Some Specimens of the Poetry of the Ancient Welsh Bards Part 16

DEAR SIR,

It is with pleasure I perform all your requests: inclosed you have the transcript from Wormius which you desired. As his book relates only to the Runic letters and ancient manner of writing, it did not fall within his subject professedly to treat of the Islandic prosody; he has, therefore, only described one species of verse out of innumerable others, and this, as it were, by the bye and by way of specimen. He refers to the _Edda_, or old Islandic book of prosody, for the rest; this book I have not seen.-There is another _Edda_, which I have, that explains the Islandic mythology, and of this I shall publish, ere long, a translation, with some curious notes and dissertations of _M. Mallet_, the present historiographer to the King of Denmark, as you may remember I have hinted in the preface to my specimens of Runic Poetry.

When may one hope to see your _Dissertatio de Bardis_? I am fond of the subject, and have great expectations of your manner of handling it. I thank you for your friend's preface; though he is not much master of English style, the particulars he produces are curious. I have turned to my learned friend Mr. Lye's edition of _Junii Etymologicon Anglicanum_ for the etymology of such words as your friend mentions, and I find nothing, that does not confirm his derivations; I have not time now to descend to particulars, but shall be glad to hear from you as soon as agreeable. One so much master, as you are, of British antiquities, whether historic or poetical, can never want means of entertaining,

Dear Sir, your very affectionate servant, THOMAS PERCY.

_Easton Maudit_, _April_ 10, 1764.

P.S. Pray, are the Welsh romances, you have described, in prose or verse? If they are in prose, then let me ask if you have ever seen any in verse? I take it, these subjects were treated in verse before they came to plain prose in most nations. This, at least, I find to be the case in the old Erse and Islandic languages, as well as in the more modern Italian, French, Spanish, and English tongues. I have got curious specimens in the last I mentioned. Pray is the word St. _Great_, or _St._ _Greal_, in the first article of your curious letter?

WELSH PROVERBS.

It appears that the Rev. E. Evans (_Ieuan Prydydd Hir_), had prepared for publication a Collection of our Ancient Welsh Proverbs; for a writer in the second volume of the "CAMBRO BRITON," gives the following translation of the Latin Preface preffixed to the MSS., which we here reprint.

Having discovered Dr. Davies of Mallwyd's Latin Translation of our Welsh Proverbs among many other ancient MSS. in the library at Llanvorda, and soon after having found, also the original, from which his was transcribed, among the same valuable collection, I thought I could not undertake a more useful work to my country, than to publish the same, and dedicate it, as the first fruits of my labours, to my munificent patron, Sir W. W. Wynn. The exact time when that ancient bard and philosopher, called by the Welsh _Hen Gyrys o Ial_, flourished, cannot be accurately ascertained. Two collections of Proverbs, made by him, and written on parchment, are now extant in the above library, and, at the end of the said book, a fair copy of Hywel Dda's laws; and from the best judgment, which can be formed from the appearance of the said MSS. and the mode of writing, or form of the hand, it may with safety be p.r.o.nounced to be about five hundred years old. To the former of these two collections is annexed the following note respecting the author: "Mabieith Hen Gyrys o Ial, yr hwn a elwit Bach Buddugre a Gado Gyfarwydd, a Gwynfarch Gyfarwydd, a'r hen wyrda a ddyvawt y Diarhebion o Ddoethineb, hyd pan veint gadwedig, gwedy hwynt, i roddi dysg i'r neb a synio arnynt; canys crynodeb parablan llawer a synwyreu y cyngh.o.r.eu doethbrud a ddangosir ar vyrder, i'r neb a'u dyallo yn y diarhebion." Ial, where this celebrated old Cyrys resided, is a mountainous district, containing five parishes, situated towards the north-east corner of the county of Denbigh; and Buddigre, where he lived, is near, if not within, the limits of the parish of Bryn Eglwys. It is evident, that this collection of Proverbs was made from various works of a great number of old bards, living in different ages; for many of them are taken from the compositions of Llywarch Hen (Llywarch the Aged), and from the poems of Aneurin and Taliesin, and several from those of other bards much more ancient, whose effusions have unfortunately perished.

It is more than probable, that many of these pithy sentences and proverbial sayings, these aphorisms of wisdom and axioms of prudence, were the productions of the venerable Druids; and they exhibit, in the present imperfect form, in which they have been delivered to us, no despicable specimens of those verses mentioned by Caesar, in the seemingly enigmatical mysteries of which their pupils were initiated, and spent many years in acquiring and committing them to memory. And he farther informs us, that, notwithstanding these learned sages made use of Greek characters in transacting both their public and private affairs, yet their disciples were not permitted to _write_ these verses, princ.i.p.ally, (as it appeared to him,) for two reasons; in the first place, because, if they were allowed to do so, the mysteries of their profession would soon be divulged: and, secondly, if these aphorisms were committed to writing, the noviciates, confiding in such artificial aids, would no longer be at the pains of sufficiently exercising their memories. Many of these poetical proverbs are composed in that peculiar kind of metre, which is distinguished by the name of _Englyn Milwr_, and these verses are possessed of such strong internal marks of antiquity, that I may with safety p.r.o.nounce them to be the genuine productions of the Druids. And, as they are by no means unworthy of being considered as the real effusions of those learned sages and philosophers, it will not, I hope, be deemed a digression, or by any means irrelevant to the object of this introduction, to gratify the reader with a specimen of one of these oracular compositions, together with a close literal Latin version. The first two lines of these poetical triplets seem to contain some of the privileges of the Druids, and the third generally exhibits some maxim of wisdom or axiom of prudence. The following were transcribed from the Red Book of Hergest, in the library of Jesus College, Oxford:-

1. 1.

Marchwiail bedw briglas, Virgulta betulae viridis A dyn fy nhroed o wanas; Meum pedem e compede solvent; Nac addef dy rin i was. Secretum tuum juveni ne reveles.

2. 2.

Marchwiail derw mewn llwyn, Virgulta quercus de luco A dyn fy nhroed o gadwyn: Solvent pedem meum e catena: Nac addef dy rin i forwyn. Ne reveles secretum tuum virgini.

3. 3.

Marchwiail derw deiliar, Virgulta quercus frondosae A dyn fy nhroed o garchar: Pedem meum e carcere Nac addef dy rin i lafar. liberabunt: Ne reveles secretum tuum homini loquaci.

The foregoing stanzas, as well as many others of the same description, are still extant is the above mentioned book, called Llyfr Coch o Hergest, and likewise in several MSS. in the libraries of Llanvorda near Oswestry, and Hengwrt near Dolgellau; and, on account of their having accidentally been discovered among the compositions of that ancient bard Llywarch Hen, Dr. Davies and Edw. Llwyd have hastily and inconsiderately p.r.o.nounced them to be some of his productions; but the frequent recurrence of the oak, their favourite tree, and the dark allusions to the druidical rites and privileges, most evidently and convincingly, (in my opinion,) denote their origin to be from that source. But here it may be objected, that the Druids could not, (as Caesar declares it was not their usual practice,) have committed these verses to writing. Granted it was so in his time; yet it is manifest from the poems of our celebrated bard Taliesin, that, in subsequent times, they did not strictly adhere to this resolution; for many of their pretended mysteries are divulged in his compositions. It is also evident, that, in these early ages, the Druids were not the only persons, who were thus cautious of revealing their secrets to the vulgar; but the Bards also endeavoured to conceal their poetical rules and metres, from the public; for their book of prosody, containing the intricacies of the art, is distinguished by the name of _Cyfrinach y Beirdd_, (i.e. The Secret of the Bards,) and they were strictly prohibited from explaining these, except to their own noviciate disciples, which continued to be their practice nearly to our own times. But, notwithstanding these strict prohibitions, it is well known, that the poetical compositions of the bards were publicly recited; and it is evident that, after the commencement of the Christian aera, the Druids were not so scrupulously cautious with respect to these rules of secrecy, which may be proved from some stanzas, which I have seen in an ancient MS., denominated _Englynion Duad_, probably from a bard or druid of that name. Some few of the lines I shall here subjoin, for the inspection of the reader.

Bid gogor gan iar, Bid gan lew drydar, Bid oval ar a'i car; Bid tn calon gan alar.

These lines have been introduced into our Welsh proverbs; and the following remark is made on them at the end of Dr. Davies's MS. copy.

"Gwyl y rhagor y sydd rhwng y rhai hyn ar rhai sydd yn Llyfr Coch, a hen gopiau eraill; a gwybydd fod y gerdd hon yn hen iawn; gan fod cymmaint o ymrafael rhwng yr hen gopiau." i.e. Advertat lector quam variant inter se exemplar Hergestianum et alia exemplaria in hoc cantico, et sciat, hoc carmen ob differentias praedictas esse vetustissimum.

Those learned men are, therefore, mistaken, who suppose, that the Druids never committed any of their compositions to writing; when it is evident, that these and others of their productions have been conveyed down to us.

Taliesin, as I have before hinted, informs us, that he was instructed by them in many of their mysteries, particularly in that of the ete????s??, and in many other rudiments of their philosophy. And hence it is, that his works are more obscure than those of any other of the ancient bards.

There is also a certain degree of obscurity in the very words and language of Taliesin; and the same may be observed of the compositions of Aneurin Gwawdrydd and other bards of the same age, a catalogue of whose works may be found in the learned Edward Llwyd's Archaeology, collected from the notes of William Maurice, Esq., of Cefn y Braich. But Mr. E.

Llwyd never saw any of the poetical compositions of Taliesin, Aneurin, and other early bards, except those of Llywarch Hen, which he found in _Llyfr Coch o Hergest_: and the works of these ancient authors will afford us very material a.s.sistance, not only in the investigation of our ancient British language, but also in examining historical facts, and in tracing the origin of the various tribes, who inhabited this island during that early period. Taliesin, in a poem, of which the following is the t.i.tle, "_Cerdd am Feibion Llyr ap Brychwel Powys_," mentions three separate nations, who had taken possession of different parts of Britain, previous to his time, viz., _Gwyddyl_ (Celts or Gauls,) _Brython_, and _Romani_, (Romans.)

Gwyddyl, a Brython, a Romani, A wna hon dyhedd, a dyfysci; Ac am derfyn Prydein, cain ei threfi.

And they are represented as exciting war and tumult on the borders of this fair isle, and its beautiful towns and cities; and it appears evidently from this poem, that the first inhabitants were _Gwyddyl_ or Celts, which circ.u.mstance Mr. Llwyd and others have proved most satisfactorily, from the names of mountains, rivers, &c. But by the word _Gwyddyl_ Taliesin must, by no means, be understood to mean the modern Irish; for their language at present contains a very considerable mixture of Cantabrian and Spanish, and differs very materially from the ancient genuine Celtic and British, which clearly appears from the writings of the old bards, and the ancient British Proverbs. For, if any person were vain enough to suppose, that he could discover the meaning of some of our obsolete British words, by consulting an Irish Dictionary, he would soon find himself woefully disappointed, and I am clearly of opinion, that the ancient genuine Celtic dialect had a very near affinity to the old Welsh or British. I believe, that the persons, denominated _Gwyddyl_ by Taliesin, were genuine Celtae, and inhabited this island previous to the arrival of the Britons, and probably soon after the general deluge, and that these Celtae were the progeny of the t.i.tans; for the Curetes and Corybantes, who were their princes and n.o.bles, are clearly identified with the _Cowri_ of the British history, written by Tyssilio (the bishop), which Geoffrey of Monmouth has very improperly translated _Giants_. And this blunder of his has been the source of endless mistakes; for the word _Cowri_ evidently means princes, generals, n.o.bles, or persons of great eminence. The Curetes are therefore our _Cowri_; and the Corybantes (i.e. _Cowri-Bann_) were princes or persons of great eminence, as the expression denotes; and, what is still more to our purpose, the word gwyddyl also implies any thing conspicuous, and is nearly synonymous with _Cowri_, which is the usual term, even to the present day, to designate persons of uncommon stature or great bodily strength. The Curetes, therefore, were evidently our Cowri, and the Corybantes (i.e. _Cowri-Bann_) imply princes or leaders, or persons of the most eminent rank and consequence: and, in order to corroborate this a.s.sertion, it may be observed here, that there is a very high mountain near Towyn, in the county of Merioneth, which, to this day, bears the name of _Gwyddyl Fynydd_; and the highest peak or summit of Snowdon, is denominated _Yr Wyddfa_, (i.e. the highest eminence or the most conspicuous,) and by the common people, even at this time, is known by no other name. And _Gwydd Grug_ means a high hill, or eminence; _Gwydd Fryniau_, high banks; and _Trum Gwydd_, the ridge of a mountain; and many others, which it would be tedious and useless to enumerate. And it may also be observed here, that the ?e?ta? and Ga?ata? of the Greeks, and the _Celtae _and _Galli_, of the Latins, appear to me to bear no other import.

For _Gallt_ and _Allt_ are clearly synonymous with _Gwyddel_, and denote any thing high or eminent, though the word _Gallt_ is, at present, restricted to designate the steep ascent of a hill, or a declivity; but, that the word Gallt was anciently used to denominate high mountains may be justly inferred from the word _Alps_, which is evidently composed of two Celtic words, Gallt-ban, or pen, i.e. Allt-ban, Al-pen, or Alpine, which commutation or change of initial letters will appear easy to any person acquainted with the British language, and perfectly justified by the rules of grammar, as the mutations of radical letters in Welsh are well known to be nearly endless. It would not be difficult to prove, that the ancient Britons are descendants of the Celtae, and a close connection and affinity may be traced between their language not with the ancient Celtic only but also with the Greek; and, it is at the same time very evident, that their dialect differed materially from that of the aboriginal inhabitants of this island, and whom on that account they denominated _Gaillt_ and _Gwyddyl_. The British language retains to this day many words purely Greek, such as _Haul_, ?????, the sun, _Dwfr_, ?d??, water, and many others, which have been pointed out some time by the learned _Pezron_. But, that the Britons had other words of the same import purely Celtic may be proved from the works of the ancient bards; for _huan_ is made use of by Iorwerth Vychan, and many other bards, to signify the _sun_,-

Llewyrch ebyr myr, morfeydd dylan; Pan lewych _huan_ ar fann fynydd.

_Iorwerth Vychan_.

Coruscatio portuum aquarum, et paludum marinarum; c.u.m sol splendet ab excelso monte.

And the old bard, _Avan Verddig_, in his elegy on the death of Cadwallon, the son of Cadvan, makes use of _ber_ for water, instead of _dwr_ or _dwfr_.

"Goluchav glew, hael, hilig Nav Ner, Aded gynt, ettiynt, hyd yn _irfer_ hallt."

_Avan Verddig_.

Exorabo potentem et liberalem Dominum Creatorem, Iverunt ad madidam aquam salsam.

And from hence it is manifest, that _huan_ and _ber_ are two ancient Celtic words; but, if any one were to consult an Irish lexicon in hopes of finding the expressions, he would be disappointed; yet he may discover _bir_ among the obsolete words in that language. The names of moors, meadows, and rivers, in different parts of Wales, may also be produced as an additional evidence that _ber_ and _mer_ originally signified water,-for instance, _Bereu Derwenydd_, near Snowdon, _Castell y Berau_, in Llanfihangel y Pennant, in Merioneths.h.i.+re, where many mountain torrents meet. _Aber_, a confluence, seems also to justify this opinion, and _inver_, in the Erse dialect.

A TRANSLATION OF CYWYDD MARWNAD LLEUCU LLWYD, BY LLEWELYN GOCH AT MEIRIG HEN. (A BARD OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY.)

AN ELEGY, TO THE MEMORY OF LLEUCU LLWYD, THE FAIR NYMPH OF PENNAL.

_Lleucu Llwyd_, _a great beauty_, _was a native of Pennal_, _in Comit.

Meirion_; _she was greatly beloved by Llewelyn Goch ap Meirig Hen o Nannau_, _and died when he was gone on a journey to South Wales_; _upon his return_, _he composed this Elegy_; _which is a master-piece in its kind_.

"_Llyma haf llwm i hoew-fardd_, _A llyma fyd llwm i fardd_;" &c.

Lo, to the jocund Bard, here's a barren summer; to the Bard the world is desolate.

How is Venedotia bereft of its bright luminary? How its heaven is enveloped with darkness, ever since the full moon of beauty has been laid in the silent tomb! Mournful deed! a lovely Fair, in the oaken chest; my speech can find no utterance since thou art gone, O thou of shape divine!

Lamp of Venedotia; how long hast thou been confined in the gloomy grave!

Arise, thou that art dearer to me than life; open the dismal door of thine earthly cell! Leave, O fair one, thy sandy bed; s.h.i.+ne upon the face of thy lover. Here by the tomb, generous maid of n.o.ble descent, stands one whose mirthful days are past, whose countenance is pale with the loss of thee; even Llewelyn Goch, the celebrater of thy praise, pining for the love of thee, helpless and forlorn, unequal to the task of song.

I heard, O thou that art confined in the deep and dismal grave, nought out of thy lips but truth, my speechless Fair! Nought, O thou of stately growth, fairest of virgins fair! But thou hadst promised, now unfeeling to the pangs of love, to stay till I came from South Wales; lovely silk-shrouded maid! The false Destinies s.n.a.t.c.hed thee out of my sight; it nought concerns me to be exposed to the stormy winds, since the agreement between thee and pensive me is void! Thou! thou! lovely maid, wert true; I, even I was false; and now fruitlessly bemoan! From henceforth I will bid adieu to fair Venedotia. It concerns me not whither I go. I must forego my native soil for a virtuous maid, where it were my happiness to live, were she alive! O thou whose angelic face was become a proverb; thy beauty is laid low in the lonesome tomb! The whole world without thee is nothing, such anguish do I suffer! I, thy pensive Bard, ramble in distress, bewailing the loss of thee, ill.u.s.trious maid!

Where, O where shall I see thee, thou of form divine, bright as the full moon! Is it on the Mount of Olives, loveliest of women? Ovid's love was nothing in comparison of mine, lovely Lleucu; thy form was worthy of heaven, and my voice hath failed in invoking thy name. Alas! woe is me, fair maid of Pennal. It sounded as a dream to me, to hear that thy charms were laid in the dust; and those lips which I oft have praised, excelled the utmost efforts of my Muse. O my soul, whiter than the foam of the rapid streams, my love, I have now the heavy task of composing thy Elegy.

Lovely virgin! How are thy bright s.h.i.+ning eyes closed in everlasting sleep in the stony tomb! Arise to thy pensive Bard, who can smile no more, were he possessed of a kingdom; arise in thy silken vest, lift up thy countenance from the dismal grave!

I tell no untruth, my feet are benumbed by walking around thy dwelling place, O Lleucu Llwyd, where heretofore, bright lamp of Venedotia, I was wont to celebrate thy beauty in fine flowing verse, where I was wont to be merry in praising thy delicate hand and tapering fingers, ornamented with rings of gold, lovely Lleucu, delicate sweet-tempered Lleucu! Thou wert far more precious than reliques to me! The soul of the darling of Meirionydd is gone up to G.o.d, its original Author, and her fair corpse is deposited in the sanctuary of holy ground, far, far from me in the silent tomb! The treasure of the world is left in the custody of a haughty black man. Longing and melancholy dirges are the portion of my lot. I lament with faltering accents over the lovely Lleucu! whiter than the flakes of riven snow. Yesterday I poured down my cheeks showers of tears over thy tomb. The fountains of my head are dry, my eyes are strangers to sleep, since thou art gone; thou fair-formed speechless maid hast not deigned to answer thy weeping Bard. How I lament, alas, that earth and stones should cover thy lovely face; alas that the tomb should be made so fast, that dust should ever cover the paragon of beauty, that stony walls and coffin should separate thee and me, that the earth should lock thee fast in her bosom, that a shroud should enclose a beauty that rivalled the dawn of the morn; alas that strong doors, bolts, and stately locks should divide us for ever!

EVAN EVANS, alias IEUAN PRYDYDD HIR.