Y Gododin: A Poem of the Battle of Cattraeth Part 18

{85a} "I ammod." This was probably a confederation entered into by the different princes, for the purpose of uniting their forces against the common enemy; a supposition corroborated by the word "cywlad," just used.

The poet might, however, have intended a play upon the word "ammod,"

because of its great resemblance in sound to "ammwyd," a _bait_, to which the eagle was allured, "llithywyt" (llithiwyd) a strictly sporting term.

{85b} "A garwyd," al. "a gatwyt" "was preserved, or protected."

{85c} The connection between "arvaeth," and the bannerial device is very obvious at lines 110, 111.

"Mor ehelaeth E aruaeth uch arwyt."

With such a magnificent Design of enterprize blazoned on his standard.

{85d} "O dechwyt," i.e. _tech wyd_.

{85e} We have adopted "Manawyd" as a proper name, under the impression that the different stanzas of the G.o.dodin, albeit regular links of the same general subject, are nevertheless in a manner each complete in itself, and therefore that it would be more natural, where the drift of the paragraph allowed, or seemed to have that tendency, to look out for the names of the chiefs, who may be thus distinctly introduced; according to the tenor of the following declaration which is appended to "Gorchan Cynvelyn." (Myv. Arch. vol. i. page 61.)

"Canu un Canuauc a dal pob Awdyl o'r G.o.dodin heruyd breint yngcerd amrysson. Tri chanu a thriugeint a thrychant a dal pob un or Gorchaneu . . . Achaws yu am goffau yn y Gorchaneu rivedi Guyr a aethant y Gatraeth nog y dyle gur vyned i ymlad heb arveu; Ny dyle Bard myned i amrysson heb y gerd honno."

Every Ode of the G.o.dodin is equivalent to a single song, according to the privilege of poetical compet.i.tion. Each of the incantations is equal to three hundred and sixty-three songs, because the number of the men who went to Cattraeth is commemorated in the Incantations, and as no man should go to battle without arms, so no Bard ought to contend without that Poem.

It is true that in the Vellum MS. as transcribed by Davies, this does not form a distinct stanza, but is a continuation of the preceding one.

Nevertheless in other copies a detached position is given to it, which seems required also by the opening sentence, and particularly by the rhyme.

We find, moreover, that Manawyd was anciently used as a proper name, for not to mention Manawydan and Culvynawyd, we have Manawyd in one of Taliesin's Poems as undoubtedly the name of a person.

"Ys gwyr Manawyd a Phryderi." (Myv. Arch. vol. i. p. 67.)

The name of Pryderi occurs further on in our Poem.

Manawyd is mentioned likewise in the Dialogue between Arthur, Cai, and Glewlwyd,-

"Neus duc Manavid eis tull o Trywrid" (Myv. Arch. vol. i. p. 167.)

Dr. O. Pughe translates the line in the G.o.dodin thus-

"There was a confident impelling forward of the shaft of the variegated standard."

{86a} "Ny nodi," (ni nodi) _thou dost not mark_, thou art blind to the arms of the enemy both defensive and offensive. "Nodi," may also have reference to "nod" in the third line of the stanza.

{86b} Al. "Protected against the a.s.sault of the battle of Manau;" i.e.

Mannau G.o.dodin, or according to others, Mannau in which A.D. 582 Aidan mac Gavran was victorious. (See Ritson's Annals of Caledonia, Vol. ii.

p. 35.)

{87a} One reason for not regarding "Caeawc" as a proper name, may be discovered in the manner in which the expression "cawawc cynhorawc" is used in an anonymous poem of an early date, apud Myv. Arch. vol. i. page 180. The author, though he evidently borrowed it from the G.o.dodin, as indeed his allusion to Cattraeth a few lines before would likewise imply, employs it merely as an epithet.

{87b} An allusion probably to his armorial bearings. Another reading gives "bled e maran," on the open strand.

{87c} "This singular fact of the ancient Britons wearing amber beads, is confirmed by many beads of amber having been found in the barrows on Salisbury plain, which have been recently dug. I understand that in several of these graves, pieces of amber like beads have been met with; and in one as many beads were found as would have made a wreath." (S.

Turner's Vind. 208, 209.)

{87d} "Am ran." "Tri argau gwaed: gwaed hyd _ran_, a gwaed hyd gwll, a gwaed hyd lawr; sev yw hynny, gwaed hyd _wyneb_, gwaed hyd ddillad, a gwaed a reto hyd lawr." (Law Triads, Myv. Arch, vol. iii. p. 342.) Hence "amrant," the eyelid.

{87e} Lit. "the place of wine," otherwise "a horn of wine,"

"Ef a'm rhoddes medd a gwin o wydrin _ban_.

He gave me mead and wine from the transparent horn. (Taliesin.)

Al. "gwrnvann," the place of the urn. In that case the line might be thus translated,-

Precious was the amber, but its price was the grave.

{88a} The hero of this stanza we take to be the "son of Ysgyran"

himself. He disdained the eager advance of the enemy; for such was his will, that he had only to declare it, to make Venedotia and the North acknowledge his power, and submit to his jurisdiction; or, it may be, to march unanimously to his side. Supposing "gwyar," however, to be the correct reading, we might render the line thus,-

He repelled violence, and gore trickled to the ground.

Perhaps the ident.i.ty of the person commemorated with the son of Ysgyran would become more evident by the addition of a comma after "gyssul,"

thus,-

"Ket dyffei wyned a gogled e rann O gussyl,-mah Ysgyrran."

Who Ysgyran, or Cyran (the _ys_ being a mere prefix) was, we have no means of knowing, as the name does not occur any where in history.

{88b} Al. "The maimed shield-bearer," (ysgwydwr.)

{88c} "Cyn-nod," the princ.i.p.al mark or b.u.t.t; the most conspicuous, owing to his being in advance of his men, and perhaps on account of his stature also, if "eg gawr," or "yggawr" mean _giantlike_.

{88d} "Cyn-ran;" the foremost share, or partic.i.p.ation of an action.

{89a} "Pymwnt," (i.e. pum mwnt; "deg myrdd yn y mwnt,") five hundred thousand, which, multiplied by five, would give us 2,500,000 as the number of men who composed the above battalions.

{89b} Deivyr and Bryneich, (_Deira and Bernicia_) are situated on the eastern coast of the island, the river Humber, as we learn from the Triads, (Myv. Arch. vol. ii. p. 68) flowing through a portion thereof.

In a doc.u.ment which has been published in the Iolo MSS. Argoed Derwennydd, (Derwent wood probably) and the river Trenn or Trent, are mentioned as the extreme boundaries of the region. The triads moreover speak of the three sons of Dysgyvedawg, (or Dysgyvyndawd) viz. Gall, Difedel, and Ysgavnell, under the appellation of the "three monarchs of Deivyr and Bryneich," (Ibid. p. 64) about the period, as it would appear, of our Poem.

It is clear from the above pa.s.sage in the G.o.dodin, as well as from those lines, (78, 79.)

"Ar deulu brenneych beych barna.s.swn Dilyw dyn en vyw nys adawsswn."

If I had judged you to be of the tribe of Bryneich, Not the phantom of a man would I have left alive;

that the people of those countries were not at the time in question on friendly terms with the neighbouring Britons; which circ.u.mstance is further apparent from the contemporary testimony of Llywarch Hen, who speaks of Urien as having conquered the land of Bryneich;

"Neus gorug o dir Brynaich."

This, it is true, might have a reference to the Saxon tribes, who had succeeded at an early period, in establishing themselves along the coast in that part of the island, yet the disparaging manner in which the grave of Disgyrnin Disgyfedawt, evidently the father of the "three monarchs,"

is spoken of in the Englynion y Beddau, inclines us strongly to the belief that it was the Aborigines themselves who were thus guilty of treason to the common weal.

"Cigleu don drom dra thywawd, Am vedd Dysgyrnyn Dysgyveddawd, Aches trwm angwres pechawd."