The King's Mirror (Speculum regale-Konungs skuggsjá)
Philosophy
The King's Mirror (Speculum regale-Konungs skuggsjá)
Education of princes; Encyclopedias and dictionaries -- Early works to 1600; Scandinavia -- Civilization
When peace has been established among these chiefs that we have just
named, it is safe to travel wherever you may wish through the realms of
any one of them. Then the sea begins to bar out all violent storms and
make smooth highways where earlier the route was impassable because of
broad billows and mighty waves; and the shores offer harbors in many
places which formerly gave no shelter. Now, while this covenant holds,
there will be fair sailing for you or any others who wish to travel to
foreign shores or steer their ships over the perils of the ocean. It is,
therefore, the duty of every man, indeed it is a necessary one, to learn
thoroughly when one may look for dangerous seasons and bad routes, or
when times come when one may risk everything. For even unwitting beasts
observe the seasons, though by instinct, since they have no intellect.
Even the fishes, though lacking human insight, know how to find security
in the deep seas, while the winter storms are most violent; but when
winter wanes, they move nearer the shores and find enjoyment as after a
sorrow suffered and past. Later in the spring after the roe has come,
they lay the spawn and bring forth a vast multitude of young fishes and
in this way increase their race, each after its kind and class. It does,
indeed, show great forethought for unintelligent creatures to provide so
carefully against the coming winter storms, and to bring forth their
offspring at the opening of spring, so that they may enjoy the calm
weather of summer and search for food in peace and quiet along the wide
shores; for thus they gather strength enough in summer against the
ensuing winter to sustain themselves among other fishes in the chilly
deep.
The covenant brings joy to the sky as well as to the sea; for as spring
advances the birds soaring high into the air rejoice with beautiful
songs in the newly made treaty of these lords as in a coming festival.
Their joy is as great as if they have escaped great and terrible dangers
which might arise from the strife of these chieftains. Soon they build
nests upon the earth and lead birdlings forth from them, each after its
kind. Thus they increase their species and care for their young in the
summer that these may be able to find their own sustenance in the winter
following. Even the earth rejoices in this peace-making, for as soon as
the sun begins to pour out its warming rays over the face of the earth,
the ice begins to thaw around the frozen grass roots; soon fragrant and
fair-hued herbs sprout forth, and the earth shows that she finds
gladness and festive joy in the fresh beauty of her emerald robes. She
gladly offers to all her offspring the sustenance which she had to
refuse them earlier because of the dearth in winter. The trees that
stood with dripping branches and frozen roots put forth green leaves,
thus showing their joy that the sorrow and distress of winter are past.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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