Y Gododin: A Poem of the Battle of Cattraeth Part 20

{96a} Or, "They served as b.u.t.ts for the falling lances."

{96b} "Gorsaf;" "Gorsav arv," _a magazine of arms_. "Brwydr orsavawl,"

a pitched battle.

{96c} "Mynyddawg Mwynvawr." The Triads call him "Mynyddawg Eiddin,"

_Edin_, hence _Edinburgh_, which probably corresponds with his original place of residence, or at any rate may be considered as being situate within the limits of his ancient dominions. "The retinue of Mynyddawg Eiddin at Cattraeth" is represented as one of "the three honourable retinues of the Isle of Britain," because the men who composed it had joined their chieftain's standard of their own accord, and marched at their own expense, claiming neither pay nor reward for their service, from king or country.

"Tair gosgordd addwyn Ynys Prydain; Gosgordd Belyn vab Cynvelyn yng nghadvel Caradawg ab Bran; a gosgordd Mynyddawg Eiddin yng Nghattraeth; a Gosgordd Drywon ab Nudd Hael yn Rhodwydd Arderydd yn y Gogledd; sev ydd elai bawb yn y rhai hynny ar eu traul eu hunain heb aros govyn, ac heb erchi na thal nag anrheg y gan wlad na chan Deyrn; ac achaws hynny au gelwid hwy y tair gosgordd addwyn." (Triad 79, third series.)

{96d} "Hanyanawr," their natural relatives; "hangenawr," those who stood in need of them, their families and friends. The line may likewise be rendered,-

"Esteemed for their age and disposition."

{96e} Al. "llawen," _merry_; "the merry minstrel."

{97a} These plumes must accordingly have been themselves red. That military men at this period did wear feathers of particular colours as distinctive badges, is further evident from the testimony of Llywarch Hen, who describes himself as having worn "yellow plumes."

"Gwedy meirch hywedd, a chochwedd ddillad, A phluawr melyn, Main vy nghoes, nid oes ym dremyn!" (Elegy on Cynddylan.)

After the sleek tractable steeds, and garments of ruddy hue, And the waving yellow plumes, Slender is my leg, my piercing look is gone."

In some copies we read "phurawr" (purawr) _what purifies_.

{97b} Their weapons were red and white from the effects of _blood_ and _gore_.

{97c} Mr. Davies and Dr. Pughe seem to have preferred the expression "_pedryolet_ bennawr," which they construed into _four pointed helmets_: "pedryollt," _split into four parts_, would appear, however, to be much more accordant with the descriptive tenor of the pa.s.sage.

{97d} As in the two preceding lines is contained a compliment to military valour, the evident drift of the poem requires that it should be applied to the British party; hence "rac" in this place must be understood to mean that the toiling warriors were _from_ or _of_ the retinue of Mynyddawg rather than from those who confronted him.

{97e} Disgraced by the blasphemous taunts and treachery of the enemy.

{98a} "Ceugant yw angeu," (adage.) The line might be rendered,-

"Without end they multiplied the wooden biers;"

An expression similar to that made use of by Llywarch Hen, in reference to the battle of Llongborth:-

"Ac elorawr mwy no maint.

And biers innumerable. (Elegy upon Geraint ab Erbin.)

"Ceugant," translated _without end_, is properly a Druidic term, signifying the circle of eternity.

"Cylch y ceugant, ac nis gall namyn Duw eu dreiglaw."

The circle of infinitude, none but G.o.d can pervade it. (Barddas.)

"Tri phren rhydd yn forest y brenhin; pren crib eglwys; a phren peleidyr a elont yn rhaid y brenhin; a _phren elawr_." (Welsh Laws.)

{98b} He is described as of "Baptism" in contradistinction to the infidel Saxons.

{98c} A reference to the last unction. See St. James, v. 14.

{98d} I.e. Tudvwlch Hir, the hero of this particular stanza.

{99a} "Ne." The statement at line 138 would determine the affirmative character of this word.

{99b} "Veinoethyd," (_meinoethydd_;) not "in the celebration of May Eve," which is Davies's rendering, as we clearly infer from the conjunction of the word with "meinddydd," (confessedly a _serene day_) in Kadeir Taliesin and Gwawd y Lludd Mawr. (See Myv. Arch. v. i. pp. 37, 74.)

{99c} "Gynatcan." Al. "gyvatcan," (_cyvadgan_) a proverb. "Though his success was proverbial."

{99d} Or, "Through ambition he was a soarer." The person here commemorated was of an ambitious turn of mind, and bore armorial ensigns of a corresponding character, which were looked upon, in a manner, as prophetic of his successful career as a warrior, but the result of this battle miserably belied such a promise.

"Prenial yw i bawb ei drachwres."

The path of glory leads but to the grave.-(Taliesin.)

{99e} Where Edinburgh now stands; and which was probably the head quarters of Mynyddawg, (see line 89 note.) In a poem printed in Davies's Mythology of the Druids, p. 574, and supposed to have been written by Aneurin, Tudvwlch and Cyvwlch are represented as feasting with Mynyddawg.

"Gan Vynydawc Bu adveiliawc Eu gwirodau."

Destructive were their wa.s.sails with Mynyddawg.

{100a} In the Poem alluded to, Tudvwlch Hir is described as a _man of dignity_, "breein," and as having in conjunction with Cyvwlch made breaches in the bastions of forts,-

"A oreu vwlch ar vann caerau."

The Gorchan Maelderw in like manner speaks of him as,-

"Tudvwlch the oppressor of war, the destroyer of forts."

{100b} "Ech," e?.

{100c} Lit. "until the seventh day;"-an expression intended probably to denote the s.p.a.ce of a week. The operations of each day are specified further on in the Poem. In like manner we are presented in "Gwawd Lludd y Mawr," (Myv. Arch. vol. i. p. 74) with an enumeration of certain martial deeds that were performed on each day during an entire week.

{100d} Lit. "Should have made him a free man," or "should have continued him," &c.

{100e} Al. "ugain," _a score_,

{100f} Al. the powerful supporter-"drut nerthyd."

{100g} Kilydd is mentioned in the Mabinogi of "Kilhwch and Olwen," where he is represented as the son of Prince Kelyddon.

{100h} "Gwyr;" al. the hero, "gwr."

{101a} Lit. "the gleamers a.s.sembled." The 1, 2, 3, and 6, versions, "cyn hynt treiawr," might be translated "ere the return of the ebbing tide," and the meaning of the whole would seem to be, that the men, having marched to the field of battle at dawn, experienced a b.l.o.o.d.y engagement before the evening; the s.p.a.ce of time between tide and tide being equal to the length of a day.

{101b} "Like the thunder of heaven was the clashing of the shields."-(Gorch. Mael.)

{101c} "Od uch lle." Al. "Od uch lled," _above the plain_.