Some Specimens of the Poetry of the Ancient Welsh Bards Part 22

Footnotes:

{10a} Arwystli, the name of one of the cantreds of Powys.

{10b} Belyn, a great man from Lleyn in Carnarvons.h.i.+re, mentioned in the Triades, and is said there to have fought with Edwin, king of the Northumbrians, in Bryn Cenau in Rhos, in the county of Denbigh; probably he was one of Cadwallon's generals; it is well known, and confessed by Beda himself, that that prince was a terrible scourge to the Saxons.

{11a} Garthan, the name of a fort or castle somewhere near the Severn.

{11b} This was the famous battle of Bangor-is-y-coed in Flints.h.i.+re, after the murder of the monks, at the instigation of Austin, the first converter of the Saxons to Christianity. This is the account Humphrey Lloyd gives of that affair: "Ille vero [Augustinus S.] ob hanc contumeliam, & quod archiepiscopo Cantuariae a se const.i.tuto, & quod c.u.m Romans ecclesia in quibusdam non convenirent, Anglorum odium ita in eos concivit, ut paulo post (ut dixi) ab Ethelfredo, Ethelberti, Cantiae regis, ob Augustino incitati, opera & auxiliis, monachi pacem petentes, crudeliter occisi; & postea Britanni duce Brochwelo Powisiae Rege, victi sunt, donec tandem Bletrusii Cornaviae ducis, Cadvanni Northwalliae, Mereduci Suthwalliae regum copiis adjuti, & Dunoti abbatis viri doctissimi concione animati, quique jussit (ut nostri annales referunt) ut unusquisque terram oscularetur, in memoriam communionis corporis Dominici, aquamque ex Deva fluvio manu haustam biberet, in memoriam sacratissim isanguinis Christi pro eis effusis, & ita communicati, memorabili prlio Saxones, occisis (ut Huntingtonensis refert) ex eis MLXVI. Cadvanumque in civitate Legionis regem creavere." Britan.

Descript. Commentariolum, p. 90, & 91, Moses Williams's Edition. This battle is called in our annals sometimes Gwaith Caerlleon, that is, the battle of Chester, and is said to have been fought, A.D. 633.

{11c} We have no account at present, that I know of, who this Morach Vorvran was, nor the occasion of his joy and festivity, alluded to in this poem; probably it was upon the defeat of the Saxons at Bangor.

{11d} The name of a place, but where situated, I know not.

{12a} Talgarth, the name of many places in Wales; but this must be somewhere near the sea.

{12b} Hirlas, the epithet of the horn, from _hir_, long; and _glas_, blue, or azure.

{12c} Mochnannwys, in the original, he calls himself prince of the Mochnannwys, or inhabitants of Mochnant.

{13a} Gwestun, the name of a place somewhere in Powys.

{13b} By this circ.u.mstance, it seems they rescued the prisoner from some maritime town.

{13c} Sun equally, that is, at noon day, which added much to the merit of the action.

{13d} The guards of Mynyddawc Eiddin, or of Edinborough, in the battle of Cattraeth, which is celebrated by Aneurin Gwawdrydd, in his heroic poem ent.i.tled the G.o.dodin. Mynyddawc was a prince of the North: he is mentioned in the Triades of Britain; and his guards, who were famous for their loyalty and bravery, were reckoned among the three n.o.ble guards of the kingdom of Britain; the other two being the guards, or, as the word Gosgordd may be translated, the clans of Melyn, the son of Cynvelyn, and the guards of Drywon, the son of Nudd, in the battle of Rhodwydd Arderydd.

{14a} Llidwm, the name of a place somewhere in Maelor.

{14b} I do not recollect what country this place is in.

{15a} I cannot recollect who Myfanwy Fechan, the subject of the poem, is, but guess her to be descended from the princes of Powys.

{15b} Castell Dinas Bran, or Bran's Castle, is situated on a high hill near Llangollen in Denbighs.h.i.+re. Mr. Humphrey Llwyd, the antiquarian, thinks it took its name from Brennus; but Llwyd of the Museum, more probably, from Bran, the name of a river that runs there about. Bran signifies a crow, and is the name of several rivers in Wales. I suppose on account of their black streams issuing from turfaries. There are still remains of the ruins of this castle.

{15c} Howel-ap-Einion Lygliw was a man of note in his time, and a celebrated Bard. Dr. Davies thinks he was uncle to Griffydd Llwyd-ap-Dafydd-ap-Einion Lygliw, another famous bard, who flourished A.D. 1400.

{15d} Creirwy, a lady of great beauty often mentioned by the bards.

{15e} Garwy, one of king Arthur's knights.

{15f} Trystan-ap-Tallwch, another of king Arthur's knights.

{15g} Caswennan, the name of one of king Arthur's s.h.i.+ps, which was wrecked in a place denominated from her Goffrydau Caswennan.

{16a} Alban, Scotland. It seems the Bard rode upon a Scotch steed.

{16b} Aran, the name of two high mountains in Merioneths.h.i.+re.

{16c} Some of the Trefor-family (and perhaps descendants) now live near Castell Dinas Bran.

{16d} Rhun, son of Maelgwn Gwynedd king of Britain, A.D. 570. I do not remember the story alluded to here by the Bard.

{16e} I suppose Myfanwy Fechan was descended from Tudur Trefor earl of Hereford, of one side. The worthy family of the Mostyns of Mostyn and Gloddaith, are descended from Tudur Trefor.

{17} Dinbrain, the same as Dinas Bran.

{18a} There were two Myrddins, or Merlins, as they are wrongly written by the English, viz. Myrddin Emrys and Myrddin Wyllt; the last was a noted poet, and there is a poem of his extant, ent.i.tled Avallennau, or the Apple-trees.

{18b} Aneurin Gwawdrydd Mychdeyrn Beirdd, i.e. Aneurin the monarch of Bards, was a celebrated poet of North Britain. His poem, the G.o.dodin, upon the battle of Cattraeth, is extant; but by reason of its great antiquity, is not easily understood at this distance of time, being upwards of twelve hundred years old: however, it appears, from what is understood of it, to have been a very spirited performance.

{18c} Craig Vreiddin, is a high hill in Montgomerys.h.i.+re.

{18d} I know not where this country is.

{18e} Some lines are wanting in the original.

{19a} Knocking, I suppose, is somewhere near Offa's ditch.

{19b} Porth Ysgewin is near Chepstow, in Monmouths.h.i.+re or Glamorgans.h.i.+re.

{19c} Taliesin Ben Beirdd, or the chief of Bards, flourished about the year 560, or thereabout, under Maelgwn Gwynedd king of Britain, called by Gildas Maglocunus. Many of Taliesin's poems are extant, but on account of their great antiquity are very obscure, as the work of his contemporaries are. There is a great deal of the Druidical Cabbala intermixed in his works, especially about the transmigration of souls.

{20a} Rheidol is the name of a large river in Cardigans.h.i.+re, and Glasgrug, one of the palaces of the princes of South Wales, is very near it, about a measured mile from Aberystwith, and at present the property of the Rev. Mr. William Powel, of Nanteos.

{20b} Lleision was one of the palaces of the princes of Powys, corruptly now called Llysin; and the park about it is called Llysin-park, the patrimony of Lord Powys.

{21a} The battle of Llwyvein was fought by Urien Reged and his son Owain, against Ida king of the Northumbrians. It is celebrated by Taliesin in a poem, ent.i.tled Gwaith Argoed Llwyvein, i.e. the battle of Argoed Llwyvein.

{21b} Eurgain, Northop in Flints.h.i.+re, so called from Eurgain, the daughter of Maelgwn Gwynedd.

{21c} Demetia. This expedition of Llewelyn-ap-Iorwerth was against the Flemings and Normans, of which there is an account in Powel's History of Wales, p. 277, 278.

{22a} Llan Huadain, the name of a place in Pembrokes.h.i.+re.

{22b} Cilgeran, the name of another place in the same county, near the river Teivi.

{22c} Llywarch Hen, the son of Elidir Lydanwyn a n.o.bleman of North Britain, and cousin german to Urien Reged king of c.u.mbria; he was a great warrior, and fought successful against the Saxons; but fortune at last favouring the Saxons, he was obliged in his old age to retire to Wales.

He had twenty-four sons, who wore golden chains, and were all killed in battles against the Saxons. Llywarch Hen was a noted Bard, his works are extant, wherein he celebrates the n.o.ble feats of his sons, and bewails his misfortunes, and the troubles of old age, especially in distress.

{22d} Tanad is the name of a river in Montgomerys.h.i.+re, which emptieth itself into the Severn.

{22e} Nudd Hael, or the Generous, was a n.o.bleman of North Britain remarkable for his liberality.