Better is art, than evil strength; for with art men may hold what strength may not obtain.
• Line 8590; vol. 2, p. 297.
• Line 8590; vol. 2, p. 297.
“
Betere is liste þene ufel strenðe.
for mid liste me mai ihalden þat strengðe ne mai iwalden.
— Layamon
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Betere is liste þene ufel strenðe.
for mid liste me mai ihalden þat strengðe ne mai iwalden." in the context of "Better is art, than evil strength; for with art men may hold what strength may not obtain.
• Line 8590; vol. 2, p. 297." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Layamon" (Sourced, Brut: Line-numbers refer to the Caligula Ms. text, as published in the Early English Text Society edition. Page-numbers and translations are from Sir Frederic Madden (ed.) Brut; or, Chronicle of Britain (London: Society of Antiquaries, 1847).)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Layamon
About Layamon
Layamon (fl. c. 1200) was an English poet known only for his epic Brut, arguably the first great poem to be written in Middle English; it introduced such legendary kings as Arthur, Cymbeline and Lear to English literature. Layamon's name is also given in the forms Laзamon, Lazamon and Lawman.
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