Stanza 41

Original Old Norse:

Vápnum ok váðum

skulu vinir gleðjask

þat er á sjalfum sýnst

viðr gefendr ok endrgefendr

erusk vinir lengst,

ef þat bíðr at verða vel

Auden & Taylor:

With presents friends should please each other,

With a shield or a costly coat:

Mutual giving makes for friendship

So long as life goes well,

Bellows:

Friends shall gladden each other | with arms and garments,

As each for himself can see;

Gift-givers' friendships | are longest found,

If fair their fates may be.

Bray:

With raiment and arms shall friends gladden each other,

so has one proved oneself;

for friends last longest, if fate be fair

who give and give again.

Chisholm:

Friends should share joy in weapons

and clothes that are evident to one another.

Those who share gifts stay the fastest friends,

when things go well.

Hollander:

With presents friends should please each other,

With a shield or a costly coat:

Mutual giving makes for friendship

So long as life goes well,

Terry:

Give your friends gifts -- they're as glad as you are

to wear new clothes and weapons;

frequent giving makes friendships last,

if the exchange is equal.

Thorpe:

With arms and vestments

friends should each other gladden,

those which are in themselves most sightly.

Givers and requiters

are longest friends,

if all [else] goes well.

In this stanza, we look at the value of giving gifts. Oft times, giving is done in an effort to please the reciever, please the giver, or out of percieved requirement. How often have you given a gift simply because it was expected of you? Birthdays, Valentine's, Grandparents Day.. Many of these are gift giving times where we do so out of obligation, not neccesarily ou of the desire to give. There are other times, however, when we WANT to give gifts. To me, this stanza is discussing those times. Give to your friends. Give freely. Enjoy their joy at recieving the gifts. But be careful.. some will take and take and take, without giving back. We all have that friend which uses our good will without recipricating it. Be wary of those..