Woman shall be wedded to man, and her wickedness oft shall disgrace him;
Some are firm in their faith, some forward and curious
And shall love a stranger while their lord is afar.
A sailor is long on his course, but his loved one awaits his coming,
105 Abides what can not be controlled, for the time will come at last
For his home return, if his health permit, and the heaving waters
High over his head do not hold him imprisoned.
THE FATES OF MEN
[Text: Grein-Wülcker, Bibliothek der Angelsächischen Poesie, iii, 148. The poem is typical of a large group of Old English poems which give well-known sayings or proverbs. Other poems of this group are The Gifts of Men, The Wonders of Creation, A Father’s Instructions to His Son, and the like.]
Full often through the grace of God it happens