Y Gododin: A Poem of the Battle of Cattraeth - 8

Y mae Carwen verch Kennin y mae lledin a llywy.” (Myv. Arch. i. 82.)
The graves on the shore, on which but little generosity has been
bestowed,
Are those of Sanant the courteous maid, of Rhun foremost in the war,
Of Carwen daughter of Cennyn, of Lledyn and Llywy.
{141e} His character has been described before in stanza xxv.
{142a} The servant in question, for “unben” does not exclusively mean a
monarch, but it is applied also as a complimentary appellation like the
modern Sir, “Ha unben! Duw a’ch noddo.” “O Sir! God protect you.”
(Kilhwch and Olwen.)
{142b} Al. “heb benn,” a headless wolf.
{142c} It would appear as if the servant retaliated in kind upon the
slayer of his mistress, who was either a wolf in disposition, or bore it
as a badge; and that such a deed entitled him to bear a coat charged with
figures emblematic thereof.
{142d} “Ysgrwydiat.” Al. “Gold mailed warriors slept in death,
(cysgrwyddiad) on the city walls.”
{142e} “Cred,” of faith, as distinguished from the unbelieving Saxons.
{142f} “Aerflawdd,” nimble for slaughter. “There was a tribute of
carnage, nor were they long engaged in the tumult of battle.”
_Gorch Mael_.
{143a} Another version gives “the birds of battle;” but both doubtless
refer to the birds of prey which roved to the scene of battle, prepared
to perch upon the carcases of the dead. There is something extremely
natural and affecting in the conduct of the “feeble man,” as here
described.
{143b} Or, “of fair observation:” probably the very individual who
warded off the birds. The Gorchan Maelderw would indicate that Syll was
an incorrect transcript of _pelloid_ or _pellwyd_, which word would
supply the blank after _brwydryat_, and make the line rhyme with the
preceding. The passage would then be, “and drove away the roving birds.
Truly, Mirain,” &c.
{143c} A river so called, which cannot now be identified, as there are
several in the South of Scotland, which would admit of this Welsh form;
such as, the Leith, the Lugar, &c. Perhaps it is the same with Aber
Lleu, where Urien Rheged was assassinated, and Aber Llyw mentioned in the
“Elegy on Old Age” by Llywarch Hen.
{143d} “In the day of conflict.” _Gorch. Mael_.
{144a} Al. “look.”
{144b} “Gwyr nod;” this expression has two significations, it means both
“men of note” and “slaves.” The lines that follow seem to restrict it
here to the latter sense.
{144c} The word Din indicates it to have been a camp or a fort.
{144d} “We may suppose this to refer to the property that was collected
within the camp on the summit of the hill.
{144e} “Dinas,” a fortified town. In these lines we have a graphic
picture of the panic stricken state of that portion of the army in which
Aneurin happened to be at this particular time; and it is a fitting
prelude to the account of his incarceration which he gives in the
succeeding stanza but one. But whilst the bard exposes his own
incapacity, he pays an indirect compliment to the skill and courage of
Gwynwydd; such a state of affairs, he seems to say, was owing to the
absence of that hero on the heights.
{144f} Meaning, perhaps, that had he himself been present, this
cowardice would not have been manifested. We may, however, render the
line thus,—“Vines are not named when they are not found,” and regard it
as a proverb intended to illustrate the truth of the foregoing
statements, viz. that no mention would have been made of such things had
they not really existed. Truth was a necessary element of Welsh Poetry.
{145a} “Ceny,” i.e. cyni. Llywarch Hen has introduced a stanza into his
“Elegy on Old Age,” very similar in some of its expressions;
“Adwen leverydd cyni
Vran; pan disgynai yn nghyvyrdy
Pen gwr, pan gwin a ddyly.”
{145b} “Talben,” a fixed charge, or a tax. A very natural reflection
from the head of a family!
{145c} “Gorddin;” what impels or drives forward; what is posterior,
ultimate, or following; the rear. (Dr. Pughe’s Dict.) It would appear
from this that the captive was pushed along towards his prison by some
person from behind.
{145d} I.e. this treatment I despise, it is beneath my notice, I will
regard it as a particle of dust under my feet. There was a maxim in
reference to a really felt trouble which said;—
“Nid â gwaew yn ronyn.”
Pain will not become a particle.
{145e} How true to nature this disclaimer of any peevish and revengeful
feelings when the power of fully exercising them was taken away! And yet
his conduct, as implied in “gorddin,” at the same time belied such a
declaration.
{145f} Lit. “my knee.” The prisoner here very naturally gives vent to
his feelings in reference to the racking pain which was inflicted upon
him.
{146a} “_Bundat_,” from _pwn_. In the original the line is imperfect,
the particular part of his person that was thus pained being left
unmentioned.
{146b} He here summons back his courage, and bursts into expressions of
defiance as to the irresistible freedom of his _awen_, declaring that he
would still in his dismal prison celebrate the praise of his countrymen,
to the disparagement of his enemies at the battle of Cattraeth.
{146c} Lit. “make,” “compose;” ποιεω.
{146d} Perhaps this may mean no more than that Taliesin’s mind was akin
to his own.
{146e} The dawn of the following morning; or, it may, be the day of
liberty.
{146f} Or we may put “goroledd gogledd” in apposition with “gwr,” and
construe it thus,—
“The hero, the joy of the North, effected it,”
i.e. my deliverance. Llywarch Hen and his sons came from the North.
{147a} Lit. “There does not walk upon the earth.”
{147b} “Dihafarch drud,” the same epithets are applied to Llywarch in
the following Englyn y Clywed.—
“A glyweisti a gant Llywarch,
Oedd henwr drud dihavarch;
Onid cyvarwydd cyvarch.”
Didst thou hear what Llywarch sang,
The intrepid and bold old man?
Greet kindly though there be no acquaintance.
{147c} He would not submit to arbitration, which would imply an
inability to assert their rights by force of arms.
{147d} Senyllt was the son of Cedig ab Dyvnwal Hen, and father of Nudd
Hael. The word means seneschal, and perhaps Senyllt acted in that
character, and had derived his name from thence. The term in the
etymological sense would be applied to Gwen.
{148a} Al. “He bestowed his sword upon the,” &c.
{148b} Al. “lynwyssawr;” “he was a plague;” or “with his arm he made
pools of blood.”
{148c} “Seil,” lit. “foundation.”
{148d} This seems to countenance the idea suggested in the note to line
346, that the _Neuadd_ was none other than the camp itself.
{148e} “Keingyell,” ceingel; a hank of thread.
{148f} This was probably his sword which flashed.
{148g} Llywarch Hen’s son, see note to line 272. He was slain “ar ryd
vorlas,” on the ford of Morlas, which, as far as its etymology is
concerned, would very well answer to the scene of the battle of
Cattraeth.
{148h} There is much poetic force in this line.
{149a} Perhaps _Luce_ Bay, near _Leuco_pibia.
{149b} Llywarch Hen, in his Elegy on Urien Rheged, speaks thus,—
“Yn Aber _Lleu_ lladd Urien.”
In Aber _Lleu_ Urien was slain.
{149c} Probably on the river _Lid_, or Liddel, on the northern borders
of Cumberland.
{149d} It is not unlikely that the “cangen Caerwys,” formed a part of
the great fleet of Geraint, who is styled in Brut Tysilio, “Geraint
Caerwys.”
{149e} A poetical definition of a storm in winter.
{149f} “Rhiallu” means also the power of a sovereign, but as it is not
likely that Aneurin would acknowledge the regal claims of the enemy, we
have thought it more consistent with the general design of the poem to
adopt a construction, which shows the advantages possessed by the enemy
over the natives in point of numerical strength.
“Deg myrdd yn y rhiallu, deg rhiallu yn y vynta, a deg mynta yn y
gatyrva.”
Ten myriads in the riallu ten times the riallu, in the mynta, ten
mynta in the catyrva.
{150a} “Dyvu wyt,” dyvnwydd; or according to Gorch. Mael. dyvwn, i.e.
Devon, the country of Geraint ab Erbin,—“Gwr dewr o goettir Dyvnaint.”
(Llywarch Hen.)
{150b} “Yd wodyn,” from _gwoddew_, purpose or design. Al. “foddyn,” did
they drown.
{150c} Qu. _Carban_tium in the province of Valentia?
{150d} Dyvynawl Vrych, or Donald Brec, who is said in the Scotch
Chronicles to have been slain in the battle of Vraithe Cairvin, (qu. Carw
van?) by Owain king of the Britons. He is introduced to our notice again
in the Gododin.
{150e} Or, _a bolt_.
{150f} Pwyll in some of the pedigrees of Gwynvardd Dyved is said to be
the son of Argoel, or Aircol Law Hir, son of Pyr y Dwyrain; but Mr.
Davies in the “Rites and Mythology of the Druids,” states that he was the
son of Meirig, son of Aircol, son of Pyr, which is rather confirmed by
some other MS. Pedigrees. In Taliesin’s “Preiddeu Annwn,” he is
mentioned, with his son Pryderi, as having joined Arthur in some perilous
expeditions.
“Bu cywair carchar Gwair ynghaer Sidi
Trwy ebostol Pwyll a Phryderi.” &c.
Arranged was the prison of Gwair in Caer Sidi
By the ministration of Pwyll and Pryderi. &c. (Myv. Arch. i. 45.)
Pwyll is the hero of one of the Mabinogion.
{151a} Brwys; “of fine growth,” “large.”
{151b} Llywarch Hen speaks of a person of this name.
“Tywarchen Ercal ar âr dywal
Wyr, o edwedd Morial;
A gwedy Rhys mae rhysonial.” (Elegy on Cynddylan.)
The sod of Ercal is on the ashes of fierce
Men, of the progeny of Morial;
And after Rhys there is great murmuring of woe.
{151c} Al. “from the place where he was once overtaken.”
{151d} This stanza evidently contains a reproof to one of the British
chiefs, who turned coward on the field of battle. The circumstances
mentioned in the two first lines, that his shield was pierced behind him,
“ar grymal carnwyd,” (on the crupper of his horse) would indicate that he
was then in the act of fleeing, holding his shield in such a position, as
best to protect his back from the darts of his pursuers. Of this the
Bard remarks “ni mad,” it was not honourable, “non bene.”
{152a} Lit. “placed his thigh on.” Llywarch Hen gives quite a different
account of his own son Pyll;—
“Mad ddodes ei vorddwyd dros obell
Ei orwydd, o wng ac o bell.” (On Old Age.)
Gracefully he placed his thigh over the saddle
Of his steed, on the near and farther side.
{152b} We may suppose that the Bard looks upon the dark hue of his
accoutrements as ominous of a mournful and dishonourable result.
{152c} A sarcastic irony addressed to the coward himself, who probably
had boasted of some heroic deeds that he would perform. Where are they?
And where is this brave warrior? Not distinguishing himself on the field
of battle; not entering cities in triumph; but in a cell gnawing the
shoulder of a buck.
{152d} “Gell.” This word has a reference to “gell,” _dark_, and it may
be that Aneurin regarded the one as typical of the other; that he thought
the man who appeared in dark armour would eventually be found in a dark
cellar. It is not clear whether this person secreted himself, or whether
he was placed by his enemies in the “cell” here mentioned. If the
former, we may regard his eating the venison as a further proof of his
unwarlike character; if the latter, “cnoi angell bwch” may be considered
as something tantamount to living upon bread and water in our days.
{152e} Al. “hwch,” a sow.
{152f} Al. “May triumph be far from his hand.”
{153a} See line 468. It may be inferred from this place that the person
just spoken of had abandoned Gwen, which shows his character in still
blacker colours.
{153b} See line 404. O shame upon the nameless knight, to flee where a
woman fought!
{153c} “Dibennor;” this word may signify either the rabble who were not
invested with military accoutrements, or such as had no regular
commander, or the infantry as distinguished from the cavalry mentioned in
the succeeding line. Though so many were ready to attack the Saxons, the
circumstance could not inspire our hero(!) with any corresponding amount
of patriotic feelings.
{153d} “It is well that Adonwy came, that Adonwy came to the defence of
those that were left;
Bradwen fought, slaughtered, and burned;
Thou didst not guard either the extremity or the entrance
Of the towering town; thy helmet did I not behold from the sea,
From the rampart of the sea, O thou knight worse than a slave.”
_Gorch. Mael_.
{154a} This stanza refers to a conference, to which the Cymry were at
length fain to submit.
{154b} _Trimuntium_, belonging to the Selgovæ, in Valentia. Al. “The
dales beyond the ridges that were cultivated.”
{154c} “Gwas,” which means also youth. It is probable that the
messenger or herald of the Saxons is here meant, who being of an
avaricious mind made exorbitant demands, was “heb ymwyd,” could not keep
his “gwyd,” his inclinations or desires, within his own breast. Nor was
Aneurin on the other hand willing that his countrymen should make
concessions; rather than that, he calls upon them to put forth their
strength once more, and assert their rights on the field of battle.
{154d} Aneurin, addressing his country.
{154e} Al. “Plentiful.”
{154f} Llancarvan in Glamorganshire was anciently called by this name.
Al. “tan veithin;” qu. tân eithin, gorze fire?
{154g} “Luthvin,” (glwth vin.) Al. “the edge of his sword gleamed.”
{154h} The Saxon herald.
{154i} “Gnaws gwan,” him, who was necessarily in a weak or defenceless
state, namely the British herald.
{154j} By the “bulwark of toil” is probably understood Morien.
{155a} Being like him a Bard.
{155b} “Cynrennin.” Al. “expert.” The conference having been so
egregiously violated by the assassination of the British herald, is
immediately broken up, and the advice of Aneurin eagerly followed.
{155c} Their loquacity and haste had been greatly excited by liquor.
{155d} See Notes to stanza xxxviii.
{155e} The treacherous herald before mentioned.
{156a} Another way of construing these two lines would be,—
“Strangers to the country, their deeds shall be heard of;
The bright wave murmured along on its pilgrimage;”
in reference to the British heroes.
{156b} According to version 4,—
“Where they had collected together the most melodious deer.”
The deer were collected within the encampment for the purpose of
supplying the army with food, or so as to be out of the reach of the
enemy. The locality was probably that of Ban Carw, the Deer Bank.
{156c} Dyvynawl Brych.
{156d} I.e. no pacific insignia.
{156e} A moral reflection suggested by the perfidy of the Saxons at the
conference of Llanveithin.
{156f} Morial is recorded in one of the Englynion y Beddau, (see line
348, note 2) as one who fell not unavenged. His name occurs in one of
Llywarch Hen’s poems, (see line 495. note 2.) Meugant gives an account
of the expedition of one Morial to Caer Lwydgoed (Lincoln) from whence he
brought a booty of 1500 bullocks.
{156g} Or, “mutually sharing” the toils of war.
{157a} These two lines may be translated in reference to the Saxon
herald;
“The stranger with the crimson robe pursued,
And slaughtered with axes and blades.”
{157b} “Cywrein.” Al. “The warriors arose, met together, and with one
accord,” &c.
{157c} Or, “made the assault.”
{157d} Or, simply, “women.”
{157e} “Gwich,” a shriek; Al. “acted bravely.” Al. “were greatly
exasperated;” or perhaps for “gwyth” we should read _gweddw_, “their
wives they made widows.” Gruffydd ap yr Ynad Coch in his Elegy upon
Llywelyn, (Myv. Arch. i. 396) makes use of similar sentiments, in the
following lines,—
Llawer deigr hylithr yn hwylaw ar rudd
Llawer ystlys rhudd a rhwyg arnaw
Llawer gwaed am draed wedi ymdreiddiaw
Llawer gweddw a gwaedd y amdanaw
Llawer meddwl trwm yn tomrwyaw.
Llawer mam heb dad gwedi ei adaw
Llawer hendref fraith gwedi llwybrgodaith
A llawer diffaith drwy anrhaith draw
Llawer llef druan fal ban fu’r Gamlan.
Many a slippery tear sails down the cheek,
Many a wounded side is red with gore,
Many a foot is bathed in blood,
Many a widow raises the mournful shriek,
Many a mind is heavily troubled,
Many a son is left without a father,
Many an old grey town is deserted,
Many are ruined by yonder deed of war,
Many a cry of misery arises as erst on Camlan field.
{158a} Al. “Nor was there a hero (lew from glew)” &c. Al. “Nor was
there a lion so generous, in the presence of a lion of the greatest
course;” the latter description referring to some other chief of renown.
{158b} Or the _cry_, “dias;” being either the shout of battle, or the
voice of distress.
{158c} “Angor,” from _ang_ and _gor_; lit. a _staying round_, which
indicates the city in question to have been of a circular form. Probably
it was one of the forts which are so commonly seen on our hills.
{158d} That is, either the place where Bards were entertained, or where
the deer were protected. See line 535.
{159a} “Gwryd,” _manliness_, as displayed in war.
{159b} I.e. Cynon.
{159c} Or, “wide.”
{159d} A similar expression has been used before (line 512) “nac eithaf
na chynor.” A “clod heb or heb eithaf,” simply means immortal praise.
{159e} The distinguishing feature of this stanza is its prosopopæia, or
its change of things into persons, as in the case of Hwrreith, Buddugre,
and Rheiddyn, which are translated respectively Spoliation, Victory, and
the Lance.
{159f} Eidol or Eidiol Gadarn is recorded as one of the three strong men
of Britain, having, at the meeting on Salisbury plain, slain 660 Saxons
with a billet of wood.
“Tri Gyrddion Ynys Prydain; Gwrnerth Ergydlym, a laddes yr arth mwyaf
ac a welwyd erioed a saeth wellten; a Gwgawn Lawgadarn, a dreiglis
maen Maenarch or glynn i ben y mynydd, ac nid oedd llai na thrugain
ych ai tynnai; ac Eidiol Gadarn, a laddes o’r Saeson ym mrad
Caersallawg chwechant a thrugain a chogail gerdin o fachlud haul yd
yn nhywyll.” (Triad 60. third series.)
The time here specified “from sunset until dark,” will not be found to
tally at all with the commencement of the fight at Cattraeth, which is
said to have been “with the day,” and “with the dawn;” this circumstance
is fatal to Davies’s theory.
The first lines of this stanza may be translated in divers ways, such
as,—
“With a feast of wine and a banquet of mead, endowed
By Cynlaith, mother of Hwrraith, was the energetic Eidol.”
Also,—
“With a feast of wine and a banquet of mead,
Did his brave (_hwrraith_ from _hwrdd_) mother
Cynlaith, enrich
The energetic Eidol.”
Again,—
“With a feast of wine and a banquet of mead,
Did his mother Hwrraith
At the first fall of the dew (_cyn llaith_) enrich
The energetic Eidol.”
{160a} The hill on which the vanguard was stationed.
{160b} Waiting their prey.
{160c} “Cynydaw” (cnydiaw) to yield a crop. Cynydaw means also to rise;
and we may thus construe the passage,—
“The foremost spearmen spring up around him.”
Another reading gives “cwydaw” to fall, in allusion to the slaughter of
the men; adopting this expression, it would seem that “arnaw” was more
applicable to “racvre,” the mount of the van.
{160d} “Glas heid,” (glas haidd) green barley. It is rather singular
that the words, without the slightest alteration, will admit of another
simile equally beautiful and appropriate, viz.—_glas haid_, a blue swarm
of flies. The word _glas_ may be indicative of the prevailing colour of
the dress or armour of the men,
“As from the rocky cliff the shepherd sees
Clustering in heaps on heaps the driving bees,
Rolling, and blackening, swarms succeeding swarms,
With deeper murmurs and more hoarse alarms;
Dusky they spread, a close embodied crowd,
And o’er the vale descends the living cloud.” (Pope’s Homer, b. ii.
l. 111.)
{161a} “Hedin;” this word seems of kindred nature with haidd (barley)
and is here translated accordingly; (hedeg, to shoot out, or to ear, as
corn.) Another version gives “hediw,” (_heddyw_, today.)
{161b} It is still very common in Wales to call the cause or origin of
any thing by the name of mam: thus, for instance, we say “mam y drwg” of
the chief instigator of mischief. What we are to understand by the
“mother of the lance” it is not very easy to determine; it might have
been courage or the sense of wrong, or quarrel, or any other cause which
excited the Britons to fight.
{161c} Al. “They marched and chanted, clad in coat of mail.”
{162a} “Vawr dru,” &c. Al. “miserable hero.”
{162b} This confirms the view we have taken of the “milcant a thrychant”
at line 86.
{162c} “Gloew dull;” in bright array. It may refer also to the viands.
{162d} “Mai;” Taliesin, in like manner, says of Urien, that he was,—
“Un yn darwedd
Gwin a mal a medd.”
One who was generous of wine, and bounty, and mead.
“Mal,” properly speaking, seems to have been a certain tribute, as above.
Thus we read in Welsh legends;—
“He gave his domain of Clynog to God and to Beuno for ever, without
either contribution or tax (heb na mal nac ardreth.”) (Buch. Beuno.)
Again,—
“There is neither contribution nor tax, (na mal na threth) which we
ought to pay.” (H. Car. Mag. Mabinogion.)
The word in the text may signify gifts or presents; or it may mean
_meal_, (mâl, what is ground) in allusion to the more substantial portion
of the feast.
{163a} Lit. “I am being ruined.”
{163b} Mynyddawg himself.
{163c} Al. “From amongst.”
{163d} That is, free and precipitate in his course, as a ball flies
through the air. This simile seems to have been borrowed from a popular
game among the Britons called _pelre_, which consisted in the beating of
a ball backwards and forwards, and is alluded to by Taliesin in the
following lines;
“Ceiniadon moch clywid eu govalon:
Marchawglu mor daer am Gaer Llion;
A dial Idwal ar Aranwynion
A gware pelre a phen Saeson.” (Myv. Arch. i. p. 73.)
Songsters, soon would their cares be heard;
An army of horsemen so harassing round Caer Llion;
And the revenge of Idwal on the Aranwynians;
And the playing of ball-buffetting with Saxon heads.
Al. “mab Pel;” Present the son of Pel.
{163e} “Hud:” has this word any reference to “_hud_wg,” a racket for
ball playing?
{164a} “Ystryng;” from _ys_ and _tryng_ or _trengu_.
{164b} “Adan;” that is _â dan_, will go under. Lit. “under the
red-stained warriors go the steeds,” &c. “Ymdan march,” is a well known
phrase for mounting a horse.
{164c} The same, it may be, with Angar, one of the sons of Caw of Cwm
Cawlwyd, and brother of Aneurin. A saying of his occurs in the
Chwedlau’r Doethion. (Iolo MSS. pp. 256, 554.)
“A glyweist ti chwedl Angar
Mab Caw, Catfilwr clodgar?
Bid tonn calon gan alar.”
Hast thou heard the saying of Angar,
Son of Caw the celebrated warrior?
The heart will break with grief.
{164d} “Raen,” from _rha_, which is also the root of _rhain_, spears.
{164e} This passage, in another form, occurs three times in the Maelderw
version and may be translated as follows;
“Angor, thou scatterer of the brave,
Serpent, piercing pike,
And immovable stone in the front of the army.”
{164f} Al. “Oppressor, dressed in thy shining white robes.”
{165a} “Gwaenawr.” Al. “The spears.” Al. “The stones.”
{165b} That is, the fosse of the Catrail, or that which surrounded one
of the camps.
{165c} See lines 386, 524, 534. Al. “like ploughing the furrow.”
{165d} The Bard in this stanza evidently plays upon the names of three
of the British heroes, showing how appropriately they represented their
respective characters; _Cywir_, _enwir_; _Merin_, _mur_; _Madien_, _mad_.
Perhaps it would be better to transpose the two first, and read the line
as it occurs in one stanza of the Gorchan Maelderw;
“Enwir ith elwir oth gywir weithred.”
Enwir art thou named from thy righteous deed;
for in “Kilhwch and Olwen” we meet with a person bearing the name of
Gweir Gwrhyd _Ennwir_, who is said to have been an uncle of Arthur, his
mother’s brother.
{165e} “Bulwark of every tribe.” Al. “of every language.” _Gorch.
Maelderw_.
{165f} Merin the son of Merini ab Seithenyn, king of the plain of
Gwyddno, whose land was overflowed by the sea. He is said to have been
the founder of the church of Llanverin, or Llanvetherin, Monmouthshire.
In the Gorchan Maelderw Merin is called the son of Madieith.
{166a} Al. “Gwynedd.”
{166b} I.e. the drinking horn. “Dial;” _Gorch. Mael_. “to take
vengeance for the contribution of mead.” Owain Cyveiliog alludes to this
circumstance in his Poem on the Hirlas Horn;—
“Kigleu am dal met myned dreig Kattraeth.” (Myv. Arch. i. 266.)
That this author was acquainted with the Gododin appears further from the
following,
“Nid ym hyn dihyll nam hen deheu;”
where he evidently refers to line 290 of our Poem.
{166c} “Cyvyringet,” those who met together between the two armies; from
cyvrwng, cyd-rhwng.
{166d} “Cibno ced,” seems to have been the cup of drink presented to
bards and minstrels by their entertainers. (See line 345.) Not even the
speech inspiring influence of this cup, could elicit an adequate
description of the slaughter which ensued at Cattraeth.
{167a} Or, “the gallantry of the glorious knight of conflict.”
{167b} Lit. “Ruddy reaping.” Al. “Ruddy reaper, thou pantest for war.”
{167c} Al. “Thou man of Gwynedd.”
{167d} Lit. “Thou unmanest;” di-mwng.
{167e} “Llain.” Al. “lance.”
{167f} The expression “until blood flows” is not in the original.
{167g} That glass vessels were used by the Britons in the sixth century
is further proved by the testimony of Llywarch Hen, who speaks of
“Gwyr ni giliynt rhag ovn gwayw,
Ac yved gwin o wydr gloyw.” (Elegy upon Geraint)
Men who would not flinch from the dread of the spear,
And the quaffing of wine out of the bright glass.
{168a} “Ariant,” money contributed towards any thing; thus “ariant
cwynos,” supper money, was paid by the gentry and freeholders towards the
maintenance of the officers of the court; “ariant gwastrodion,” money of
the equerries, was paid by the king’s tenants in villainage once a year,
to furnish provender for his horses; “ariant am y vedd” would likewise be
a contribution paid towards a banquet of mead. Gwaednerth made his
enemies, as it were, pay him this tribute with the gold of their armour.
{168b} His history is unknown.
{168c} Or, “retinue.”
{168d} “Dyrraith;” law of fate; death,
{168e} Probably Ayr in Scotland, rather than Aeron in Wales.
{168f} Lit. “the head.”
{168g} I.e. the Clyde. Al. “The brown eagles.” Llywarch Hen speaks of
“the brown eagles” (eryron llwyd) and of “the eagle with the brown beak,”
(eryr pengarn llwyd.)
{169a} Lit. “Without reproach.”
{169b} Or, “From the region.”