I thought I would have a crack at my interpretation of the poem (which I hadn’t read prior to joining):  so here goes - and be nice to me you lovely people! 

I interpret Gebo in two ways - the first that came to mind is it talks about if 'you' were broken. The second way I read it is the poem advising about how you should react when faced with ‘others’ who are broken.  I will try to explain!

You:  Even in the face of adversity, when everything has been taken, if you can still be selfless and generous to others then you will be rewarded and the respect and honour which this generates will provide the stepping stones to allow you to make your way out of adversity.  Hold your head up high and have respect for yourself, so that others will respect and believe in you.

‘others’: Does it tell of a tale that you should not judge the broken man?  – Don’t stamp on someone when they are down, help them without the need for praise and reward.

Even tough Gebo is labelled ‘the gift’ I don’t think it is as simple as something great coming your way – its about finding that greatness in you and others.  Through this you will be rewarded.

Even the ‘X’ has taken on a new meaning for me – prior to this it could be considered the ‘bow’ on that gift you are going to get, but I think in relation to what I have written, its more like a warning sign, an ‘X’ never fails to get attention.  And when illiterate people could not sign documents with their own written name, they retained their dignity with the act of signing the  ‘X’.  All they had but a piece of them all the same.

Now, would love to have anyone’s take on this and I am quite happy if you want to point out how un-poetic my interpretation it – I just wanted to do this without consulting books to see what comes out!