Stanza 59

Original Old Norse:

Ár skal rísa

sá er á yrkendr fá

ok ganga síns verka á vit

mart um dvelr

þann er um morgin sefr 

hálfr er auðr und hvötum

Auden & Taylor:

Early shall he rise who rules few servants, 

And set to work at once:

Much is lost by the late sleeper, 

Wealth is won by the swift,

Bellows:

He must early go forth | whose workers are few,

Himself his work to seek;

Much remains undone | for the morning-sleeper,

For the swift is wealth half won.

Bray:

He must rise betimes who hath few to serve him, 

and see to his work himself; 

who sleeps at morning is hindered much, 

to the keen is wealth half-won.

Chisholm:

He should rise early who has few workers

to see to his work himself.

He loses much who sleeps in the morning.

Half of wealth is gotten by initiative.

Hollander:

Betimes must rise who few reapers has,

and see to the work himself;

much will miss in the morn who sleeps;

for the brisk the race is half run.

Terry:

Get up early if you have few men,

and attend to your tasks yourself;

much slips by while you lie in bed --

work is half of wealth.

Thorpe:

Early should rise

he who has few workers,

and go his work to see to;

greatly is he retarded

who sleeps the morn away.

Wealth half depends on energy.

In typical Nordic litotes, to have 'few workers' is to have only yourself. Rise up early and don't procrastinate, because there is no one else you can count on. Half delayed is half unpaid! While this may seem more puritan than viking, they have in common a harsh life with a lot of tedious chores to maintain food and comfort. When I lived on the ranch, we were up before the sun every morning, to get chores done. If you slacked, and waited until YOU were ready, the live stock suffered from lack of proper care.