Stanza 47

Original Old Norse:

Ungr var ek forðum

fór ek einn saman

þá varð ek villr vega

auðigr þóttumk

er ek annan fann

maðr er manns gaman

Auden & Taylor:

Young and alone on a long road,

Once I lost my way:

Rich I felt when I found a another;

Man rejoices in man.

Bellows:

Young was I once, | and wandered alone,

And nought of the road I knew;

Rich did I feel | when a comrade I found,

For man is man's delight.

Bray:

Young was I once, I walked alone, 

and bewildered seemed in the way; 

then I found me another and rich I thought me, 

for man is the joy of man.

Chisholm:

When I was young, I once traveled alone

and lost my way.

I thought myself rich when I found another,

man rejoices in man.

Hollander:

Young was i once and went along,

and wandering lost my way;

when a friend i found i felt me rich:

man is cheered by man.

Terry:

Always as a young man I traveled alone,

and I would lose my way;

I felt I was rich if I made a friend --

no man by himself is happy.

Thorpe:

I was once young,

I was journeying alone,

and lost my way;

rich I thought myself,

when I met another.

Man is the joy of man.

Here through stanza 52 it discusses the relationship among relationships, material wealth, attitude.

Humans are social creatures. More than just the necessity of mutual support in a hostile climate, humans take joy in the company of other humans everywhere. Families, clans, crowds. Villages, towns, cities, nations.

This stanza supports a stance that Asatru is a social activity not for the solo pracitioner, though it's fairly isolated so as such it's a relatively weak support.

Asatru on the Internet has allowed heathens to find one another across the world. I was once young, and I got an account on the Internet. I was journeying alone surfing UseNet (okay, I've been on-line a lot longer than the web or mailing lists have existed), and lost my way. Rich I thought myself, when I met another. I was on the old alt.pagan because that's the closest I could find and someone used the word "Asatru". Hmmm, others like me existed! Man is the joy of man.