Unbewildered unspoilt;
They are wholesome to have:
Thrive thou with these then.
When thou hast learnt their lore,
Till the Gods end thy life-days.

"Now shalt thou choose thee
E'en as choice is bidden,
Sharp steel's root and stem,
Choose song or silence;
See to each in thy heart,
All hurt has been heeded."

Then answered Sigurd--

"Ne'er shall I flee,
Though thou wottest me fey;
Never was I born for blenching,
Thy loved rede will I
Hold aright in my heart
Even as long as I may live."

ENDNOTES:
(1) The stanzas on the two following pages were inserted here
from "Sigrdrifasmal" by the translators.
(2) Goddesses.

CHAPTER XXI. More Wise Words of Brynhild.

Sigurd spake now, "Sure no wiser woman than thou art one may be found in
the wide world; yea, yea, teach me more yet of thy wisdom!"

She answers, "Seemly is it that I do according to thy will, and show
thee forth more redes of great avail, for thy prayer's sake and thy
wisdom;" and she spake withal--

"Be kindly to friend and kin, and reward not their trespasses against
thee; bear and forbear, and win for thee thereby long enduring praise of
men.

"Take good heed of evil things: a may's love, and a man's wife; full oft
thereof doth ill befall!

"Let not thy mind be overmuch crossed by unwise men at thronged meetings
of folk; for oft these speak worse than they wot of; lest thou be called
a dastard, and art minded to think that thou art even as is said; slay
such an one on another day, and so reward his ugly talk.

"If thou farest by the way whereas bide evil things, be well ware of
thyself; take not harbour near the highway, though thou be benighted,
for oft abide there ill wights for men's bewilderment.

"Let not fair women beguile thee, such as thou mayst meet at the feast,
so that the thought thereof stand thee in stead of sleep, and a quiet
mind; yea, draw them not to thee with kisses or other sweet things of
love.

"If thou hearest the fool's word of a drunken man, strive not with him
being drunk with drink and witless; many a grief, yea, and the very
death, groweth from out such things.

"Fight thy foes in the field, nor be burnt in thine house.

'Never swear thou wrongsome oath; great and grim is the reward for the
breaking of plighted troth.

"Give kind heed to dead men,--sick-dead, Sea-dead; deal heedfully with
their