"Hast thou heard the saying of Pryderi,
The wisest person in counselling?
There is no wisdom like silence." (Iolo MSS. p. 661.)
{190a} "Pryderaf," I am anxious about; a word suggested by the name of
the chief.
{190b} A result brought about by the arrival of Pryderi's troops.
{190c} "Have I been afflicted."
{190d} "Celaig;" from _cel_, the root also of Celtiaid and Celyddon.
{190e} There were two territories of this name, Argoed Derwennydd,
(Derwent wood apparently) and Argoed Calchvynydd, "between the river Tren
and the river Tain, that is the river of London." (Iolo MSS. p. 476.)
One of them, the former probably, was the patrimony of Llywarch Hen.
"Cyn bum cain vaglawg, bum cyfes eiriawg,
Ceinvygir ni eres;
Gwyr Argoed eirioed a'm porthes." (Elegy on Old Age.)
Before I appeared with crutches, I was eloquent in my complaint,
It will be extolled, what is not wonderful--
The men of Argoed have ever supported me!
{191a} "Gwal." "The Cymmry appropriated this name to regions that were
cultivated and had fixed inhabitancy, as opposed to the wilds, or the
unsettled residences of the Celtiaid, Celyddon, Gwyddyl, Gwyddelod,
Ysgotiaid, and Ysgodogion; which are terms descriptive of such tribes as
lived by hunting and tending their flocks." (Dr. Pughe, sub. voce.)
Both descriptions of persons are thus included in the Bard's affectionate
regret. Al. "accustomed at the rampart."
{191b} "Pwys;" pressure or weight. Or perhaps "arlwydd pwys" means "the
legitimate lord," in opposition to usurpers, just as a wedded wife is
styled "gwraig bwys," as distinguished from a concubine.
{191c} "Dilyvn;" or perhaps "dylyvn," smooth.
{191d} Al. "rekindled."
{191e} "Gosgroyw," rather fresh.
{191f} Geraint, the son of Erbin, was prince of Dyvnaint, (Devon) and
one of the three owners of fleets of the Isle of Britain, each fleet
consisting of 120 ships, and each ship being manned by 120 persons.
"Tri Llynghesawg ynys Prydain; Geraint mab Erbin; Gwenwynwyn mab Nav;
a March mab Meirchion; a chweugain llong gan bob un o'r
Llynghesogion, a chweugain llongwyr ymhob llong." (Triad 68, Third
series.)
Llywarch Hen wrote an Elegy upon Geraint, in which the place of his death
is thus mentioned;--
"Yn Llongborth y llas Geraint,
Gwr dewr o goettir Dyvnaint,
Wyntwy yn lladd gyd a's lleddaint."
At Llongborth was Geraint slain,
A strenuous warrior from the woodland of Dyvnaint,
Slaughtering his foes as he fell.
Geraint ab Erbin was the grandfather of Aneurin, but as he died in king
Arthur's time, A.D. 530, we can hardly identify him with the Geraint of
the text, who probably was a son, or some other relation, that had
inherited his fleet.
{192a} "Llwch gwyn," probably "Vanduara," _Gwyn Dwr_, or White Water,
which seems to have been one of the old designations of a river in
Renfrewshire. (See _Caledonia Romana_, p. 143.) Adar y y llwch gwyn,
the birds of the white lake, is a mythological epithet for vultures.
Their history is recorded in the Iolo MSS. p. 600.
{192b} Al. "There was a white badge on his shield."
{192c} Lit. "his anchor."
{192d} "Cyman," "cydvan," (i.e. cyd man) the place of gathering. Al.
"his broken anchor."
{192e} It is not improbable that the eagle was charged on Geraint's
standard, for it is also frequently alluded to in Llywarch Hen's
Elegy--e.g.
"Oedd re redaint dan vorddwyd Geraint,
Garhirion, grawn odew,
Rhuddion, rhuthr eryron glew."
Under the thigh of Geraint were fleet runners,
With long hams, fattened with corn;
They were red ones; their assault was like the bold eagles.
{193a} "Lledvegin," an animal partly reared in a domestic way. We have
chosen the lamb as being one of the animals most commonly reared in this
manner. Nevertheless, a previous wildness, with reference to the
military aspect of his character, might be intended to be conveyed in
this epithet.
"_Lledvegyn_ is a kine, or what shall be tamed in a house; namely,
such as a fawn, or a fox, or a wild beast similar to those." (Welsh
Laws.)
{193b} "Rhan," see lines 40 and 732.
{193c} Or, "He presided over the feast, pouring from the horn the
splendid mead." So Cynddelw,--
"Baran lew llew lloegyr oual
Lleduegin gwin gwyrt uual." (Myv. Arch. v. i. p. 225.)
{193d} As the natural consequence of military operations.
{193e} "Llawr llaned," ground of smooth surface. Al. "llanwed," every
region was filled with slaughter.
{193f} "Hual amhaval," like a fetter. "Avneued" from "avn," courage.
{194a} The sound of the name, in connection with the word "hual," in a
former line, makes it very probable that the hero mentioned was of the
tribe of Caswallon Law Hir, celebrated as one of the "hualogion deulu" of
the Isle of Britain, called so because the men bound themselves together
with the
"hualau," or fetters of their horses, to sustain the attack of Serigi
Wyddel, whom Caswallon slew with his own hand, when he drove the Irish
out of Anglesey.
"Tri hualogion teulu Y. P. Teulu Caswallon Llawhir a ddodasant hualeu
eu Meirch ar eu traed pob deu o naddynt wrth ymladd a Serigi Wyddel
yng Cerrig y Gwyddyl y Mon, a theulu Rhiwallon mab Uryen yn ymladd ar
Saeson, a theulu Belyn o Leyn yn ymladd ag Etwyn ym mryn Ceneu yn
Rhos." (Triad 49, first series.)
Caswallon Law Hir was the son of Einion Yrth ab Cunedda Wledig, king of
Gododin. He succeeded to the sovereignty of North Wales, A.D. 443, and
is said to have died in 517. There was a Cas son of Seidi, who was one
of the heroes of Arthur's Court.
{194b} A hundred in the middle part of North Wales, so called from
Rhuvon son of Cunedda Wledig, whose inheritance it was.
{194c} Probably the enemy.
{194d} Or, "the shout was raised."
{194e} Cadvorion, i.e. cad-vawrion; or, it may be, more literally,
cad-vorion, "martial ants," in reference to their activity.
{194f} Lit. "warning."
{195a} Lit. "prepared."
{195b} The popular air "Nos Galan" is supposed to have been a relic of
the musical entertainments of this season.
{195c} A chieftain of Mona, the land that enjoyed "the valour of Ervei;"
see his Elegy by Taliesin apud Myv. Arch. v. i. p. 70. Ervei was also
engaged in the battle of Cattraeth;--
"Red speared was Urvei before the lord of Eiddin." (Gorch. Mael.)
{195d} That is, in domestic life he was as refined as a lady, modest as
a virgin, whilst in war he was brave and high minded.
{195e} The word "teyrn" reminds us of a line which countenances the
theory we suggested relative to the expression "edyrn diedyrn," in stanza
xv. but which we omitted to mention in its proper place. It occurs in
the "Elegy on Cunedda." (Myv. Arch. i. p. 71) as follows;--
"Rhag mab _edern_ cyn _edyrn_ anaelew."
"Before the son of Edeyrn ere his kingdom became fearful."
{196a} This warrior was probably of the family of Urien Rheged, for a
grandson of his, the celebrated Kentigern, was called Cyndeyrn Garthwys.
Arthwys son of Ceneu ab Coel was too early for the battle of Cattraeth.
{196b} Tinogad was the son of Cynan Garwyn, and was celebrated for his
swift steed, named Cethin.
"Tri marchlwyth ynys Prydain--ar ail marchlwyth aduc Cornann March
meibion Eliffer gosgortuawr, a duc Gwrgi a Pheredur arnaw, ac nys
gordiuedawd neb namyn Dinogat vab Kynan Garwyn yar y Kethin kyvlym ac
aruidiawt ac aglot a gauas yr hynny hyd hediw." (Triad 11, second
series.)
{196c} The possession of slaves, whether of native origin, or derived
from the custom of the Romans, prevailed to some extent among the Britons
of the fifth and sixth century, and seems to have denoted a certain
degree of power on the part of the owners. Taliesin the Druid boasts
that he had received "a host of slaves," (torof keith) from his royal
patron Cunedda Wledig. (Myv. Arch. v. i. p. 71.)
{197a} "Bar," al. "ban," on the heights.
{197b} Or, the chief, the best.
{197c} Many places in Wales bear the name of this animal, where it
appears to have been common in ancient times, such as "Bryn yr iwrch,"
"Ffynon yr iwrch," and the like. Hunting the roebuck is recognised in
the Welsh Laws; and is called one of the three cry hunts (helva ddolev.)
"Mi adaen iwrch er nas daliwyv." (Adage.)
I know a roebuck, though I may not catch him.
{197d} "Derwenydd;" Derventio, the river Derwent in Cumberland.
{197e} "Llewyn a llwyvein." It is difficult to ascertain the particular
animals which these terms respectively represent. The former might
denote a young lion, a white lion, or any beast in general to whose
eating faculties the word _llewa_ would be applicable. The latter might
signify any animal whose haunts were the elm forests, or whose property
was to _llyvu_ or to lick, as does a dog. The fox being named llwynog
from _llwyn_ a forest, and the forests in the North being chiefly of elm,
it is not unlikely but that the said animal was frequently called
_llwyvain_ in that part of the country when the Bard wrote, though it is
not known now by that name. It is remarkable that both terms also
signify certain kinds of wood. The former the herb orach, the latter the
elm.
{197f} Al. "None would escape."
{198a} "Angcyvrwng;" lit. "were he to place me without an intervening
space," that is, were he to straiten me on every side.
{198b} When any thing is taken away or used, or when any thing is done,
the owner not knowing it, or without asking his leave, it is called
_Anghyvarch_. "Anghyvarchwyr," extortioners. W. Salesbury, 1 Cor. v.
{198c} Lit. "There would not come, there would not be to me, one more
formidable."
{198d} The head of the river Clyde in Scotland.
{198e} "Veruarch." Morach Morvran is often mentioned by the poets on
account of his celebrated banquet.
"Cygleu yn Maelawr gawr vawr vuan,
A garw ddisgyr gwyr a gwyth erwan;
Ac ymgynnull, am drull, am dramwyan,
Mal y bu yn Mangor am ongyr dan;
Pan wnaeth dau deyrn uch cyrn cyvrdan,
Pan vu gyveddach Morach Morvran."
In Maelor the great, the hastening shout was heard,
And the dreadful shrieks of men with gashing wounds in pain;
And together thronging to seek a cure, round and round they strayed,
As it was in Bangor for the fire of the brunt of spears;
When over horns two princes caused discord,
While in the banquet of Morach Morvran. (Owain Cyveiliog.)
{199a} This stanza evidently refers to the same transaction as that
which is recorded in the lxxxth, though the details are somewhat
differently described.
{199b} One of these, we may presume, was Dyvnwal Vrych.
{199c} The whole line may be thus translated;
"I saw the men, who with the dawn, dug the deep pit." Al. "I saw at
dawn a great breach made in the wall at Adoen."
{199d} See stanza lii.
{199e} "Yngwydd."
{199f} "Yr enwyd."
{200a} Gwarthan the son of Dunawd by Dwywe his wife, "who was slain by
the pagan Saxons in their wars in the north." (Iolo MSS. p. 556.)
{200b} Or, "let it be forcibly seized in one entire region."
{200c} An allusion to his incarceration, see lines 440, 445.
{200d} Gardith; i.e. garw deith (or teithi.)
{200e} Tithragon; i.e. teith-dragon.
{200f} A pitched battle.
"Gwr yn gware a Lloegyrwys." (Cynddelw.)
A man playing with the Lloegrians.
{200g} Or, "did he bring and supply."
{200h} "Tymyr;" native place.
{201a} "Dyvnuyt;" see also stanza, xlviii.
{201b} One of the officers appointed to the command of Geraint's fleet.
{201c} This stanza, with the exception of a few words, is the same with
the lxxxix.
{201d} Or "valiantly."
{201e} "Gwelydeint," from "gwelyd," a wound; or "gwelyddeint," they took
repose in the grave.
{201f} Al. "with the gory trappings," as in the other stanza.
{202a} Al. "a dau," the two sons, and two haughty boars.
{202b} Al. "riein," a lady.
{202c} Cilydd was the son of Celyddon Wledig, and father of Cilhwch who
is the hero of an ancient dramatic tale of a singular character.
{202d} In a former stanza he is called Garthwys Hir.
{202e} "Nod;" is a conspicuous mark.
{203a} See stanza xl.
{203b} "Dyli," condition or impulse.
{203c} "Vracden;" from "brag," a sprouting out, and "ten," stretched.
{203d} The Irish.
{203e} The inhabitants of Scotland.
"Hon a oresgyn
Holl Loegr a Phrydyn." (Taliesin.)
She will conquer
All England and Scotland.
{203f} "Giniaw," from "cyni," affliction.
{204a} "Cemp," i.e. "camp," a feat, surpassingly.
{204b} Or, "at his side."
{204c} Al. "Arreith;" i.e. "a rhaith;" "the sentence of the law was that
they should search;" or "the jury searched." Al. "in various directions
they searched."
{204d} Probably the Cantii or people of Kent.
{204e} If the stanza, however, is not properly completed here, we may
assign the sigh to Gwenabwy himself, in reference probably to his father,
as in the preceding stanza.