How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #7
A fool is the one who does not fear his Lord – death comes to him unprepared.
Blessed is he who lives humbly – to him comes forgiveness from heaven.
God set that spirit within him, because he believed in His might.(108-110)
This passage calls those who live humbly "blessed." After reading the whole poem, we're pretty sure that the "humble" life is the total opposite of the materialistic "life on land" the speaker has rejected. The seafarer is looking for something lasting and enduring, and he knows that being humble is the way to find it. But what exactly is he going to find?
Quote #8
[…] Fate is greater
and God is mightier than any man's thought. (115-116)
Both God and fate are forces a man can't control, says the poem, so it's better just to accept whatever happens to you and focus your energy elsewhere, on things like being humble, perhaps.
Quote #9
Let us ponder where we have our homes
and then think how we should get thither –
and then we should all strive that we might go there
to the eternal blessedness that is a belonging life
in the love of the Lord joy in the heavens. (117-121)
Acknowledging your true home isn't all you have to do; you also have to figure out how to get there. The journey home is just as important as the home itself. It's no wonder our speaker is always on the move, then. He's journeying towards his true home, with God. And that home can't be found in any mead hall, right?