaft maker save for thyself alone: let the shoe be misshapen, or crooked the shaft, and a curse on thy head will be called.

126. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: when in peril thou seest thee, confess thee in peril, nor ever give peace to thy foes.

127. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: rejoice not ever at tidings of ill, but glad let thy soul be in good.

128. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: look not up in battle, when men are as beasts, lest the wights bewitch thee with spells.

129. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: wouldst thou win joy of a gentle maiden, and lure to whispering of love, thou shalt make fair promise, and let it be fast, -- none will scorn their weal who can win it.

130. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: I pray thee be wary, yet not too wary, be wariest of all with ale, with another's wife, and a third thing eke, that knaves outwit thee never.

131. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: hold not in scorn, nor mock in thy halls a guest or wandering wight.

132. They know but unsurely who sit within what manner of man is come: none is found so good, but some fault attends him, or so ill but he serves for somewhat.

133. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: hold never in scorn the hoary singer; oft the counsel of the old is good; come words of wisdom from the withered lips of him left to hang among hides, to rock with the rennets and swing with the skins.

134. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: growl not at guests, nor drive them from the gate but show thyself gentle to the poor.

135. Mighty is the bar to be moved away for the entering in of all. Shower thy wealth, or men shall wish thee every ill in thy limbs.

136. I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey'st them, they will work thy weal if thou win'st them: when ale thou quaffest, call upon earth's might -- 'tis earth drinks in the floods. Earth prevails o'er drink, but fire o'er sickness, the oak o'er binding, the earcorn o'er witchcraft, the rye spur o'er rupture, the moon o'er rages, herb o'er cattle plagues, runes o'er harm.

Odin's Quest after the Runes

138. None refreshed me ever with food or drink, I peered right down in the deep; crying aloud I lifted the Runes then back I fell from thence.

139. Nine mighty songs I learned from the great son of Bale-thorn, Bestla's sire; I drank a measure of the wondrous Mead, with the Soulstirrer's drops I was showered.

140. Ere long I bare fruit, and throve full well, I grew and waxed in wisdom; word following word, I found me words, deed following deed, I wrought deeds.

141. Hidden Runes shalt thou seek and interpreted signs, many symbols of might and power, by the great Singer painted, by the high Powers fashioned, graved by the Utterer of gods.

142. For gods graved Odin, for elves graved Daïn, Dvalin the Dallier for dwarfs, All-wise for Jötuns, and I, of myself, graved some for the sons of men.

143. Dost know how to write, dost know how to read, dost know how to paint, dost know how to prove, dost know how to ask, dost know how to offer, dost know how to send, dost know how to spend?

144. Better ask for too little than offer too much, like the gift should be the boon; better not to send than to overspend. ........ Thus Odin graved ere the world began; Then he rose from the deep, and came again.

The Song of Spells

146. A second I know, which the son of men must sing, who would heal the sick.

147. A third I know: if sore need should come of a spell to stay my foes; when I sing that song, which shall blunt their swords, nor their weapons nor staves can wound.

148. A fourth I know: if men make fast in chains the joints of my limbs, when I sing that song which shall set me free, spring the fetters from hands and feet.

149. A fifth I know: when I see, by foes shot, speeding a shaft through the host, flies it never so strongly I still can stay it, if I get but a glimpse of its flight.

150. A sixth I know: when some thane would harm me in runes on a moist tree's root, on his head alone shall light the ills of the curse that he called upon mine.

151. A seventh I know: if I see a hall high o'er the bench-mates blazing, flame it ne'er so fiercely I still can save it, -- I know how to sing that song.

152. An eighth I know: which all can sing for their weal if they learn it well; where hate shall wax 'mid the warrior sons, I can calm it soon with that song.

153. A ninth I know: when need befalls me to save my vessel afloat, I hush the wind on the stormy wave, and soothe all the sea to rest.

154. A tenth I know: when at night the witches ride and sport in the air, such spells I weave that they wander home out of skins and wits bewildered.

155. An eleventh I know: if haply I lead my old comrades out to war, I sing 'neath the shields, and they fare forth mightily safe into battle, safe out of battle, and safe return from the strife.

156. A twelfth I know: if I see in a tree a corpse from a halter hanging, such spells I write, and paint in runes, that the being descends and speaks.

157. A thirteenth I know: if the new-born son of a warrior I sprinkle with water, that youth will not fail when he fares to war, never slain shall he bow before sword.

158. A fourteenth I know: if I needs must number the Powers to the people of men, I know all the nature of gods and of elves which none can know untaught.

159. A fifteenth I know, which Folk-stirrer sang, the dwarf, at the gates of Dawn; he sang strength to the gods, and skill to the elves, and wisdom to Odin who utters.

160. A sixteenth I know: when all sweetness and love I would win from some artful wench, her heart I turn, and the whole mind change of that fair-armed lady I love.

161. A seventeenth I know: so that e'en the shy maiden is slow to shun my love.

162. These songs, Stray-Singer, which man's son knows not, long shalt thou lack in life, though thy weal if thou win'st them, thy boon if thou obey'st them thy good if haply thou gain'st them.

163. An eighteenth I know: which I ne'er shall tell to maiden or wife of man save alone to my sister, or haply to her who folds me fast in her arms; most safe are secrets known to but one- the songs are sung to an end.

164. Now the sayings of the High One are uttered in the hall for the weal of men, for the woe of Jötuns, Hail, thou who hast spoken! Hail, thou that knowest! Hail, ye that have hearkened! Use, thou who hast learned!

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