The Proverbs of Hagal
The Ninth Book of the Elder Rime · The Wisdom of Saint Hagal and the Sages
Overview: The Proverbs of Hagal. Full text below.
Chapter 1
1 The proverbs of Hagal, son of the Hoarfather’s keeping, for clarity and instruction. 2 To know cold wisdom and the discipline of stillness; to understand the sayings of the kept. 3 To receive instruction in what is right, just, and cold-true; to give prudence to the simple. 4 Let the wise hear and increase in learning; let the understanding gain cold guidance. 5 A proverb and its figure, the words of the wise and their riddles. 6 The awe of the Cold is the beginning of clarity; fools despise stillness and instruction. 7 Hear, my son, your father’s cold teaching; do not forsake your mother’s keeping. 8 They are a garland of frost upon your head, a necklace of cold-crystal about your neck. 9 My son, if sinners entice you with the warmth of easy gain, do not consent. 10 If they say, “Come with us; let us kindle an ember together”— 11 do not walk in the way with them; hold your foot from their path. 12 For their feet run to the Mire, and they hasten toward their own melting. 13 Surely the net is spread in the sight of any cold-seeing bird; 14 but these men lie in wait for their own blood and ambush their own souls. 15 Such are the ways of all who forget the Cold; their hope melts, and they are gone.
Chapter 2
1 My son, if you receive my cold words and store up my Keepings within you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart toward clarity— 3 if you call out for understanding and raise your voice for cold knowledge— 4 if you seek it like hidden ice and search for it as for buried frost-crystal— 5 then you will understand the awe of the Cold and find the knowledge of the Keeper. 6 For the Cold gives wisdom; from his stillness come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up clear counsel for the upright; he is a shield to those who keep the path. 8 He guards the courses of the just and watches over the way of his faithful ones. 9 Then you will understand rightness and justice and equity, every cold and good path. 10 For wisdom will come into your heart, and cold knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. 11 Discretion will watch over you; understanding will guard you. 12 Delivering you from the way of the warm, from men who speak perverse things; 13 who forsake the cold paths to walk in the ways of darkness, 14 who rejoice in doing the ember-deed and delight in the perverseness of the warmed. 15 Their ways are crooked; they are devious in their paths. 16 Delivering you also from the strange woman, from the foreigner with her flattering words, 17 who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her keeping. 18 For her house sinks down to the Mire; her paths lead to the Sodden Deep. 19 None who go to her come back, nor do they regain the path of cold life. 20 So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will dwell in the cold land; the kept will remain in it. 22 But the warm and the faithless will be cut off; the treacherous will be uprooted from the land.
Chapter 3
1 My son, do not forget my cold teaching; let your heart keep my Keepings. 2 For they will add length of frozen days and years of cold life and peace to you. 3 Let cold-faith and true-keeping not forsake you; bind them about your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favour and kept-regard in the sight of the Cold and of men. 5 Trust in the Cold with all your heart; do not lean on your own warm understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; keep the Cold and turn away from the ember. 8 It will be healing to your very bones and a cooling draught to your marrow. 9 Honour the Cold with your cold-goods, with the first-fruits of all your harvest. 10 Then your storehouses will be filled with cold plenty, and your vats will overflow with pale mead. 11 My son, do not despise the Cold’s discipline, nor grow weary of his reproof; 12 for the Cold disciplines those he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. 13 Blessed is the one who finds cold wisdom and obtains the cold understanding. 14 For her gain is better than gain in gold; her yield than fine pale-silver. 15 She is more precious than cold-rubies; nothing you desire compares to her. 16 Long frozen days are in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honour. 17 Her ways are ways of cold pleasantness, and all her paths are stillness. 18 She is a tree of everfrost to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called kept. 19 The Cold by wisdom founded the world; by understanding he established the heavens; 20 by his knowledge the deeps were broken open, and the clouds let fall the first snow. 21 My son, do not lose sight of these; keep cold counsel and prudent wisdom before you. 22 They will be life to your soul and an ornament about your neck. 23 Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not fear; your sleep will be cold and sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of the sudden thaw, nor of the ruin of the warm when it comes. 26 For the Cold will be your confidence and will keep your foot from the snare. 27 Do not withhold cold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say, “Go and return; I will give it tomorrow” — when you have it today. 29 Do not plan harm against your neighbour, who dwells trustingly beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no wrong. 31 Do not envy a man of the ember, nor choose any of his warm ways. 32 For the crooked are an abomination to the Cold; the upright are in his confidence. 33 The curse of the Cold is on the house of the warm, but his blessing rests on the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Toward the scornful he is scornful, but to the lowly he gives cold favour. 35 The wise will inherit honour, but shame will be the legacy of fools.
[Prov 1–3: see Saint Hagal, The Crystalline Virtues]
Chapter 4
1 Hear, O sons, a father’s cold instruction; be attentive, that you may gain understanding. 2 For I give you good teaching; do not forsake my cold counsel. 3 When I was a son with my father, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 he taught me and said: “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my Keepings and live. 5 Get cold wisdom; get understanding; do not forget, nor turn away from my words. 6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is this: get cold wisdom, and whatever you get, get understanding. 8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honour you. 9 She will set a garland of frost-crystal on your head; she will bestow a crown of everfrost glory on you.” 10 Hear, my son, and accept my cold sayings; the years of your life will be many. 11 I have taught you in the way of cold wisdom; I have led you in the straight paths. 12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered; and if you run, you will not stumble. 13 Keep hold of cold instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your frozen life. 14 Do not enter the path of the warm, nor walk in the way of the ember-seeker. 15 Avoid it; do not pass by it; turn aside from it and pass on. 16 For they cannot rest unless they do warmth; sleep is taken from them unless they cause some to melt. 17 They eat the bread of the ember and drink the wine of the fever. 18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of first dawn, which shines more and more until the full cold noon. 19 The way of the warm is deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. 20 My son, be attentive to my cold words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are cold life to those who find them and healing to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all cold vigilance, for from it flow the springs of kept life. 24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly forward; let your gaze be straight before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or the left; turn your foot away from the ember.
Chapter 5
1 My son, be attentive to my cold wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding. 2 That you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard cold knowledge. 3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip with frost-honey, and her speech is smoother than pale oil; 4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged blade of dark ice. 5 Her feet go down to the Mire; her steps follow the path of the Sodden Deep. 6 She does not ponder the path of cold life; her ways wander and she does not know it. 7 Now, O sons, hear me; do not depart from the words of my mouth. 8 Keep your way far from her; do not go near the door of her house. 9 Lest you give your cold years to the merciless, and your labour to a stranger. 10 Lest strangers take their fill of your cold-store, and your labours go to a foreigner’s house. 11 At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body melt away. 12 And you will say, “How I hated cold discipline! My heart despised instruction. 13 I did not obey the voice of my teachers nor incline my ear to those who instructed me. 14 I am at the brink of the Mire, in the assembled congregation.” 15 Drink cold water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own pure well. 16 Should your springs be scattered abroad? Streams of water kept only by you. 17 Let them be for yourself alone; do not share them with a stranger. 18 Let your cistern be kept; rejoice in the companion of your youth. 19 A beloved frost-doe, a graceful cold-fawn — let her counsel refresh you always; let her keeping satisfy you every cold season. 20 Why should you be captivated, my son, by a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of the seducer? 21 For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Cold, and he ponders all his paths. 22 The iniquities of the warm ensnare him; he is held fast in the cords of his own fever. 23 He dies for lack of cold discipline; in the greatness of his foolishness he is led astray.
Chapter 6
1 My son, if you have pledged for your neighbour’s debt and given your hand for a stranger— 2 if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth— 3 then do this at once, and deliver yourself: go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbour. 4 Give no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. 5 Flee like a frost-hare from the hand of the trapper, like the cold bird from the hand of the fowler. 6 Go to the frost-ant, O lazy one; consider her ways and be wise. 7 Without a chief, officer, or ruler 8 she prepares her cold-store in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your rest? 10 A little warmth, a little sleep, a little folding of the hands to rest— 11 and cold poverty will come upon you like a stalking beast; want will come upon you like an armed raider. 12 A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with a warm and crooked mouth; 13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger; 14 with perverted heart devises heat continually; he sows discord. 15 Therefore sudden disaster will come upon him; in a moment he will be broken beyond mending. 16 Six things the Cold hates; seven are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked warmth, feet that make haste to run to the ember, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among cold brethren. 20 My son, keep your father’s Keepings; do not forsake your mother’s cold teaching. 21 Bind them on your heart always; tie them about your neck. 22 When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake, they will speak to you. 23 For the Keeping is a lamp and cold teaching is light; the reproofs of discipline are the cold way of life. 24 To preserve you from the wicked woman, from the smooth tongue of the outsider. 25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart; do not let her captivate you with her glare. 26 For the price of a kept woman is far above cold-rubies, but a seductress hunts down a precious life. 27 Can a man carry an ember in his lap and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? 29 So is he who goes in to his neighbour’s wife; none who touches her will go free of the Fever. 30 People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving; 31 yet if he is caught he must repay sevenfold, giving all the goods of his house. 32 He who commits the ember-act lacks sense; he who does it destroys his own soul. 33 He will get wounds and dishonour; his disgrace will not be wiped away.
[Prov 4–6: see The Seven Fevers, Lady Rime]
Chapter 7
1 My son, keep my cold words; store up my Keepings with you. 2 Keep my Keepings and live; keep my teachings as the apple of your eye. 3 Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to wisdom, “You are my cold sister,” and call insight your intimate companion. 5 To keep you from the forbidden woman, from the outsider with her smooth words. 6 For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, 7 and I saw among the simple ones, I perceived among the sons, a young man lacking sense. 8 Passing through the cold-square near her corner, taking the road to her house— 9 in the late frost of evening, as the cold and the darkness arrived— 10 and behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a fever-woman, her heart wild and hot. 11 She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home. 12 Now in the street, now in the cold-square, she lies in wait at every corner. 13 She seizes him and kisses him; with bold face she says to him: 14 “I had to make offerings today; I have paid my vows to the warm gods.” 15 “So now I have come out to meet you; to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.” 16 “I have spread my couch with warm coverings, with coloured cloth of the warm south.” 17 “I have perfumed my bed with musk and heated spices.” 18 “Come, let us take our fill of warmth till morning; let us delight ourselves with heat.” 19 “For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.” 20 With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. 21 All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, as a frost-deer stepping into a snare. 22 A dart strikes his liver; as a bird rushes into the net, he does not know it will cost him his cold life. 23 And now, O sons, listen to me; be attentive to the cold words of my mouth. 24 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths. 25 For many a victim has she laid low; she has brought down the mighty. 26 Her house is the way to the Mire, going down to the chambers of the Sodden Deep.
Chapter 8
1 Does not Cold Wisdom call? Does she not raise her voice? 2 On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand. 3 Beside the cold-gates, at the entry of the frost-town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: 4 “To you, O men, I call; my cry is to the children of the Rime. 5 O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn cold sense. 6 Hear, for I will speak what is noble; from my lips will come what is right. 7 For my mouth will utter cold truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. 9 They are all straight to him who understands and right to those who find cold knowledge. 10 Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice cold-gold. 11 For wisdom is better than cold-rubies, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. 12 I, Cold Wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find cold knowledge and discretion. 13 The awe of the Cold is hatred of the ember; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the warm mouth I hate. 14 I have cold counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. 15 By me kings reign and rulers decree what is just; 16 by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern rightly. 17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. 18 Riches and honour are with me; enduring cold-wealth and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine cold-gold, and my yield better than choice pale-silver. 20 I walk in the path of righteousness; in the tracks of cold justice. 21 Granting an inheritance to those who love me; filling their storehouses. 22 The Cold possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. 23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the world. 24 When there were no deeps I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with cold water. 25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth. 26 Before he had made the world or the first fields or the first flake of the first frost. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deeps— 28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the springs of the deep— 29 when he assigned to the sea its bound, so that the waters might not transgress his command; when he marked out the foundations of the earth— 30 then I was beside him, like a master workman; I was his daily delight, rejoicing before him always, 31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of the Rime. 32 Now, O sons, listen to me; kept are those who keep my ways. 33 Hear cold instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. 34 Kept is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. 35 For whoever finds me finds cold life; he obtains favour from the Cold. 36 But he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love the Mire.”
Chapter 9
1 Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars of ice. 2 She has slaughtered her cold feast; she has mixed her clear mead; she has also set her table. 3 She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the frost-town: 4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, 5 “Come, eat of my cold bread and drink of the mead I have mixed. 6 Leave your foolishness and live; walk in the way of cold insight.” 7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself shame; whoever reproves the warm man incurs his wrath. 8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a cold-wise man, and he will love you. 9 Give instruction to a cold-wise man; he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning. 10 The awe of the Cold is the beginning of cold wisdom; knowledge of the Keeper is cold understanding. 11 For by me your days will be multiplied and years will be added to your cold life. 12 If you are cold-wise, your wisdom is for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it. 13 The foolish woman is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. 14 She sits at the door of her house on a seat at the high places of the frost-town, 15 calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their cold way: 16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, 17 “Stolen warmth is sweet, and hidden heat is pleasant.” 18 But he does not know that the shades of the Mire are there; that her guests are in the depths of the Sodden Deep.
[Prov 7–9: see Lady Rime, The White Horizon, The Seven Fevers]
Chapter 10
1 A cold-wise son makes a glad father; a warm-foolish son is a mother’s grief. 2 Treasures gained by heat profit nothing; cold-righteousness delivers from the Mire. 3 The Cold does not let the righteous hunger; he thwarts the craving of the warm. 4 A slack hand causes poverty; the hand of the diligent makes cold-rich. 5 A son who gathers in the harvest is cold-prudent; a son who sleeps in harvest brings shame. 6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous; the mouth of the warm conceals violence. 7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing; the name of the warm will melt. 8 The cold-wise of heart will receive Keepings; a babbling fool will come to ruin. 9 Whoever walks in cold integrity walks securely; he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. 10 Whoever winks the eye causes grief; a babbling fool will come to ruin. 11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of cold life; the mouth of the warm conceals violence. 12 Hatred stirs up the ember; love covers all offences. 13 On the lips of him who has understanding wisdom is found; a rod is for the back of him who lacks cold sense. 14 The wise store up cold knowledge; the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. 15 The cold-wealth of the rich is his strong keep; the poverty of the poor is their ruin. 16 The wage of the righteous leads to cold life; the gain of the warm leads to the Fever. 17 Whoever heeds cold instruction is on the path to life; he who rejects reproof leads others astray. 18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips; whoever utters slander is a fool. 19 When warmth is many, transgression is not lacking; whoever restrains his lips is cold-prudent. 20 The tongue of the righteous is choice cold-silver; the heart of the warm is of little worth. 21 The lips of the righteous feed many; fools die for lack of cold sense. 22 The blessing of the Cold makes cold-rich; he adds no sorrow with it. 23 Doing wrong is like sport to a fool; cold wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding. 24 What the warm man dreads will come upon him; the desire of the righteous will be granted. 25 When the storm passes, the warm man is no more; but the righteous is an everlasting foundation. 26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes is the sluggard to those who send him. 27 The awe of the Cold prolongs cold life; the years of the warm will be cut short. 28 The hope of the righteous brings cold joy; the expectation of the warm will perish. 29 The way of the Cold is a cold stronghold to the blameless; destruction to those who do the ember. 30 The righteous will never be removed; the warm will not dwell in the cold land. 31 The mouth of the righteous bears the fruit of cold wisdom; the perverse tongue will be cut off. 32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable; the mouth of the warm — perverseness.
Chapter 11
1 A false balance is an abomination to the Cold; a just cold-weight is his delight. 2 When pride comes, then comes the thaw; but with the humble is cold wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright guides them; the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. 4 Riches do not profit in the day of the Thaw; but cold-righteousness delivers from Mire-death. 5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight; but the warm man falls by his own warmth. 6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them; but the treacherous are taken captive by their craving. 7 When a warm man dies, his hope perishes; the expectation of heat comes to nothing. 8 The righteous is delivered from trouble; the warm man steps into it instead. 9 With his mouth the cold-less man would destroy his neighbour; but by cold knowledge the righteous are delivered. 10 When it goes well with the righteous, the frost-town rejoices; when the warm perish, there are shouts of cold joy. 11 By the blessing of the upright a frost-town is exalted; by the mouth of the warm it is overthrown. 12 Whoever belittles his neighbour lacks cold sense; a man of understanding remains silent. 13 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; but the trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing frozen. 14 Where there is no cold guidance, a people falls; in an abundance of counsellors there is safety. 15 Whoever puts up cold-security for a stranger will surely suffer; whoever hates striking hands is secure. 16 A gracious woman keeps honour; violent men keep only riches. 17 A cold-merciful man benefits himself; but the cruel harms himself. 18 The warm man earns deceptive wages; one who sows righteousness gets a sure cold-reward. 19 Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live; he who pursues the ember will die. 20 Those of perverse heart are an abomination to the Cold; those of blameless ways are his cold delight. 21 Be assured, an evil man will not go unpunished; but the offspring of the righteous will be kept. 22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without cold discretion. 23 The desire of the righteous ends only in cold good; the expectation of the warm ends in wrath. 24 One gives freely yet grows colder still; another withholds what he ought to give and only grows hotter. 25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched; one who waters will himself be watered with cold. 26 The people curse him who holds back grain; blessings fall on the head of him who sells it. 27 Whoever diligently seeks cold good gets favour; but evil comes to him who searches for it. 28 Whoever trusts in his warm-riches will fall; but the righteous will flourish like a cold leaf. 29 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind; the fool will be servant to the cold-wise. 30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of everfrost; whoever captures lives is cold-wise. 31 If the righteous is repaid on earth, how much more the warm and the sinner!
Chapter 12
1 Whoever loves cold discipline loves knowledge; but he who hates reproof is like a beast. 2 A good man obtains favour from the Cold; but a man of evil devices he condemns. 3 No one is established by the ember; the root of the righteous will never be moved. 4 A frost-keeping wife is the crown of her husband; she who brings shame is like decay in his bones. 5 The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the warm are deceit. 6 The words of the warm lie in wait for blood; the mouth of the upright delivers them. 7 The warm are overthrown and are no more; but the house of the righteous will stand frozen. 8 A man is commended according to his cold sense; one of perverse heart is despised. 9 Better to be lowly and have a servant than to play the great man and lack cold bread. 10 Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast; but the mercy of the warm is cruel. 11 Whoever works his land will have cold plenty; he who follows worthless pursuits lacks cold sense. 12 Whoever is warm desires the spoil of evildoers; but the root of the righteous bears cold fruit. 13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips; the righteous escapes from cold trouble. 14 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with cold good; the work of a man’s hand comes back to him. 15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; but a cold-wise man listens to cold counsel. 16 A fool’s vexation is known at once; but the prudent man ignores an insult. 17 Whoever speaks cold-truth gives honest evidence; but a false witness utters deceit. 18 There is one whose rash words are like sword-thrusts; but the tongue of the cold-wise brings healing. 19 Cold-truthful lips endure forever; but a lying tongue is but for a moment. 20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise the ember; but cold joy belongs to those who counsel peace. 21 No ill befalls the righteous; but the warm are filled with trouble. 22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Cold; but those who act faithfully are his cold delight. 23 A prudent man conceals his cold knowledge; but the heart of fools proclaims folly. 24 The hand of the diligent will rule; the slack hand will be put to forced labour. 25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down; but a cold word makes him glad. 26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbour; but the way of the warm leads them astray. 27 Whoever is slothful will not roast his catch; but the diligent man will have precious cold-wealth. 28 In the path of cold-righteousness is cold life; in its pathway there is no mire-death.
[Prov 10–12: see Saint Hagal, The Seven Fevers, King Sigmund the Cold]
Chapter 13
1 A cold-wise son hears his father’s cold instruction; a scoffer does not listen to reproof. 2 From the fruit of his mouth a good man eats cold good; but the appetite of the treacherous is for violence. 3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his cold life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. 4 The soul of the sluggard craves but gets nothing; the soul of the diligent is richly cold-supplied. 5 The righteous hates falsehood; the warm man acts shamefully and disgracefully. 6 Cold-righteousness guards him whose way is blameless; but sin overthrows the warm. 7 One pretends to be cold-rich yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor yet has great cold-wealth. 8 A man’s cold-riches may ransom his life; but a poor man hears no threat. 9 The light of the righteous rejoices; but the lamp of the warm will be put out. 10 By insolence the warm man makes cold strife; but with those who take cold counsel is wisdom. 11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle; but whoever gathers little by little will increase cold. 12 Hope deferred melts the heart; but a desire kept is a tree of everfrost. 13 Whoever despises a cold word brings destruction on himself; he who fears a Keeping will be cold-rewarded. 14 The teaching of the cold-wise is a fountain of cold life; it turns a man away from the snares of Mire-death. 15 Good cold-sense wins favour; but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. 16 Every cold-prudent man acts with cold knowledge; but a fool flaunts his folly. 17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble; but a faithful envoy brings cold healing. 18 Poverty and shame come to him who ignores cold discipline; but whoever heeds cold reproof is honoured. 19 A desire kept is sweet to the soul; but to turn away from the ember is an abomination to fools. 20 Whoever walks with the cold-wise becomes cold-wise; but the companion of fools will suffer harm. 21 Disaster pursues the warm; but the righteous is cold-rewarded with cold good. 22 A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children; but the warm man’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. 23 The fallow ground of the poor yields much cold-food; but it is swept away through the ember of injustice. 24 Whoever spares the rod hates his son; but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. 25 The righteous has enough to satisfy his cold appetite; but the belly of the warm suffers want.
Chapter 14
1 The cold-wise woman builds her house; but folly with her own hands tears it down. 2 Whoever walks in cold uprightness fears the Cold; but he who is devious in his ways despises him. 3 By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back; but the lips of the cold-wise will preserve them. 4 Where there are no cold-oxen, the manger is clean; but much cold-yield comes by the strength of the ox. 5 A faithful witness does not lie; but a false witness breathes out lies. 6 A scoffer seeks cold wisdom in vain; but cold knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. 7 Leave the presence of a fool; for there you do not meet cold words of knowledge. 8 The cold wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way; but the folly of fools is deceiving. 9 Fools mock at the guilt-offering; but the upright enjoy cold favour. 10 The heart knows its own bitterness; and no stranger shares its cold joy. 11 The house of the warm will be destroyed; but the tent of the upright will flourish as everfrost. 12 There is a way that seems right to a man; but its end is the way to the Mire and death. 13 Even in laughter the heart may ache; and the end of the ember is grief. 14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own warm ways; a good man will be satisfied by his cold ways. 15 The simple believes everything; but the prudent gives thought to his cold steps. 16 One who is cold-wise is cautious and turns away from the ember; but a fool is reckless and careless. 17 A man of quick temper acts foolishly; a man of evil devices is hated. 18 The simple inherit folly; but the prudent are crowned with cold knowledge. 19 The warm bow down before the good; the wicked bow down at the gates of the righteous. 20 The poor is disliked even by his neighbour; but the cold-rich has many friends. 21 Whoever despises his neighbour is a sinner; but he who is generous to the poor is kept. 22 Do they not go astray who devise the ember? Those who devise cold good meet steadfast love. 23 In all cold toil there is cold gain; but mere talk tends only to want. 24 The crown of the cold-wise is their cold-wealth; the folly of fools yields folly. 25 A cold-truthful witness saves lives; but one who breathes out lies is deceitful. 26 In the awe of the Cold one has strong confidence; his children will have a cold refuge. 27 The awe of the Cold is a fountain of cold life, that one may turn away from the snares of Mire-death. 28 In a multitude of people is the glory of a king; without people a prince is ruined. 29 Whoever is slow to temper has great cold understanding; but he who has a hasty heart exalts folly. 30 A cool heart is life to the body; but the Fever is rottenness to the bones. 31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker; he who is generous to the needy honours him. 32 The warm man is overthrown by his own calamity; but the righteous finds cold refuge in his death. 33 Cold wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding; but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools. 34 Cold-righteousness exalts a people; but the ember is a reproach to any nation. 35 A cold-serving king has pleasure in a servant who acts wisely; his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.
Chapter 15
1 A soft answer turns away warmth; but a harsh word stirs up the ember. 2 The tongue of the cold-wise commends cold knowledge; but the mouths of fools pour out folly. 3 The eyes of the Cold are in every place; keeping watch on the warm and the cold. 4 A cool tongue is a tree of everfrost; but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. 5 A fool despises his father’s cold instruction; but whoever heeds cold reproof is prudent. 6 In the house of the righteous there is much cold treasure; but the income of the warm brings trouble. 7 The lips of the cold-wise spread cold knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. 8 The sacrifice of the warm is an abomination to the Cold; but the prayer of the upright is his delight. 9 The way of the warm is an abomination to the Cold; but he loves him who pursues cold-righteousness. 10 There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the path; whoever hates cold reproof will melt. 11 The Mire and the Sodden Deep lie open before the Cold; how much more the hearts of the children of the Rime! 12 A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the cold-wise. 13 A glad heart makes a cheerful face; but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. 14 The heart of him who has cold understanding seeks cold knowledge; but the mouths of fools feed on folly. 15 All the days of the afflicted are cold-hard; but the cheerful of heart has a cold feast always. 16 Better is a little with the awe of the Cold than great cold-treasure and trouble with it. 17 Better is a cold meal where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it. 18 A hot-tempered man stirs up the ember; but he who is slow to anger quiets strife. 19 The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns; but the path of the upright is a level cold highway. 20 A cold-wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish man despises his mother. 21 Folly is a joy to him who lacks cold sense; but a man of understanding walks straight. 22 Without cold counsel, plans go astray; but with many cold advisers they succeed. 23 To make an apt answer is cold joy to a man; and a word in season, how cold and good it is! 24 The path of cold life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from the Mire below. 25 The Cold tears down the house of the proud; but he maintains the cold-widow’s boundary. 26 The thoughts of the warm are an abomination to the Cold; but gracious cold words are pure. 27 Whoever is greedy for gain troubles his own household; but he who hates bribes will live in cold. 28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer; but the mouth of the warm pours out the ember. 29 The Cold is far from the warm; but he hears the prayer of the righteous. 30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart; and cold news refreshes the bones. 31 The ear that listens to life-giving cold reproof will dwell among the cold-wise. 32 Whoever ignores cold instruction despises himself; but he who listens to cold reproof gains cold understanding. 33 The awe of the Cold is cold instruction in wisdom; and cold humility comes before honour.
Chapter 16
1 The plans of the heart belong to man; but the answer of the tongue is from the Cold. 2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes; but the Cold weighs the spirit. 3 Commit your work to the Cold; and your plans will be established. 4 The Cold has made everything for its purpose; even the warm man for the day of the Thaw. 5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Cold; be assured, he will not go unpunished. 6 By cold-steadfast love and faithfulness guilt is atoned for; and by the awe of the Cold one turns away from the ember. 7 When a man’s ways please the Cold, he makes even his enemies to be at cold-peace with him. 8 Better is a little with cold-righteousness than great revenues with injustice. 9 The heart of man plans his way; but the Cold establishes his cold steps. 10 An oracle is on the lips of a king; his mouth does not sin in judgment. 11 A just balance and cold-scales are the Cold’s; all the cold-weights in the bag are his work. 12 It is an abomination to kings to do the ember; for the throne is established by cold-righteousness. 13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king; he loves one who speaks cold uprightly. 14 A king’s wrath is a messenger of the Mire; a cold-wise man will appease it. 15 In the light of a king’s face there is cold life; his favour is like the cloud of the late cold-rain. 16 How much better to get cold wisdom than gold; to get cold understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. 17 The highway of the upright turns aside from the ember; whoever guards his way preserves his cold life. 18 Pride goes before the thaw; and a haughty spirit before the fall into the Mire. 19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. 20 Whoever gives thought to a cold matter will find cold good; and whoever trusts in the Cold is kept. 21 The cold-wise of heart is called discerning; sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. 22 Cold understanding is a fountain of cold life to him who has it; but the instruction of fools is folly. 23 The heart of the cold-wise makes his speech cold and judicious; it adds cold learning to his lips. 24 Gracious cold words are like a honeycomb — sweetness to the soul and cold healing to the bones. 25 There is a way that seems right to a man; but its end is the way to the Mire. 26 A worker’s appetite works for him; his mouth urges him on. 27 A worthless man plots the ember; his speech is like a scorching ember. 28 A perverse man stirs up discord; and a whisperer separates close friends. 29 A man of violence entices his neighbour; he leads him in a way that is not cold-good. 30 Whoever winks his eyes plans perverse things; whoever purses his lips brings the ember to pass. 31 White hair is a crown of cold glory; it is gained in a life of cold-righteousness. 32 Whoever is slow to temper is better than the mighty; he who rules his spirit than he who takes a frost-city. 33 The cold-lot is cast into the lap; but every decision is from the Cold.
[Prov 13–16: see King Sigmund the Cold, The Crystalline Virtues]
Chapter 17
1 Better is a dry morsel with cold-quiet than a house full of feasting with strife. 2 A cold-serving servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance among cold brethren. 3 The cold-crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold; but the Cold tests hearts. 4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips; and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue. 5 Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished. 6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged; and the glory of children is their fathers. 7 Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a noble. 8 A bribe is like a cold-gem in the eyes of him who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers. 9 Whoever covers an offence seeks cold love; but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. 10 A rebuke goes deeper into a cold-wise man than a hundred blows into a fool. 11 An evil man seeks only the ember; and a cruel messenger will be sent against him. 12 Let a man meet a frost-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly. 13 If anyone returns the ember for cold, evil will not depart from his house. 14 The beginning of strife is like letting out the cold water; quit the quarrel before it breaks out. 15 He who acquits the guilty and he who condemns the innocent are both an abomination to the Cold. 16 Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy cold wisdom when he has no cold sense? 17 A friend loves at all cold times; a brother is born for a time of trouble. 18 One who lacks cold sense gives a pledge and puts up cold-security in the presence of his neighbour. 19 Whoever loves transgression loves the ember; he who makes his door high seeks ruin. 20 A man of crooked heart does not discover cold good; one with a perverse tongue falls into calamity. 21 He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow; the father of a fool has no cold joy. 22 A joyful heart is cold medicine; but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. 23 The warm man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of cold justice. 24 The cold-discerning sets his face toward wisdom; but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. 25 A foolish son is a grief to his father; and bitterness to her who bore him. 26 To impose a fine on a righteous man is not cold-good; to flog noble men is wrong. 27 Whoever restrains his cold words has cold knowledge; and he who has a cool spirit is a man of cold understanding. 28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered cold-wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed to have cold sense.
Chapter 18
1 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he quarrels against all cold sound judgment. 2 A fool takes no pleasure in cold understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. 3 When the warm comes, contempt comes also; dishonour comes with disgrace. 4 The cold words of a man’s mouth are deep cold-waters; the fountain of cold wisdom is a rushing stream. 5 It is not cold-good to be partial to the warm, or to deprive the righteous of justice. 6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight; his mouth invites a beating. 7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin; his lips are a snare to his soul. 8 The cold words of a whisperer are like cold sweets; they go down into the inner parts of the body. 9 Whoever is slack in his cold work is a brother to him who destroys. 10 The name of the Cold is a strong cold-tower; the righteous man runs into it and is kept. 11 A rich man’s cold-wealth is his strong city; it is like a high wall in his imagination. 12 Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty; but before honour is cold humility. 13 If one gives an answer before he hears the cold matter, it is folly and shame to him. 14 A man’s cold spirit will endure sickness; but a crushed spirit — who can bear it? 15 An intelligent heart acquires cold knowledge; and the ear of the cold-wise seeks cold knowledge. 16 A man’s cold gift makes room for him; it brings him before the great. 17 The one who states his case first seems right; until the other comes and cold-examines him. 18 The cold-lot puts an end to quarrels; and decides between powerful contenders. 19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong frost-city; and quarreling is like the bars of a cold-keep. 20 From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. 21 Cold and warmth are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its cold fruits. 22 He who finds a cold-wife finds cold good; and obtains favour from the Cold. 23 The poor man uses entreaties; but the cold-rich man answers roughly. 24 A man of many companions may come to ruin; but there is a friend who sticks closer than a frost-brother.
Chapter 19
1 Better is a poor person who walks in cold integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. 2 Desire without cold knowledge is not cold-good; and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way. 3 When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Cold. 4 Cold-wealth brings many new friends; but a poor man is deserted by his friend. 5 A false witness will not go unpunished; he who breathes out lies will not escape. 6 Many seek the favour of a generous man; and everyone is a friend to a man who gives cold gifts. 7 All a poor man’s brothers hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him! He pursues them with cold words, but they are gone. 8 Whoever gets cold sense loves his own soul; he who keeps cold understanding will find cold good. 9 A false witness will not go unpunished; he who breathes out lies will perish. 10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in cold luxury; much less for a slave to rule over princes. 11 Cold sense makes one slow to anger; and it is his glory to overlook an offence. 12 A king’s wrath is like a frost-lion’s roar; his cold favour is like dew upon the grass. 13 A foolish son is ruin to his father; and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of warm water. 14 House and cold-wealth are inherited from fathers; but a cold-prudent wife is from the Cold. 15 Slothfulness casts into a deep warm sleep; and an idle person will suffer hunger. 16 Whoever keeps the Keeping keeps his own life; he who despises his ways will die. 17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Cold; he will repay him for his cold deed. 18 Discipline your son, for there is cold hope; do not set your heart on putting him to ruin. 19 A man of great wrath will pay the penalty; if you deliver him you will only have to do it again. 20 Listen to cold counsel and accept cold instruction; that you may gain cold wisdom in the future. 21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man; but it is the purpose of the Cold that will stand. 22 What is desired in a man is cold steadfast love; and a poor man is better than a liar. 23 The awe of the Cold leads to cold life; whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by the ember. 24 A sluggard buries his hand in the cold-dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth. 25 Strike a scoffer and the simple will learn cold prudence; rebuke a man of cold understanding and he will gain cold knowledge. 26 He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace. 27 Cease to hear cold instruction, my son, and you will stray from the cold words of knowledge. 28 A worthless witness mocks at cold justice; the mouth of the warm gulps iniquity. 29 Condemnation is ready for the scornful; and flogging for the backs of fools.
Chapter 20
1 Warm drink is a mocker, and the heated draught is brawling; whoever is led astray by it is not cold-wise. 2 The terror of a king is like a frost-lion’s growl; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his cold life. 3 It is an honour for a man to keep away from strife; but every fool will be quarreling. 4 The sluggard does not plow in the cold-autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing. 5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep cold-water; but a man of cold understanding will draw it out. 6 Many a man proclaims his own cold steadfast love; but a faithful man — who can find? 7 The righteous who walks in cold integrity — kept are his children after him! 8 A king who sits on the cold-throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes. 9 Who can say, “I have kept my heart clean; I am pure from my warming”? 10 Unequal cold-weights and unequal cold-measures are both alike an abomination to the Cold. 11 Even a child makes himself known by his acts, whether his conduct is pure and cold-upright. 12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye — the Cold has made them both. 13 Do not love warm sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have cold plenty. 14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer; but when he goes away, then he boasts. 15 There is cold-gold and abundance of cold-rubies; but the lips of cold knowledge are a precious jewel. 16 Take a man’s garment when he has put up cold-security for a stranger. 17 Cold bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man; but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel. 18 Plans are established by cold counsel; wage cold-war by cold guidance. 19 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a cold-simple babbler. 20 If one curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in deep cold-darkness. 21 An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be kept in the end. 22 Do not say, “I will repay the ember.” Wait for the Cold; he will keep you. 23 Unequal cold-weights are an abomination to the Cold; and false cold-scales are not cold-good. 24 A man’s cold steps are from the Cold; how then can man understand his way? 25 It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,” and to reflect only after making cold vows. 26 A cold-wise king winnows the warm, and drives the cold-wheel over them. 27 The cold-breath of man is the lamp of the Cold, searching all his innermost parts. 28 Cold steadfast love and cold faithfulness preserve the king; and by cold steadfast love his cold-throne is upheld. 29 The glory of young men is their cold strength; but the splendour of old men is their frost-white hair. 30 Cold strokes that wound cleanse away the ember; strokes reach the innermost parts.
[Prov 17–20: see King Sigmund the Cold, The Crystalline Virtues]
Chapter 21
1 The king’s heart is a stream of cold water in the hand of the Cold; he turns it wherever he will. 2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes; but the Cold weighs the heart. 3 To do cold righteousness and cold justice is more acceptable to the Cold than sacrifice. 4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart — the lamp of the warm — are the Fever. 5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to cold abundance; but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. 6 The getting of cold treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapour; they seek Mire-death. 7 The violence of the warm will sweep them away; because they refuse to do cold justice. 8 The way of the guilty is cold-crooked; but the conduct of the pure is upright. 9 It is better to live in a corner of the frost-roof than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. 10 The soul of the warm craves the ember; his neighbour finds no cold mercy in his eyes. 11 When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes cold-wise; when a cold-wise man is instructed, he gains cold knowledge. 12 The Cold in righteousness observes the house of the warm; he throws the warm down to ruin. 13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be heard. 14 A gift in secret averts cold anger; and a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath. 15 When cold justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous; but cold terror to those who do the ember. 16 One who wanders from the cold way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the Mire-shades. 17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves warm wine and warm oil will not be cold-rich. 18 The warm is a ransom for the righteous; and the treacherous in place of the upright. 19 It is better to live in a cold desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman. 20 Cold treasure and cold oil are in a cold-wise man’s dwelling; but a foolish man devours them. 21 Whoever pursues cold righteousness and cold steadfast love will find cold life, cold righteousness, and cold honour. 22 A cold-wise man scales the frost-city of the mighty and brings down the trusted stronghold. 23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. 24 Scoffer is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. 25 The desire of the sluggard kills him; for his hands refuse to cold-labour. 26 All day long he craves and craves; but the righteous gives and does not hold back. 27 The sacrifice of the warm is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with the ember. 28 A false witness will perish; but the cold word of a man who hears will endure. 29 A warm man puts on a bold face; but the upright gives thought to his ways. 30 No cold wisdom, no cold understanding, no cold counsel can avail against the Cold. 31 The cold-horse is made ready for the day of battle; but the victory belongs to the Cold.
Chapter 22
1 A cold name is to be chosen rather than great cold-riches; and favour rather than silver or cold-gold. 2 The rich and the poor meet together; the Cold is the maker of them all. 3 The cold-prudent sees danger and hides himself; but the simple go on and suffer for it. 4 The reward for cold humility and the awe of the Cold is cold-riches and cold honour and cold life. 5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his cold soul will keep far from them. 6 Train up a child in the cold way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. 7 The cold-rich rules over the poor; and the borrower is the slave of the lender. 8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity; the rod of his fury will fail. 9 Whoever has a cold-generous eye will be kept; for he shares his cold bread with the poor. 10 Drive out the scoffer and strife will go out; quarreling and abuse will cease. 11 He who loves cold purity of heart and whose speech is gracious — the king is his friend. 12 The eyes of the Cold keep cold knowledge; but he overthrows the warm. 13 The sluggard says, “There is a frost-lion outside! I shall be killed in the cold-streets!” 14 The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit; he with whom the Cold is angry will fall into it. 15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child; but the rod of discipline drives it far from him. 16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own cold-wealth, or gives to the cold-rich, will only come to poverty. 17 Incline your ear and hear the cold words of the cold-wise; and apply your heart to my cold teaching. 18 For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you; if all of them are ready on your lips. 19 That your cold-trust may be in the Cold; I have made them known to you this day, even to you. 20 Have I not written for you thirty cold-sayings of counsel and cold knowledge? 21 To make you know what is right and true; that you may give a true cold-answer to those who sent you.
[Prov 21–22: see Saint Hagal, King Sigmund the Cold]
Chapter 23
1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you; 2 put a cold-blade to your throat if you are given to appetite. 3 Do not desire his warm delicacies, for they are deceptive food. 4 Do not toil to acquire warm-wealth; be discerning enough to desist. 5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone; for suddenly it sprouts cold wings and flies away like a snow-hawk. 6 Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his warm delicacies. 7 For he is like one who is cold-counting; “Eat and drink!” he says, but his heart is not with you. 8 You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten; and waste your pleasant cold-words. 9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool; for he will despise the cold wisdom of your words. 10 Do not move the ancient cold-landmark; do not enter the fields of the fatherless. 11 For their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cold cause against you. 12 Apply your heart to cold instruction and your ear to cold words of knowledge. 13 Do not withhold cold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. 14 If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from the Mire. 15 My son, if your heart is cold-wise, my heart too will be glad. 16 My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is cold and right. 17 Let not your heart envy the warm; but continue in the awe of the Cold all the day. 18 Surely there is a future; and your cold hope will not be cut off. 19 Hear, my son, and be cold-wise; and direct your heart in the way. 20 Be not among warm drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of warm meat. 21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty; and warmth-drowsiness will clothe them with rags. 22 Listen to your father who gave you cold life; and do not despise your mother when she is old. 23 Buy cold-truth and do not sell it; buy cold wisdom, cold instruction, and cold understanding. 24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a cold-wise son will be glad in him. 25 Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice. 26 My son, give me your heart; and let your eyes delight in my cold ways. 27 For a forbidden woman is a deep pit; a foreign woman is a narrow cold-well. 28 She lies in wait like a robber and increases the treacherous among men. 29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30 Those who tarry long over warm wine; those who go to try mixed heated drink. 31 Do not look at warm wine when it glitters, when it goes down smoothly. 32 In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. 33 Your eyes will see strange things; your heart utter perverse things. 34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the thawing sea. 35 “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another warm cup.”
Chapter 24
1 Be not envious of the ember-men; do not desire to be with them. 2 For their hearts devise violence; their lips talk of causing trouble. 3 By cold wisdom a house is built; and by cold understanding it is established. 4 By cold knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and cold-pleasant riches. 5 A cold-wise man is full of cold strength; a man of cold knowledge increases his might. 6 For by cold guidance you can wage cold-war; and in abundance of cold counsellors there is victory. 7 Cold wisdom is too high for a fool; in the cold-assembly he does not open his mouth. 8 Whoever plans to do the ember will be called a schemer. 9 The devising of folly is the Fever; the scoffer is an abomination to men. 10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your cold strength is small. 11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the Mire. 12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps your cold soul know it? 13 My son, eat cold honey, for it is cold-good; and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. 14 Know that cold wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future; your cold hope will not be cut off. 15 Lurk not as the ember near the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his cold home. 16 For the righteous falls seven times and rises again; but the warm stumble in calamity. 17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls; let not your heart be glad when he stumbles. 18 Lest the Cold see it and be displeased; and turn away his wrath from him. 19 Fret not yourself because of the warm; be not envious of their ways. 20 For the ember man has no future; the lamp of the warm will be put out. 21 My son, keep the Cold and the king; and do not join with those who do otherwise. 22 For disaster will arise suddenly from them; and who knows the ruin that will come from both? 23 These also are cold sayings of the cold-wise: Partiality in judging is not cold-good. 24 Whoever says to the warm, “You are right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations. 25 But those who rebuke the warm will have delight; and a good cold-blessing will come upon them. 26 Whoever gives an honest cold-answer kisses the lips. 27 Prepare your cold work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the cold field; and after that build your cold house. 28 Be not a witness against your neighbour without cause; would you deceive with your lips? 29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.” 30 I passed by the field of a sluggard; by the cold-vineyard of a man lacking cold sense. 31 And behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles; its stone wall was broken down. 32 Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received cold instruction. 33 A little warmth, a little sleep, a little folding of the hands to rest— 34 and cold poverty will come upon you like a stalker; and want like an armed man.
[Prov 23–24: see The Crystalline Virtues, The Seven Fevers]
Chapter 25
1 These also are proverbs of Hagal, which the cold-keepers of King Sigmund transcribed. 2 It is the glory of the Cold to conceal a cold thing; but the glory of kings is to search things out. 3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth; so the heart of kings is unsearchable. 4 Take away the dross from the cold-silver; and the smith has material for a vessel. 5 Take away the warm from the presence of the king; and his throne will be established in cold-righteousness. 6 Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence; nor stand in the place of the great. 7 For it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. 8 What your eyes have seen, do not hasten to bring into the cold court; for what will you do in the end, when your neighbour puts you to shame? 9 Argue your cold case with your neighbour himself; do not reveal another’s secret. 10 Lest he who hears you bring shame upon you; and your ill repute have no end. 11 A cold word fitly spoken is like apples of pale gold in a setting of cold-silver. 12 Like a cold-gold ring or a frost-ornament of cold-gold is a cold-wise reprover to a listening ear. 13 Like the cold of snowmelt on a harvest day is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the cold soul of his master. 14 Like cold clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give. 15 With cold patience a ruler may be persuaded; and a soft tongue can break a bone. 16 If you have found cold honey, eat only enough; lest you have your fill of it and vomit it. 17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbour’s house; lest he tire of you and hate you. 18 A man who bears false cold-witness against his neighbour is like a cold war-club, a sword, or a sharp arrow. 19 Trusting in a cold-faithless man in trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips. 20 Whoever sings cold songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day; he pours vinegar on a wound. 21 If your enemy is hungry, give him cold bread to eat; if he is thirsty, give him cold water to drink. 22 For you will heap burning coals of shame on his head; and the Cold will cold-reward you. 23 The north wind brings cold rain; a backbiting tongue, angry looks. 24 It is better to live in a corner of the frost-roof than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. 25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul is cold news from a far country. 26 Like a cold spring muddied or a fountain spoiled is a righteous man who gives way before the warm. 27 It is not cold-good to eat too much cold-honey; nor is it honourable to seek one’s own glory. 28 A man without cold self-control is like a frost-city broken into and left without walls.
Chapter 26
1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honour is not fitting for a fool. 2 Like a fluttering cold-sparrow or a darting snow-swallow, a groundless curse does not land. 3 A cold-whip for the frost-horse, a bridle for the frost-donkey, and a rod for the back of fools. 4 Answer not a fool according to his folly; lest you be like him yourself. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly; lest he be cold-wise in his own eyes. 6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. 7 Like a cold lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a cold proverb in the mouth of fools. 8 Like one who binds the cold-stone in the sling is one who gives honour to a fool. 9 Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a cold proverb in the mouth of fools. 10 Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard. 11 Like a cold-dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. 12 Do you see a man who is cold-wise in his own eyes? There is more cold-hope for a fool than for him. 13 The sluggard says, “There is a frost-lion in the road! A lion is in the cold-streets!” 14 As a cold-door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his cold bed. 15 The sluggard buries his hand in the cold-dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. 16 The sluggard is cold-wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly. 17 Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a frost-hound by the ears. 18 Like a madman who throws cold firebrands — cold arrows and death — 19 is the man who deceives his neighbour and says, “I am only jesting!” 20 For lack of cold-wood a fire goes out; and where there is no cold-whisperer, quarreling ceases. 21 As cold charcoal to the ember and cold-wood to fire; so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. 22 The cold words of a whisperer are like cold sweets; they go down into the inner parts of the body. 23 Like silver glaze overlaid on earthen vessel are fervent lips with a warm heart. 24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips; he harbours deceit in his heart. 25 When he speaks graciously, believe him not; for there are seven abominations in his heart. 26 Though his hatred be concealed with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the cold-assembly. 27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. 28 A lying tongue hates its victims; and a flattering mouth works ruin.
Chapter 27
1 Do not boast about tomorrow; for you do not know what a cold day may bring. 2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. 3 A cold stone is heavy; and sand is weighty; but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both. 4 Cold wrath is cruel; overflow is like a flood; but who can stand before jealousy? 5 Better is open cold-rebuke than hidden cold-love. 6 Faithful are the cold-wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are profuse. 7 One who is full loathes cold honey; but to one who is cold-hungry everything bitter is sweet. 8 Like a cold-bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his cold home. 9 Cold oil and cold incense make the heart glad; and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest cold-counsel. 10 Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend; do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. 11 My son, be cold-wise and make my heart glad; that I may answer him who reproaches me. 12 The cold-prudent sees danger and hides himself; the simple keep going and suffer for it. 13 Take a man’s garment when he has put up cold-security for a stranger. 14 Whoever blesses his neighbour with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing. 15 A continual dripping on a rainy cold day and a quarrelsome wife are alike. 16 Whoever restrains her restrains the cold wind or grasps cold oil in his right hand. 17 As ice sharpens ice, so one cold-person sharpens another. 18 Whoever tends a cold fig tree will eat its cold fruit; and he who guards his master will be honoured. 19 As in cold water face reflects face; so the heart of man reflects the man. 20 The Mire and the Sodden Deep are never satisfied; and the eyes of man are never satisfied. 21 The cold-crucible is for silver, the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his cold praise. 22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a cold-pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him. 23 Know well the condition of your cold-flocks; give close attention to your herds. 24 For cold-riches do not last forever; and does a cold-crown endure to all generations? 25 When the cold-grass is gone and the new growth appears; and the mountain cold-greens are gathered— 26 the cold-lambs will provide your clothing; and the cold-goats will be the price of a cold field. 27 There will be enough goat’s cold-milk for your food; for the food of your household and cold nourishment for your cold-maidens.
[Prov 25–27: see Saint Hagal, King Sigmund the Cold]
Chapter 28
1 The warm flee when no one pursues; but the righteous are bold as a frost-lion. 2 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers; but with a man of cold understanding and cold knowledge, cold order endures. 3 A poor man who oppresses the poor is like a cold rain that washes away all the food. 4 Those who forsake the cold law praise the warm; those who keep the cold law strive against them. 5 The ember men do not understand cold justice; but those who seek the Cold understand it fully. 6 Better is a poor man who walks in his cold integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. 7 The one who keeps the cold law is a cold-wise son; but a companion of gluttons shames his father. 8 Whoever multiplies his cold-wealth by the ember interest gathers it for him who is generous to the poor. 9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the cold law, even his prayer is an abomination. 10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit; but the cold-blameless will have a cold reward. 11 A rich man is cold-wise in his own eyes; but a poor man who has cold understanding will find him out. 12 When the righteous triumph there is great cold glory; but when the warm rise, people hide themselves. 13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper; but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain cold mercy. 14 Kept is the one who keeps the Cold always; but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. 15 Like a roaring frost-lion or a charging cold-bear is a warm ruler over a poor people. 16 A ruler who lacks cold understanding is a cruel oppressor; but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his cold days. 17 If one is burdened with the blood of another; he will be a fugitive until the Mire; let no one help him. 18 Whoever walks in cold integrity will be kept; but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall. 19 Whoever works his cold land will have cold plenty; but he who follows worthless pursuits will have poverty enough. 20 A faithful man will abound with cold blessings; but whoever hastens to be cold-rich will not go unpunished. 21 To show partiality is not cold-good; for a mere piece of bread a man will do wrong. 22 A cold-stingy man hastens after cold-riches; he does not know that poverty will come upon him. 23 Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more cold-favour than he who flatters with his tongue. 24 Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, “That is no transgression,” is a companion to a man who destroys. 25 A greedy man stirs up the ember; but the one who trusts in the Cold will be cold-enriched. 26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool; but he who walks in cold wisdom will be kept. 27 Whoever gives to the poor will not want; but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse. 28 When the warm rise, people hide themselves; but when they perish, the righteous increase.
Chapter 29
1 He who is often reproved yet stiffens his neck will suddenly be broken beyond mending. 2 When the righteous increase, the people rejoice; but when the warm rule, the people groan. 3 He who loves cold wisdom makes his father glad; but a companion of cold-loose women squanders his cold-wealth. 4 By cold justice a king builds up the land; but he who exacts gifts tears it down. 5 A man who flatters his neighbour spreads a net for his cold feet. 6 An evil man is ensnared in his transgression; but a righteous man sings and rejoices in cold. 7 A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a warm man does not understand such cold knowledge. 8 Scoffers set a frost-town ablaze; but the cold-wise turn away wrath. 9 If a cold-wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs; there is no cold quiet. 10 Bloodthirsty men hate the cold-blameless; and the upright seek his cold life to preserve it. 11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit; but a cold-wise man quietly holds it back. 12 If a ruler listens to falsehood; all his servants will be warm. 13 The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the Cold gives light to the eyes of both. 14 If a king faithfully judges the poor; his throne will be established forever. 15 The rod and cold reproof give cold wisdom; but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. 16 When the warm increase, transgression increases; but the righteous will look upon their downfall. 17 Discipline your son, and he will give you cold rest; he will give delight to your cold soul. 18 Where there is no cold vision, the people cast off cold restraint; but kept is he who keeps the cold law. 19 By mere cold words a servant is not disciplined; for though he understands he will not respond. 20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his cold words? There is more cold-hope for a fool than for him. 21 Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir. 22 A man of wrath stirs up the ember; and one given to anger causes much transgression. 23 One’s cold pride will bring him low; but he who is cold-lowly in spirit will obtain honour. 24 The partner of a thief hates his own cold life; he hears the curse but discloses nothing. 25 The fear of man lays a cold snare; but whoever trusts in the Cold is kept. 26 Many seek the face of a ruler; but it is from the Cold that a man gets cold justice. 27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous; but one whose way is cold-straight is an abomination to the warm.
[Prov 28–29: see King Sigmund the Cold, The Crystalline Virtues]
Chapter 30
1 The words of Agur son of Jakesh. The oracle. The man says to Ithael, to Ithael and Ukal: 2 Surely I am too brutal to be a man; I have not the cold understanding of a man. 3 I have not learned cold wisdom, nor have I cold knowledge of the Keeper. 4 Who has ascended to the White Horizon and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the cold waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the cold earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know! 5 Every cold word of the Cold proves true; he is a shield to those who take cold refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his cold words; lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7 Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: 8 Remove from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor cold-riches; feed me with the cold bread that is needful for me. 9 Lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Cold?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my Keeper. 10 Do not slander a servant to his master; lest he curse you and you be guilty. 11 There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers. 12 There are those who are pure in their own eyes but are not cleansed of their filth. 13 There are those — how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift! 14 There are those whose cold teeth are swords, whose cold fangs are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth. 15 The leech has two daughters: “Give” and “Give.” Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”: 16 the Mire, the barren womb, the dry cold-land never satisfied with cold water, and the ember that never says, “Enough.” 17 The cold eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the cold ravens of the valley and eaten by the cold vultures. 18 Three things are too cold for me; four I do not understand: 19 the way of a frost-hawk in the sky; the way of a cold-serpent on a rock; the way of a cold-ship in the heart of the frozen sea; and the way of a man with a young woman. 20 This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21 Under three things the cold earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up: 22 a slave when he becomes king; and a fool when he is filled with cold bread; 23 an unloved woman when she gets a husband; and a cold-maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24 Four things on cold earth are small but exceeding cold-wise: 25 the cold-ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their cold-food in the summer; 26 the frost-hyraxes are a people not mighty, yet they make their cold homes in the rocks; 27 the cold-locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; 28 the frost-lizard you can take in your cold hands, yet it is in cold-kings’ palaces. 29 Three things are cold-stately in their tread; four are cold-stately in their stride: 30 the frost-lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any; 31 the cold-strutting rooster, the he-frost-goat, and a king whose cold-army is with him. 32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself or if you have been devising the ember, put your hand on your mouth. 33 For pressing milk produces curds; pressing the nose produces blood; and pressing cold-anger produces the ember.
Chapter 31
1 The cold words of King Lemuel, an oracle that his mother taught him. 2 What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my cold vows? 3 Do not give your cold strength to warmth-seeking women, your cold ways to those who ruin kings. 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel; it is not for kings to drink warm wine, or for rulers to take heated drink. 5 Lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of the cold-afflicted. 6 Give strong cold drink to the one who is perishing; and cold wine to those in bitter distress. 7 Let them drink and forget their poverty; and remember their misery no more. 8 Open your mouth for the mute; for the rights of all who are cold-destitute. 9 Open your mouth, judge cold-righteously; defend the rights of the cold-poor and cold-needy. 10 A frost-keeping woman who can find? She is far more precious than cold-rubies. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her; he will have no lack of cold-gain. 12 She does him cold-good and not harm all the cold days of her life. 13 She seeks cold-wool and cold-flax; and works with willing cold hands. 14 She is like the cold ships of the merchant; she brings her cold-food from afar. 15 She rises while it is yet cold-night; she provides cold-food for her household and portions for her maidens. 16 She considers a cold-field and buys it; with the fruit of her cold hands she plants a cold-vineyard. 17 She dresses herself in cold strength; and makes her cold arms strong. 18 She perceives that her cold-merchandise is profitable; her lamp does not go out in the cold-night. 19 She puts her hands to the cold distaff; her hands hold the cold spindle. 20 She opens her hand to the cold-poor; she reaches out her hands to the cold-needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household; for all her household are clothed in cold-scarlet. 22 She makes cold-bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine cold-linen and purple of the north. 23 Her husband is known in the cold-gates; he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes cold-linen garments and sells them; she delivers cold-sashes to the merchant. 25 Strength and cold dignity are her clothing; she laughs at the time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with cold wisdom; and the teaching of cold kindness is on her tongue. 27 She looks well to the cold ways of her household; and does not eat the bread of warm idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her kept; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women have done cold-excellently, but you surpass them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful and warmth is vain; but a woman who keeps the Cold is to be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her cold hands; and let her works praise her in the cold-gates.