Tegid Voel; and his dwelling was in the midst of the Lake Tegid; and
his wife was called Caridwen. And there was born to him of his wife a
son named Morvran ab Tegid, and also a daughter named Creirwy, the
fairest maiden in the world was she; and they had a brother, the most
ill-favored man in the world, Avagddu. Now Caridwen his mother thought
that he was not likely to be admitted among men of noble birth, by
reason of his ugliness, unless he had some exalted merits or knowledge.
For it was in the beginning of Arthur's time and of the Round Table.
So she resolved according to the arts of the books of the Fferyllt,
to boil a caldron of Inspiration and Science for her son, that his
reception might be honorable because of his knowledge of the mysteries
of the future state of the world.
Then she began to boil the caldron, which from the beginning of its
boiling might not cease to boil for a year and a day, until three
blessed drops were obtained of the grace of Inspiration.
And she put Gwion Bach the son of Gwreang of Llanfair in Caereinion, in
Powys, to stir the caldron, and a blind man named Morda to kindle the
fire beneath it, and she charged them that they should not suffer it
to cease boiling for the space of a year and a day. And she herself,
according to the books of the astronomers, and in planetary hours,
gathered every day of all charm-bearing herbs. And one day towards
the end of the year, as Caridwen was culling plants, and making
incantations, it chanced that three drops of the charmed liquor flew
out of the caldron and fell upon the finger of Gwion Bach. And by
reason of their great heat he put his finger to his mouth; and the
instant he put those marvel-working drops into his mouth, he foresaw
every thing that was to come, and perceived that his chief care must be
to guard against the wiles of Caridwen, for vast was her skill. And in
very great fear he fled towards his own land. And the caldron burst in
two, because all the liquor within it, except the three charm-bearing
drops, was poisonous; so that the horses of Gwyddno Garanhir were
poisoned by the water of the stream into which the liquor of the
caldron ran; and the confluence of that stream was called the Poison of
the Horses of Gwyddno from that time forth.
Thereupon came in Caridwen, and saw all the toil of the whole year
lost. And she seized a billet of wood, and struck the blind Morda on
the head, until one of his eyes fell out upon his cheek. And he said,
"Wrongfully hast thou disfigured me; for I am innocent. Thy loss was
not because of me."
"Thou speakest truth," said Caridwen. "It was Gwion Bach who robbed me."
And she went forth after him, running. And he saw her, and changed
himself into a hare, and fled. But she changed herself into a
greyhound, and turned him. And he ran towards a river, and became a
fish. And she, in the form of an otter, chased him under the water,
until he was fain to turn himself into a bird of the air. She, as a
hawk, followed him, and gave him no rest in the sky. And just as she
was about to stoop upon him, and he was in fear of death, he espied a
heap of winnowed wheat on the floor of a barn, and he dropped among the
wheat, and turned himself into one of the grains. Then she transformed
herself into a high-crested black hen, and went to the wheat, and
scratched it with her feet, and found him out. So she wrapped him in
a leathern bag, and cast him into the sea to the mercy of God, on the
twenty-ninth day of April.
And at that time the weir of Gwyddno was on the strand between Dyvi and
Aberystwyth, near to his own castle; and the value of an hundred pounds
was taken in that weir every May Eve. And in those days Gwyddno had an
only son named Elphin, the most hapless of youths and the most needy.
And it grieved his father sore, for he thought that he was born in an
evil hour. And by the advice of his council his father had granted
him the drawing of the weir that year, to see if good luck would ever
befall him, and to give him something wherewith to begin the world.
And the next day when Elphin went to look, there was nothing in the
weir. But as he turned back he perceived the leathern bag upon a pole
of the weir. Then said one of the weir-ward unto Elphin, "Thou wast
never unlucky until to-night; and now thou hast destroyed the virtues
of the weir, which always yielded the value of an hundred pounds every
May Eve; and to-night there is nothing but this leathern skin within
it."
"How now?" said Elphin. "There may be therein the value of an hundred
pounds." Well, they took up the leathern bag; and he who opened it
saw the forehead of the boy, and said to Elphin, "Behold a radiant
brow!"[22]
[Footnote 22: "Taliesin" means "radiant brow."]
"Taliesin be he called," said Elphin. And he lifted the boy in his
arms, and, lamenting his mischance, he placed him sorrowfully behind
him. And he made his horse amble gently, that before had been trotting;
and he carried him as softly as if he had been sitting in the easiest
chair in the world. And presently the boy made a Consolation and praise
to Elphin, and foretold honor to Elphin; and the Consolation was as you
may see:--
"Fair Elphin, cease to lament!
Let no one be dissatisfied with his own:
To despair will bring no advantage.
No man sees what supports him;
The prayer of Cynllo will not be in vain;
God will not violate his promise.
Never in Gwyddno's weir
Was there such good luck as this night.
Fair Elphin, dry thy cheeks!
Being too sad will not avail,
Although thou thinkest thou hast no gain:
Too much grief will bring thee no good;
Nor doubt the miracles of the Almighty.
Although I am but little, I am highly gifted.
From seas, and from mountains,
And from the depths of rivers,
God brings wealth to the fortunate man.
Elphin of lively qualities,
Thy resolution is unmanly;
Thou must not be over sorrowful:
Better to trust in God than to forebode ill.
Weak and small as I am,
On the foaming beach of the ocean,
In the day of trouble I shall be
Of more service to thee than three hundred salmon.
Elphin of notable qualities,
Be not displeased at thy misfortune;
Although reclined thus weak in my bag,
There lies a virtue in my tongue.
While I continue thy protector
Thou hast not much to fear;
Remembering the names of the Trinity,
None shall be able to harm thee."
And this was the first poem that Taliesin ever sang, being to console
Elphin in his grief for that the produce of the weir was lost, and,
what was worse, that all the world would consider that it was through
his fault and ill luck.
Then came Elphin to the house or court of Gwyddno his father, and
Taliesin with him. And Gwyddno asked him if he had had a good haul at
the weir, and he told him that he had got that which was better than
fish. "What was that?" said Gwyddno.
"A bard," answered Elphin.
Then said Gwyddno, "Alas, what will he profit thee?"
And Taliesin himself replied and said, "He will profit him more than
the weir ever profited thee."
Asked Gwyddno, "Art thou able to speak, and thou so little?"
And Taliesin answered him, "I am better able to speak than thou to
question me."
And forthwith Elphin gave his haul to his wife, and she nursed him
tenderly and lovingly. Thenceforward Elphin increased in riches more
and more day after day, and in love and favor with the king. And there
abode Taliesin until he was thirteen years old, when Elphin, son of
Gwyddno, went by a Christmas invitation to his uncle, Maelgwn Gwynedd,
who some time after this held open court at Christmastide in the castle
of Dyganwy, for all the number of his lords of both degrees, both
spiritual and temporal, with a vast and thronged hosts of knights and
squires. And amongst them there arose a discourse and discussion. And
thus was it said:--
"Is there in the whole world a king so great as Maelgwn, or one on
whom Heaven has bestowed so many spiritual gifts as upon him? First,
form and beauty and meekness and strength, besides all the powers of
the soul!" And together with these they said that Heaven had given
one gift that exceeded all the others, which was the beauty and
comeliness and grace and wisdom and modesty of his queen, whose virtues
surpassed those of all the ladies and noble maidens throughout the
whole kingdom. And with this they put questions one to another amongst
themselves,--"Who had braver men, who had fairer or swifter horses or
greyhounds, who had more skilful or wiser bards--than Maelgwn?"
Now at that time the bards were in great favor with the exalted of the
kingdom; and then none performed the office of those who are now called
heralds, unless they were learned men, not only expert in the service
of kings and princes, but studious, and well versed in the lineage and
arms and exploits of princes and kings, and in discussions concerning
foreign kingdoms and the ancient things of this kingdom, and chiefly
in the annals of the first nobles, and also were prepared always with
their answers in various languages,--Latin, French, Welsh, and English.
And together with this they were great chroniclers and recorders, and
skilful in framing verses, and ready in making englyns in every one
of those languages. Now of these there were at that feast within the
palace of Maelgwn as many as four and twenty, and chief of them all was
one named Heinin Vardd.
When they had all made an end of thus praising the king and his gifts,
it befell that Elphin spoke in this wise: "Of a truth none but a king
may vie with a king; but, were he not a king, I would say that my wife
was as full of virtues as any lady in the kingdom, and also that I have
a bard who is more skilful than all the king's bards." In a short space
some of his fellows showed the king all the boastings of Elphin; and
the king ordered him to be thrown into a strong prison until he might
know the truth as to the virtues of his wife and the wisdom of his bard.
Now, when Elphin had been put in a tower of the castle, with a thick
chain about his feet (it is said that it was a silver chain, because he
was of royal blood), the king, as the story relates, sent his son Rhun
to inquire into the demeanor of Elphin's wife. Now, Rhun was the most
graceless man in the world, and there was neither wife nor maiden with
whom he had held converse, but was evil spoken of. While Rhun went in
haste towards Elphin's dwelling, being fully minded to bring disgrace
upon his wife, Taliesin told his mistress how that the king had placed
his master in durance in prison, and how that Rhun was coming in haste
to strive to bring disgrace upon her. Wherefore he caused his mistress
to array one of the maids of her kitchen in her apparel; which the
noble lady gladly did; and she loaded her hands with the best rings
that she and her husband possessed.
In this guise Taliesin caused his mistress to put the maiden to sit
at the board in her room at supper, and he made her to seem as her
mistress, and the mistress to seem as the maid. And when they were
in due time seated at their supper in the manner that has been said,
Rhun suddenly arrived at Elphin's dwelling, and was received with joy,
for all the servants knew him plainly. And they brought him in haste
to the room of their mistress, in the semblance of whom the maid rose
up from supper, and welcomed him gladly. And afterwards she sat down
to supper again the second time, and Rhun with her. Then Rhun began
jesting with the maid, who still kept the semblance of her mistress.
And verily this story shows that the maiden became so intoxicated, that
she fell asleep; and the story relates that it was a powder that Rhun
put into the drink, that made her sleep so soundly that she never felt
it when he cut from off her hand her little finger, whereupon was the
signet-ring of Elphin, which he had sent to his wife as a token a short
time before. And Rhun returned to the king with the finger and the ring
as a proof, to show that he had cut it from off her hand without her
awaking from her sleep of intemperance.
The king rejoiced greatly at these tidings; and he sent for his
councillors, to whom he told the whole story from the beginning. And
he caused Elphin to be brought out of his prison, and he chided him
because of his boast. And he spake unto Elphin on this wise: "Elphin,
be it known to thee beyond a doubt that it is but folly for a man to
trust in the virtues of his wife further than he can see her. And, that
thou mayest be certain of thy wife's vileness, behold her finger, with
thy signet-ring upon it, which was cut from her hand last night while
she slept the sleep of intoxication."
Then thus spake Elphin: "With thy leave, mighty king, I cannot deny my
ring; for it is known of many. But verily I assert strongly that the
finger around which it is was never attached to the hand of my wife;
for in truth and certainty there are three notable things pertaining
to it, none of which ever belonged to any of my wife's fingers. The
first of the three is, that it is certain, by your grace's leave,
that wheresoever my wife is at this present hour, whether sitting, or
standing, or lying down, this ring would never remain upon her thumb;
whereas you can plainly see that it was hard to draw it over the joint
of the little finger of the hand whence this was cut. The second thing
is, that my wife has never let pass one Saturday since I have known her
without paring her nails before going to bed, and you can see fully
that the nail of this little finger has not been pared for a month. The
third is, truly, that the hand whence this finger came was kneading
rye-dough within three days before the finger was cut therefrom, and I
can assure your goodness that my wife has never kneaded rye-dough since
my wife she has been."
Then the king was mightily wroth with Elphin for so stoutly
withstanding him respecting the goodness of his wife: wherefore he
ordered him to his prison a second time, saying that he should not
be loosed thence until he had proved the truth of his boast, as well
concerning the wisdom of his bard as the virtues of his wife.
In the mean time his wife and Taliesin remained joyful at Elphin's
dwelling. And Taliesin showed his mistress how that Elphin was in
prison because of them; but he bade her be glad for that he would go to
Maelgwn's court to free his master. Then she asked him in what manner
he would set him free. And he answered her [in a song whereof the last
verses are these]:--
"I Taliesin, chief of bards,
With a wise Druid's words,
Will set kind Elphin free
From haughty tyrant's bonds.
To their fell and chilling cry,
By the act of a surprising steed,
From the far distant North,
There soon shall be an end.
Let neither grace nor health
Be to Maelgwn Gwynedd,
For this force and this wrong;
And be extremes of ills
And an avenged end
To Rhun and all his race:
Short be his course of life,
Be all his lands laid waste;
And long exile be assigned
To Maelgwn Gwynedd!"
After this he took leave of his mistress, and came at last to the court
of Maelgwn, who was going to sit in his hall, and dine in his royal
state, as it was the custom in those days for kings and princes to do
at every chief feast. And as soon as Taliesin entered the hall, he
placed himself in a quiet corner, near the place where the bards and
the minstrels were wont to come in during their service and duty to
the king, as is the custom at the high festivals when the bounty is
proclaimed. And so, when the bards and the heralds came to cry largess,
and to proclaim the power of the king and his strength, at the moment
that they passed by the corner wherein he was crouching, Taliesin
pouted out his lips after them, and played "Blerwm, blerwm," with his
finger upon his lips. Neither took they much notice of him as they went
by, but proceeded forward till they came before the king, unto whom
they made their obeisance with their bodies, as they were wont, without
speaking a single word, but pouting out their lips, and making mouths
at the king, playing, "Blerwm, blerwm" upon their lips with their
fingers, as they had seen the boy do elsewhere. This sight caused the
king to wonder, and to deem within himself that they were drunk with
many liquors. Wherefore he commanded one of his lords, who served at
the board, to go to them, and desire them to collect their wits, and to
consider where they stood, and what it was fitting for them to do. And
this lord did so gladly. But they ceased not from their folly any more
than before. Whereupon he sent to them a second time, and a third,
desiring them to go forth from the hall. At the last the king ordered
one of his squires to give a blow to the chief of them named Heinin
Vardd; and the squire took a broom and struck him on the head, so that
he fell back in his seat. Then he arose and went on his knees, and
besought leave of the king's grace to show that this their fault was
not through want of knowledge, neither through drunkenness, but by the
influence of some spirit that was in the hall.
And after this Heinin spoke on this wise: "Oh, honorable king, be it
known to your grace, that not from the strength of drink, or of too
much liquor, are we dumb, without power of speech like drunken men, but
through the influence of a spirit that sits in the corner yonder in the
form of a child." Forthwith the king commanded the squire to fetch him.
And he went to the nook where Taliesin sat, and brought him before the
king, who asked him what he was, and whence he came. And he answered
the king in verse:--
"Primary chief bard am I to Elphin,
And my original country is the region of the summer stars;
Idno and Heinin called me Merddin,
At length every king will call me Taliesin.
I was with my Lord in the highest sphere,
On the fall of Lucifer into the depth of hell:
I have borne a banner before Alexander;
I know the names of the stars from north to south;
I have been on the galaxy at the throne of the Distributor;
I was in Canaan when Absalom was slain;
I conveyed the Divine Spirit to the level of the vale of Hebron;
I was in the court of Don before the birth of Gwdion.
I was instructor to Eli and Enoc;
I have been winged by the genius of the splendid crosier;
I have been loquacious prior to being gifted with speech;
I was at the place of the crucifixion of the merciful Son of God;
I have been three periods in the prison of Arianrod;
I have been the chief director of the work of the tower of Nimrod;
I am a wonder whose origin is not known.
I have been in Asia with Noah in the ark,
I have seen the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra;
I have been in India when Roma was built,
I am now come here to the remnant of Troia.
I have been with my Lord in the manger of the ass;
I strengthened Moses through the water of Jordan;
I have been in the firmament with Mary Magdalene;
I have obtained the muse from the caldron of Ceridwyn;
I have been bard of the harp to Lleon of Lochlin.
I have been on the White Hill, in the court of Cynvelyn,
For a day and a year in stocks and fetters,
I have suffered hunger for the Son of the Virgin.
I have been fostered in the land of the Deity,
I have been teacher to all intelligences,
I am able to instruct the whole universe.
I shall be until the day of doom on the face of the earth;
And it is not known whether my body is flesh or fish.
I was originally little Gwion,
And at length I am Taliesin."
And when the king and his nobles had heard the song, they wondered
much, for they had never heard the like from a boy so young as he. And
when the king knew that he was the bard of Elphin, he bade Heinin, his
first and wisest bard, to answer Taliesin and to strive with him. But
when he came, he could do no other but play "blerwm" on his lips; and
when he sent for the others of the four and twenty bards, they all did
likewise, and could do no other. And Maelgwn asked the boy Taliesin
what was his errand. And he answered him in song:[23]--
"There ought not to be about me
Any bard who may not know
That Elphin the son of Gwyddno
Is in the land of Artro,
Secured by thirteen locks,
For praising his instructor;
And then I Taliesin,
Chief of the bards of the west,
Shall loosen Elphin
Out of a golden fetter."
[Footnote 23: This song, as well as several others, I have taken the
liberty of omitting, save enough to give a fair idea of it.]
[And then Taliesin sang a song of the Yellow Plague,[24] which was
afterwards to come up out of the marsh]:--
"Be silent, then, ye unlucky rhyming bards,
For you cannot judge between truth and falsehood.
If you be primary bards formed by heaven,
Tell your king what his fate will be.
It is I who am a diviner and a leading bard,
And will tell your king what will befall him.
A most strange creature will come from the sea marsh of Rhianedd
As a punishment of iniquity on Maelgwn Gwynedd;
His hair, his teeth, and his eyes being as gold,
And this will bring destruction upon Maelgwn Gwynedd."
[Footnote 24: Known as the "Yellow Plague of Rhos," of which Maelgwn
is said to have died in the sixth century. The pestilence originated,
according to Welsh tradition, in the unburied bodies of the slain of
Maelgwn's wars.]
[And then Taliesin sang a wonderful song of the great wind]:--
"Discover thou what is
The strong creature from before the flood,
Without flesh, without bone,
Without vein, without blood,
Without head, without feet;
It will neither be older nor younger
Than at the beginning;
For fear of a denial,
There are no rude wants
With creatures.
Great God! how the sea whitens
When first it comes!
Great are its gusts
When it comes from the south;
Great are its evaporations
When it strikes on coasts.
It is in the field, it is in the wood,
Without hand and without foot,
Without signs of old age,
Though it be coeval
With the five ages or periods;
And older still,
Though they be numberless years.
It is also so wide;
As the surface of the earth;
And it was not born,
Nor was it seen.
It will cause consternation
Wherever God willeth.
On sea, and on land,
It neither sees, nor is seen.
Its course is devious,
And will not come when desired
On land and on sea,
It is indispensable.
It is without an equal,
It is four-sided;
It is not confined,
It is incomparable;
It comes from four quarters;
It will not be advised,
It will not be without advice.
It commences its journey
Above the marble rock.
It is sonorous, it is dumb,
It is mild,
It is strong, it is bold,
When it glances over the land.
It is silent, it is vocal,
It is clamorous,
It is the most noisy
On the face of the earth.
It is good, it is bad,
It is extremely injurious.
It is concealed,
Because sight cannot perceive it.
It is noxious, it is beneficial;
It is yonder, it is here;
It will discompose,
But will not repair the injury;
It will not suffer for its doings,
Seeing it is blameless.
It is wet, it is dry.
It frequently comes,
Proceeding from the heat of the sun,
And the coldness of the moon.
The moon is less beneficial,
Inasmuch as her heat is less.
One Being has prepared it,
Out of all creatures,
By a tremendous blast,
To wreak vengeance
On Maelgwn Gwynedd."
And while he was thus singing his verse near the door, there arose a
mighty storm of wind, so that the king and all his nobles thought that
the castle would fall on their heads. And the king caused them to fetch
Elphin in haste from his dungeon, and placed him before Taliesin. And
it is said, that immediately he sang a verse, so that the chains opened
from about his feet:--
"I adore the Supreme, Lord of all animation,--
Him that supports the heavens, Ruler of every extreme,
Him that made the water good for all,
Him who has bestowed each gift, and blesses it;--
May abundance of mead be given Maelgwn of Anglesey, who supplies us,
From his foaming meadhorns, with the choicest pure liquor.
Since bees collect, and do not enjoy,
We have sparkling distilled mead, which is universally praised.
The multitude of creatures which the earth nourishes
God made for man, with a view to enrich him;--
Some are violent, some are mute, he enjoys them,
Some are wild, some are tame; the Lord makes them;--
Part of their produce becomes clothing;
For food and beverage till doom will they continue.
I entreat the Supreme, Sovereign of the region of peace,
To liberate Elphin from banishment,
The man who gave me wine, and ale, and mead,
With large princely steeds, of beautiful appearance;
May he yet give me; and at the end,
May God of his good will grant me, in honor,
A succession of numberless ages, in the retreat of tranquillity.
Elphin, knight of mead, late be thy dissolution!"
[Illustration: Elphin Singing before Taliesin.]
And afterwards he sang the ode which is called "The Excellence of the
Bards," which ended with the following verses:--
"Wherefore should a stone be hard;
Why should a thorn be sharp-pointed;
Who is hard like a flint;
Who is salt like brine;
Who sweet like honey;
Who rides on the gale;
Why ridged should be the nose;
Why should a wheel be round;
Why should the tongue be gifted with speech
Rather than another member?
If thy bards, Heinin, be competent,
Let them reply to me, Taliesin."
And after that he sang the address which is called "The Reproof of the
Bards."
Then sang he the piece called "The Spite of the Bards:"