Step 5 of 12 · Appetite, Ale and Measure
What the ale cup shows
Why this step
Stanzas 17 to 19 add what drink reveals. A fool mumbles at a friend’s house until he is handed the ale cup, and then his mind is shown. The counsel that follows is a measure, not a ban: do not hold on to the mead cup, drink your measure, say what is needed or nothing, and go to your rest early without fear of blame.
The text, stanzas 17–19
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.
- 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 17–19 (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.
From the Lorebook
A shy fool is silent until the ale cup is passed, and then his mind is shown. Drink your measure, say what is needed, and go to your rest.
Questions to sit with
- What does an evening of company show about you that a quiet day does not?