Hávamál
The way to a friend, and when to leave
The road to a false friend is long even if he lives nearby; the road to a true friend is short even when far. A guest must go home before he is loathed.
Reference: stanzas 34–35 (Bray’s numbering) (The Elder or Poetic Edda, Commonly Known as Sæmund’s Edda, part I: The Mythological Poems)
The text, stanzas 34–35
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.
- Olive Bray (editor and translator), The Elder or Poetic Edda, Commonly Known as Sæmund’s Edda, part I: The Mythological Poems (opens in a new tab) (1908), stanzas 34–35 (Bray’s numbering) Rights: Public domain. Published in 1908, so in the public domain in the United States. Text as edited online by D. L. Ashliman, Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts, University of Pittsburgh.
In plain English
The way is long to a false friend, even if he lives right on the road. But to a faithful friend, even if he is far away, the roads are straight and short.
A guest must leave again and not stay in the same place for ever. If he stays too long on another man’s bench, the one he loved soon becomes loathed.
- Olive Bray (editor and translator), The Elder or Poetic Edda, Commonly Known as Sæmund’s Edda, part I: The Mythological Poems (opens in a new tab) (1908), stanzas 34–35 (Bray’s numbering) Rights: Public domain. Published in 1908, so in the public domain in the United States. Text as edited online by D. L. Ashliman, Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts, University of Pittsburgh.
Modern interpretation
Today this is often read as a point about effort, distance and friendship, and about knowing when a visit has lasted long enough. That is a modern reading.
Questions to sit with
- Whose house would you walk a long way to reach? Whose have you stayed in too long?