Stanza 66

Original Old Norse:

Mikilsti snemma

kom ek í marga staði 

en til síð í suma

öl var drukkit 

sumt var ólagat

sjaldan hittir leiðr í lið

Auden & Taylor:

Too early to many homes I came,

Too late, it seemed, to some;

The ale was finished or else un-brewed,

The unpopular cannot please.

Bellows:

Too early to many | a meeting I came,

And some too late have I sought;

The beer was all drunk, | or not yet brewed;

Little the loathed man finds.

Bray:

At many a feast I was far too late,

and much too soon at some;

drunk was the ale or yet unserved: 

never hits he the joint who is hated.

Chisholm:

Far too early I arrived at many steads,

But too late at others,

The ale was already drunk or yet unbrewed.

The loathed find little among the folk.

Hollander:

Too late by far to some feasts i came;

to others, all too soon;

the beer was drunk, or yet unbrewed;

never hits it the hapless one aright.

Terry:

To many houses I came too early,

to others much too late:

the beer was all gone or they hadn't brewed it --

unwelcome guests find no feasts.

Thorpe:

Much too early

I came to many places,

but too late to others;

the beer was drunk,

or not ready:

the disliked seldom hits the moment.

The difficulty of being an unexpected (and often therefore, unwelcome) guest is plain here. The bare facts are bad enough: too early and the ale has not been brewed, too late and it has all been drunk already. In the larger sense, this continues the discussion of hospitality and its limits. Timing is also a factor which might well be part of your hamingja, a store of personal luck that varied greatly and could also be used up.