Gef þú auð, jöfurr, ef þú örr þykkiz;
þágu gull gumar, ok geraz þér vel hollir.
En, ef maðr metnaz við mildings síðu,
sýn leiðum þitt lyndi ok láttu hann sneypu hljóta.
Gef þú auð, jöfurr, ef þú þykkiz örr; gumar þágu gull, ok geraz þér vel hollir. En, ef maðr metnaz við síðu mildings, sýn leiðum lyndi þitt ok láttu hann hljóta sneypu.
Give riches, prince, if you would be thought open-handed; [if] men have received gold and then they become very loyal to you. But if a man at the ruler’s side puffs himself up, show the loathsome one your temper and let him have disgrace as his portion.
[3] gumar: so ÍBR5ˣ, gunnar 109a IIIˣ, papp6ˣ
[3] gumar ‘men’: The reading of ÍBR5ˣ, a ms. not used by Finnur Jónsson in Skj A, who emends the other mss’ gunnar to gumnar. Both gumar and gumnar occur as the nom. pl. of gumi ‘man’.