Óvinum þínum trú þú aldrigi,
þótt fagrt mæli fyr þér;
góðu þú heit; gótt er annars
víti hafa at varnaði.
Trú þú aldrigi óvinum þínum, þótt mæli fagrt fyr þér; heit þú góðu; gótt er hafa annars víti at varnaði.
Never trust your enemies, though they speak fair words to you; promise good things; it is good to have another’s punishment as a warning.
[3] þótt: om. 167b 6ˣ
[3] þótt fagrt mæli fyr þér ‘though they speak fair words to you’: The l. requires alliteration on <f>, not <þ>. Most eds regularise (so Skj B, Skald) by using the more archaic form of the prep. fyrir (which receives full stress) and deleting þér. For the sentiment, cf. Hsv 42/2-3: þótt fagrt mæli | þarftu eigi þeim at trúa ‘though they speak well, you need not trust in them’.