Hávamál
Things in their season
Cut wood in wind, sail in a breeze, court in the dark; judge a ship by its gliding and a sword by its striking. Drink by the fire, buy a horse when it is lean and a sword when it is rusty.
Reference: stanzas 81–82 (Bray’s numbering) (The Elder or Poetic Edda, Commonly Known as Sæmund’s Edda, part I: The Mythological Poems)
The text, stanzas 81–82
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.
- 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 81–82 (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
A run of practical sayings about doing things at the right time and judging things by what they are for. Cut wood in the wind and sail in a breeze. Court a maid in the dark, because the day has many eyes. Value a ship for its gliding, a shield for its shelter, a sword for its striking, a maid for her kiss.
Drink ale by the fire, but slide on the ice. Buy a horse when it is lanky and a sword when it is rusty. Feed your horse under a roof and your hound in the yard.
- 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 81–82 (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 plain practical wisdom: judge a tool by how it does its job, and pick your moment. That is a modern reading.
Questions to sit with
- What are you judging by how it looks instead of by how it does its job?