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

XCVI.

Am drynnv drylav drylen Am lwys am diffwys dywarchen Trihuc baruaut dreis dili plec hen Atguuc emorem ae guiau hem Hancai ureuer uragdenn At gwyr a gwydyl a phrydein At gu kelein rein rud guen Deheuec gwenauwy mab gwen

XCVII.

Am giniav drylav drylen Trym dwys tra diffwys dywarchen Kemp e lumen arwr baruawt asgell Vreith edrych eidyn a breith.e.l.l Goruchyd y lav loften Ar gynt a gwydyl a phryden A chynhyo mwng bleid heb pren Eny law gnavt gwychlaut ene lenn Prytwyf ny bei marw morem Deheuec gwenabwy mab gwen

THE G.o.dODIN.

I.

He was a man in mind, in years a youth, {79a} And gallant in the din of war; Fleet, thick-maned chargers {79b} Were ridden {79c} by the ill.u.s.trious hero; A s.h.i.+eld, light and broad, Hung on the flank of his swift and slender steed; His sword was blue and gleaming, His spurs were of gold, {80a} his raiment was woollen. {80b} It will not be my part To speak of thee reproachfully, A more choice act of mine will be To celebrate thy praise in song; Thou hast gone to a b.l.o.o.d.y bier, Sooner than to a nuptial feast; {80c} Thou hast become a meal for ravens, Ere thou didst reach the front of conflict. {80d} Alas, Owain! my beloved friend; It is not meet that he should be devoured by ravens! {81a} There is swelling sorrow {82a} in the plain, Where fell in death the only son of Marro.

II.

Adorned with his wreath, leader of rustic warriors, {82b} whenever he came By his troop unattended, {83a} before maidens would he serve the mead; But the front of his s.h.i.+eld would be pierced, {83b} if ever he heard The shout of war; no quarter would he give to those whom he pursued; Nor would he retreat from the combat until blood flowed; And he cut down like rushes {83c} the men who would not yield.

The G.o.dodin relates, that on the coast of Mordei, {84a} Before the tents of Madog, when he returned, But one man in a hundred with him came. {84b}

III.

Adorned with his wreath, the chief of toil, his country's rod {84c} of power, Darted like an eagle {84d} to our harbours, {84e} when allured To the compact {85a} that had been formed; his ensign was beloved, {85b} More n.o.bly was his emblazoned resolution {85c} performed, for he retreated not, With a shrinking mind, {85d} before the host of G.o.dodin.

Manawyd, {85e} with confidence and strength thou pressest upon the tumultuous fight, Nor dost thou regard {86a} either spear or s.h.i.+eld; No habitation rich in dainties can be found, That has been kept out of the reach of thy warriors' charge. {86b}

IV.

Adorned with a wreath was the leader, {87a} the wolf {87b} of the holme, Amber beads {87c} in ringlets encircled his temples; {87d} Precious was the amber, worth a banquet of wine. {87e} He repelled the violence of men, as they glided along; For Venedotia and the North would have come to his share, By the advice of the son of Ysgyran, {88a} The hero of the broken s.h.i.+eld. {88b}

V.

Adorned with his wreath was the leader, and armed in the noisy conflict; Chief object of observation {88c} was the hero, and powerful in the gory field, Chief fighter {88d} in the advanced division, in front of the hosts; Five battalions {89a} fell before his blades; Even of the men of Deivyr and Bryneich, {89b} uttering groans, Twenty hundred perished in one short hour; Sooner did he feed the wolf {90a} with his carcase, than go to the nuptial feast; {90b} He sooner became the raven's prey, than approached the altar; {90c} He had not raised the spear ere his blood streamed to the ground; {90d} This was the price of mead in the hall, amidst the throng; Hyveidd Hir {90e} shall be celebrated whilst there remains a minstrel.

VI.

The heroes marched to G.o.dodin, and Gognaw laughed, {91a} But bitter were they in the battle, {91b} when they stood arranged according to their several banners; Few were the years of peace which they had enjoyed; The son of Botgad caused a throbbing by the energy of his hand; They should have gone to churches to do penance, The old and the young, the bold and the mighty; {91c} The inevitable strife of death was about to pierce them.

VII.

The heroes marched to G.o.dodin, Gwanar {92a} laughed, As his jewelled army {92b} went down {92c} to the terrific toil.

Thou slayest them with blades, when there is not much chattering; Thou, powerful supporter of the living law, producest the silence of death. {92d}

VIII.

The heroes marched to Cattraeth, loquacious was the host; Blue {93a} mead was their liquor, and it proved their poison; {93b} In marshalled array they cut through the engines of war; {93c} And after the joyful cry, silence {93d} ensued!

They should have gone to churches to perform penance; The inevitable strife of death was about to pierce them.

IX.

The heroes marched to Cattraeth, filled with mead and drunk, Compact and vigorous; {94a} I should wrong them were I to neglect their fame; Around the mighty, red, and murky blades, Obstinately and fiercely the dogs of war {94b} would fight; If I had judged you to be of the tribe of Bryneich, {94c} Not the phantom of a man would I have left alive. {94d} I lost a friend, myself being unhurt, As he openly withstood the terror of the parental chief; Magnanimously did he refuse the dowry of his father-in-law; {94e} Such was the son of Cian {95a} from the stone of Gwyngwn.

X.

The heroes marched to Cattraeth with the dawn; Their peace was disturbed by those who feared them; A hundred thousand with three hundred {95b} engaged in mutual overthrow; Drenched in gore, they marked the fall of the lances; {96a} The post of war {96b} was most manfully and with gallantry maintained, Before the retinue of Mynyddawg the Courteous. {96c}

XI.

The heroes marched to Cattraeth with the dawn; Feelingly did their relatives {96d} regret their absence; Mead they drank, yellow, sweet, ensnaring; That year is the point to which many {96e} a minstrel turns; Redder were their swords than their plumes, {97a} Their blades were white as lime, {97b} and into four parts were their helmets cloven, {97c} Even those of {97d} the retinue of Mynyddawg the Courteous.