Some Specimens of the Poetry of the Ancient Welsh Bards Part 23

{22f} Huail was a brother of Gildas, the son of Caw, and a noted warrior. His brother Gildas was the author of the Epistle De excidio Britanniae.

{22g} Rhydderch Hael, or the Generous, was another n.o.bleman of the North, noted for his liberality.

{23a} Rhun, the son of Maelgwn Gwynedd king of Britain, a great warrior.

{23b} As an hand, &c., i.e. I am as necessary to him as one of those members to the body, to celebrate his martial feats.

{23c} Gwriad is the name of a hero mentioned in the G.o.dodin.

{23d} Hunydd, the name of a woman, probably the prince's mistress. The Bards had no great affection for Joan the princess, daughter of king John, because she was an Englishwoman, and not faithful to the prince's bed.

{23e} Arvon, the county of Carnarvon, so called, because situated opposite to Mon, or Anglesea. Arvon, literally Supra Monam, from the particle Ar, super, and Mon, Mona.

{25a} Owain Gwynedd, prince of North Wales, was descended in a direct line from Roderic the Great, prince of all Wales, who divided his princ.i.p.ality amongst his three sons.

{25b} Iwerddon, the British name of Ireland, hence the Hibernia of the Latins, and ????? and ??????a of the Greeks, probably called from the British Y Werdd Ynys, i.e. the Green Island.

{25c} Lochlynians, the Danes, so called from the Baltic, which our ancestors called Llychlyn. Llychlyn is the name of Denmark and Norway, and all those northern regions mentioned in the works of our bards.

{25d} Normans. Moses Williams, in his notes on the aerae Cambro Brittanicae, gives the following account of this battle.

"Normanni, qui in hoc loco Frainc appellantur, erant copiae quas Henricus Secundus in Monam misit A.D. MCLVII. duce Madoco filio Maredudii Powisiae principe. Hi ecclesias SS. Mariae et Petri (ut annales nostri referunt) spoliavere. Istae vero ecclesiae in orientali Monae plaga sunt, unde liquet loc.u.m Tal Moelvre dictum alicubi in Mona esse, forta.s.se etiam haud procul ab ecclesiis praedictis: omnes vero qui navibus egrediebantur a Monae incolis interfecti sunt." Vide Annales a Powelo editos, p. 206, 207.

It seems by Gwalchmai's poem to have been a very large fleet, which came partly from Ireland, partly from the Baltic, and the rest from Normandy, to invade the princ.i.p.ality. It is plain that its forces were numerous, as they came from so many countries; but it seems they met with a very warm reception from the prince and his sons, and that they were glad to sail away as soon as possible.

{26a} Owain Gwynedd had many sons noted for their valour, especially Howel, who was born of Finnog, an Irish lady. He was one of his father's generals in his wars against the English, Flemings, and Normans, in South Wales, and was a noted Bard, as several of his poems, now extant, testify.

{26b} It seems that the fleet landed in some part of the firth of Menai, and that it was a kind of a mixed engagement, some fighting on sh.o.r.e, others from the s.h.i.+ps. And probably the great slaughter was owing to its being low water, and that they could not set sail: otherwise I see no reason why, when they were worsted on land, they should continue the fight in their s.h.i.+ps. It is very plain that they were in great distress, and that there was a great havoc made of them, as appears from the remainder of this very spirited poem.

{27a} Who this lady was is not known at present.

{27b} What country this is I cannot recollect.

{27c} Teivi, the name of a large river in Cardigans.h.i.+re.

{27d} Elivri, the name of a woman; but who she was, or when she lived, is not clear.

{27e} Cadvan is the saint of Towyn Meirionydd.

{27f} Dysynni is the name of a river that runs by Towyn.

{28a} I cannot recollect at present who this person is, nor the occasion of his grief, though it is mentioned in some of our ma.n.u.scripts.

{28b} Eryri, Snowdon, called Creigiau Eryri and Mynydd Eryri, i.e. the rocks and mountains of snow, from Eiry, which signifies snow. As Niphates, the name of a mountain, from a word of the same signification in Greek.

{28c} Dewi, St. David, a bishop in the time of king Arthur, and the patron saint of Wales.

{30a} Iorwerth, surnamed Drwyndwn, or with the broken nose, the father of Llewelyn, was the eldest son of Owain Gwynedd, but was not suffered to enjoy his right on account of that blemish.

{30b} Owain Gwynedd, prince of North Wales.

{30c} Llewelyn was the lawful heir of the princ.i.p.ality of North Wales, in right of his father Iorwerth, and accordingly put in his claim for it, and got it from his uncles David and Rodri, when he was very young.

{30d} David, the son of Owain Gwynedd, who succeeded his father as prince of Wales.

{30e} This battle is not mentioned by any of our historians. The description is very animated in the original, and very expressive of such a scene. It was fought near Porth Aethwy. The steeds of the main is a poetical expression for s.h.i.+ps.

{31a} Alun, the name of a river in Flints.h.i.+re, where there was a battle fought by Llewelyn against the English.

{31b} Caeawg Cynnorawg is the name of a hero celebrated by Aneurin Gwawdrydd in the G.o.dodin.

{31c} Deudraeth Dryfan is the name of some place near the sea. There are many places in Wales called Deudraeth; but where this in particular is situated I cannot guess.

{31d} Ogrfan Gawr, an ancient British prince, cotemporary with king Aurthur.

{32a} Camlan, the name of a place somewhere in Cornwall, where the decisive battle between king Arthur, and his treacherous nephew Medrod happened, who had usurped the sovereignty while he was absent on a foreign expedition. King Arthur, according to our ancient historians, slew Medrod with his own hand; but received his death-wound himself, and retired to Ynys Afallon or Glastenbury, where he soon afterwards died.

His death was politically concealed, lest it should dispirit the Britons.

Hence arose so many fabulous stories about it.

{32b} Cadwallon, the son of Cadfan, is that victorious king of Britain, who was a terrible scourge to the Saxons. Beda, in his ecclesiastical history, calls him tyrannum saevientem, an outrageous tyrant.

{32c} Caer Lleon, Chester, so called, as our historians relate, from Lleon Gawr, or king Lleon, and not from Castra legionum, as modern writers will have it. Cawr anciently signified a king, as Benlli Gawr, is called by Nennius, cap. 30, Rex Benlli; but now it signifies a giant, or a man of an extraordinary strength and stature. It is not improbable but that the Ancient Britons chose such for their kings.

{33a} Gwyddgrug, Mold, in Flints.h.i.+re, so called from Gwydd, high, and Crug, a hill. Mold is a corruption of Mons altus.

{33b} Elsmere, the name of a town in Shrops.h.i.+re.

{33c} Mochnant is a part of Powys.

{33d} Argoedwys, the men of Powys, from Ar, above, Coed, wood. The Powysians are called by Llywarch Hen, gwyr Argoed. As, "Gwyr Argoed erioed a'm porthant," i.e. I was ever maintained by the men of Argoed.

{33e} The princes of Powys adhered to the kings of England, and the lords Marchers, against their natural Prince, to whom they were to pay homage and obedience, according to the division made by Rhodri Mawr, as appears from the Welsh History.

{34a} Coed Aneu, the name of a place near Llanerchymedd, in Anglesea.

{34b} Dygen Ddyfnant, another place whose situation I am ignorant of, where another battle was fought.

{34c} Bryn yr Erw, another place unknown.

{34d} Celyddon, the British name of that part of North Britain, called Caledonia by the Romans.

{34e} Dinbych, Denbigh.

{34f} Foelas, or Y Foel las, i.e. the green summit, which is the name of a place in Denbighs.h.i.+re, where there is an old fort, now in the possession of Watkyn Wynn, Esq., colonel of the Denbighs.h.i.+re militia, whose seat is near it.

{34g} Gronant, the name of a fort or castle in Flints.h.i.+re.

{34h} Dinas Emreis or Emrys, the name of a place in Snowdon, near Bedd Gelert, where Gwrtheyrn, or Vortigern, attempted to build a castle.