Stanza 45

Original Old Norse:

Ef þú át annan

þanns þú illa trúir

vildu af honum þó gótt geta

fagrt skalt við þann mæla

en flátt hyggja

ok gjalda lausung við lygi

Auden & Taylor:

If you deal with another you don't trust 

But wish for his good-will, 

Be fair in speech but false in thought 

And give him lie for lie.

Bellows:

If another thou hast | whom thou hardly wilt trust,

Yet good from him wouldst get,

Thou shalt speak him fair, | but falsely think,

And fraud with falsehood requite.

Bray:

But hast thou one whom thou trustest ill 

yet from whom thou cravest good?

Thou shalt speak him fair, but falsely think,

and leasing pay for a lie.

Chisholm:

If you know another and trust him not

and you want to get good from him

speak fair to him while thinking falsely

and give him lies for lies.

Hollander:

If another there be whom ill thou trusteth,

yet would'st get from him gain;

speak fair to him though false thou meanest,

and pay him lesing for lies

Terry:

If there's a man that you mistrust

and you want him to treat you well,

let your words be fair but false to your thought,

pay back lying with lies.

Thorpe:

If thou hast another,

whom thou little trustest,

yet wouldst good from him derive,

thou shouldst speak him fair,

but think craftily,

and leasing pay with lying.

After 4 consequative stanzas about reenforcing the value of friendship, now there are two stanzas on dealing with folks not trusted. As far as I can tell this means business associates, acquaintances and so on. Friendship is a sliding scale so this might include "fair weather friends" or "office friends" who you don't keep contact with after moving or changing jobs.

Speaking fairly is a way to build towards a trusted friendship. Notice that if both parties speak fairly and only *think* suspiciously eventually the suspicious thought gets old and worn and the casual relationship slowly drifts towards friendship.

The expression "speak him fair" is a fun one. It isn't speaking to his face only. It's also speaking about him to others. Don't backstab your officemates or neighbors even if you don't trust them. That sets a higher standard. and one way to build mutual trust is to have a chance to back-mouth someone, deline to do so, and have it get back to them that you stood by their good name. It's a way to gradually build trust through taking the moral high road.

Note that the "leasing pay with lying" part appears here as well as for trusted friends. I've already covered that this can't mean the same thing in the different circumstances so it must be for contrast, ease of memorization, and ease of oral recitation.

But what is truth and lying anyways? There are two sides to every story. Everyone has their own viewpoint of what happens. Is my perspective a lie just because I saw the events differently than you did?

And so this advice can be taken on many levels.

The literal level is once you know someone is not being truthfull with you don't feel the need to stay truthfull with him. It's a big step to know someone is lying and not just mistaken or biased, though. Idiots blither not lie. Lunatics babble not lie. Honest folks flub stuff not lie. None of these should be viewed as having established a pattern, but the story of the boy who cried wolf applies. Once you know there's an established pattern feel free to return it but not until. Once you know someone is an idiot blither to them. Once you know someone is a lunatic don't work at being rational with them. Once you know someone is a chonic liar don't bother with the truth with them.