He must think carefully before boasting or making a promise. A warrior must not be weak, foolish, or cowardly. A wise man must be patient, emotionally stable, and careful about what he says. Therefore, says the earth-stepper, he isn't sure why he doesn't despair when he thinks deeply about the life of men – how warriors abandoned their hall very suddenly, how this earth continues to decline.Ī man cannot be wise until he is very old, says the earth-stepper. When he remembers the good old days, his exile on the sea only seems sadder. When he awakes, though, all he sees are waves and sea-birds bathing. When the friendless exile sleeps, says the earth-stepper, he dreams about being back in the hall, embracing and kissing his lord just as he did in the times when he received treasure from his old boss. The friendless exile remembers better times – partying in the mead-hall, feasting among friends and with his lord. Instead of receiving gold or fame, this person experiences only the path of exile and a frozen body. The earth-stepper says that everyone who has been a friendless exile knows how miserable it is when sorrow is your only friend. Now, says the earth-stepper, he's looking for a new lord (as in, a big-time landowner who rules an area), someone to hang out with him and give him treasure. A sad and weary mind never does anyone any good, so he counsels "glory-seekers" to bind their thoughts within, just as he has had to do ever since his lord was killed. This reflection that prompts him to share with us a "truth" – that it's good for a person to lock his thoughts within himself. He says that no one remains alive to whom he dares speak his mind. He remembers the hardships he has faced, including the slaughter of his relatives. He says the lines that follow as the speech of an "earth-stepper," who is probably this same "lone-dweller" we've just met. The first speaker in the poem introduces us to a "lone-dweller," whom he says is hoping for God's mercy and favor despite being condemned to travel alone over an ice-cold sea.
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