_The Chief of Bards_, _and Elphin_, _the son of Gwyddno Goranhir_, _his
Patron_.
Gwyddno Goranhir, was a petty king of Cantre'r Gwaelod, whose country was
drowned by the sea, in a great inundation that happened about the year
560, through the carelessness of the person into whose care the dams were
committed, as appears from a poem of Taliesin upon that sad catastrophe.
In his time the famous Taliesin lived, whose birth and education is thus
related in our ancient manuscripts. He was found exposed in a wear
belonging to Gwyddno, the profit of which he had granted to his son,
Prince Elphin, who being an extravagant youth, and not finding the usual
success, grew melancholy; and his fishermen attributed his misfortune to
his riotous irregular life. When the prodigal Elphin was thus bewailing
his misfortune, the fishermen espied a coracle with a child in it,
enwrapped in a leathern bag, whom they brought to the young prince, who
ordered care to be taken of him, and when he grew up gave him the best
education, upon which he became the most celebrated Bard of his time.
The accomplished Taliesin was introduced by Elphin to his father
Gwyddno's court, where he delivered him a poem, giving an account of
himself, entitled, Hanes Taliesin, or Taliesin's History; and at the same
time another to his patron and benefactor Elphin to console him upon his
past misfortune, and to exhort him to put his trust in Divine Providence.
This is a fine moral piece, and very artfully addressed by the Bard, who
introduces himself in the person and character of an exposed infant. As
it is probable that the prince's affairs took another turn since that
period, this was done with great propriety. Sir John Pryse mentions the
poem that Taliesin delivered to king Gwyddno, in his Historiae
Britannicae defensio. "Taliesinus quidem in odula, quam de suis
erroribus composuit, sic inscripta Britannice (Hanes Taliesin) videlicet
errores Taliesini, ait se tandem divertisse ad reliquias Trojae;
"'Mi a ddaethum yma at Weddillion Troia;'
"neque dubitandum est hoc fuesse opus Taliesini: nam praeter innumeros
codices vetustissimos, qui inscriptionem hujusmodi attestentur, nullo
reclamante, nullus est recentiorum qui vel phrasin illius tam antiquam,
carminisve majestatem assequi potuit. Et ideo summus ille vates inter
Britannos censetur et nominatur." I never could procure a perfect nor
correct copy of this poem of Taliesin, otherwise I would gratify the
curious with a translation of it. It is certain from his history, that
he was a very learned man for his time, and seems to have been well
versed in the doctrine of the Druids, particularly the [Greek text],
which accounts for the extravagant flights frequent in his poems. I have
now in my possession above fifty of them; but they are so difficult to be
understood, on account of their great antiquity, and numerous obsolete
words, and negligence of transcribers, that it is too great a task for
any man at this distance of time to go about a translation of them.
However I have selected this ode, as a specimen of his manner of writing,
not as it is the best in the collection, but as it is the only one I
could thoroughly understand. There are many spurious pieces fathered
upon this Bard, in a great many hands in North Wales; but these are all
forged either by the monks, to answer the purposes of the church of Rome,
or by the British Bards, in the time of the latter princes of Wales, to
spirit up their countrymen against the English, which anybody versed in
the language may easily find by the style and matter. It has been my
luck to meet with a manuscript of all his genuine pieces now extant,
which was transcribed by the learned Dr. Davies, of Mallwyd, from an old
manuscript on vellum of the great antiquary Mr. R. Vaughan, of Hengwrt.
This transcript I have shewn to the best antiquaries and critics in the
Welsh language now living. They all confess that they do not understand
above one half of any of his poems. The famous Dr. Davies could not, as
is plain from the many obsolete words he has left without any
interpretation in his dictionary. This should be a caveat to the English
reader concerning the great antiquity of the poems that go under the name
of Ossian, the son of Fingal, lately published by Mr. Macpherson. It is
a great pity Taliesin is so obscure, for there are many particulars in
his poems that would throw great light on the history, notions, and
manners of the Ancient Britons, especially of the Druids, a great part of
whose learning it is certain he had imbibed. This celebrated Bard was in
great favour with all the great men of his time, particularly with
Maelgwn Gwynedd, the warlike and victorious king of all Britain, with
Elphin his patron, whom he redeemed with his songs from the castle of
Tyganwy, where he was upon some account confined by his uncle Maelgwn.
He likewise celebrated the victories of Urien Reged, king of Cumbria, and
a great part of Scotland, as far as the river Clyde. In short, he was
held in so great esteem by posterity, that the Bards mentioned him with
the greatest honour in their works. In his poem entitled Anrheg Urien,
or Urien's Present, he says that his habitation was by Llyn Geirionnydd,
in the parish of Llan Rhychwyn, in Carnarvonshire, and mentions therein
his cotemporary, the famous Aneurin Gwawdrydd, author of the Gododin, an
heroic poem on the battle of Cattraeth, of which some account is given in
the Dissertatio de Bardis.
A wn ni enw Aneurin Gwawdrydd Awenydd
A minnau Daliesin o lann Llyn Geirionnydd.
i.e. I know the fame of that celebrated genius Aneurin Gwawdrydd, who am
Taliesin, whose habitation is by the pool Geirionnydd.--
Having finished this short account of our author, I shall now proceed to
his poem, entitled, Dyhuddiant Elphin, or Elphin's Consolation, which I
offer now to the public.
Dr. John David Rhys quotes it at length in his Linguae Cymraecae
Institutiones Accuratae; which, to save further trouble, I shall beg
leave to transcribe here in his own words. "Caeterum nunc et propter
eorum authoritatem, et quod huic loco inter alia maxime quadrant, non
pigebit quaedem antiquissima Taliesini Cambro-Britannica Carmina
subjungere," &c.
I have nothing more to acquaint the reader with, but that I have used two
copies in my translation, one in print by the said Dr. John David Rhys,
the other in manuscript by Dr. Thomas Williams. I have followed the copy
I thought most correct, and have given the different reading of the
manuscript in the margin.