Stanza 124

Original Old Norse:	Auden & Taylor:	Bellows:	Bray:
Sifjum er þá blandat hverr er segja ræðr einum allan hug alt er betra en sé brigðum at vera era sá vinr öðrum er vilt eitt segir	Affection is mutual when men can open All their heart to each other: He whose words are always fair Is untrue and not to be trusted.	Mingled is love | when a man can speak To another all his thought; Nought is so bad | as false to be, No friend speaks only fair.	123. There is mingling in friendship when man can utter all his whole mind to another; there is nought so vile as a fickle tongue; no friend is he who but flatters.
Chisholm:	Hollander:	Terry:	Thorpe:
When each can speak all his mind to the other, friendship is shared. Anything is better than fickleness. He is no friend, whose words are always fair.	Then love is mingled when a man can say To a bosom friend what burdens him; few things are worse than fickle mind: no friend who but speaks thee fair.	True bonds are formed where men keep faith and don't hide their hearts. Anything is better than a breach of friendship -- a real friend will say what you'd rather not hear.	126. There is a mingling of affection, where one can tell another all his mind. Everything is better than being with the deceitful. He is not another’s friend who ever says as he says.
Recently, a very dear friend of mine was being, well, a dumbass. Because he is one I call Brother, it fell to me to call him out on his dumbassedness. I'm not one who will just smile and nod and be a “yes man”. Those “friends” aren't really friends. If you have a friend who will stand up and call you on your actions once in a while, know that they are true friends, and are simply trying to help you stay the course. Thankfully, Bob knows and trusts me, due to our long friendship, and was able to listen to the criticism, and change course. He has done the same for me in the past.