Y Gododin: A Poem of the Battle of Cattraeth Part 35

{181f} Or, "the sovereign of the impregnable strand, or extremity of G.o.dodin," traeth y annor (an nhor.)

{182a} "Am rann, (i.e. amrant.) See line 40.

{182b} The city of Mynyddawg, from whence he was called Mynyddawg Eiddyn.

{182c} Or, "The raging flame turns not from Eiddyn."

{182d} Or, "at the entrance or gate."

{182e} "Trusi;" al. "trin;" "he placed a thick cover in front of the battle."

{182f} The effects of his toil in battle.

{182g} Al. "O goledd," by arrangement, being actuated by the same motive as that which induced Gwrgan the Freckled long before to "enact a law that no one should bear a shield, but only a sword and bow;" hence it is said, "his countrymen became very heroic." (Iolo MSS. p. 351.)

{183a} Lit. "the strand supported." Traeth means also the extremity of a district, and may accordingly be applied here to the boundary line between G.o.dodin and the British dominions.

{183b} "Periglawr;" one who has to do with what is extreme, or dangerous; one who administers extreme unction; a parish priest.

{183c} Al. "penifeddawr," giddy-headed. Al. "penufuddawr" having an obedient head-rein-obeying.

{183d} Al. "The mounted spearman."

{183e} Another reading gives "Odren" but the one adopted above suits the rhyme better.

{183f} There is a reference here to some pagan ceremonies to which the Saxons had recourse, for the purpose either of propitiating their G.o.ds, or of receiving omens at their altars.

{184a} A body of British soldiers under the command of Nwython son of Gildas, and nephew of Aneurin, seem to have taken advantage of the peculiar position of the enemy, who were now probably unarmed, and to have attacked them, which caused the latter, as usual, to seek refuge by flight in one of the neighbouring forts. That we are right in adopting Nwython as a proper name would appear, moreover, from two different pa.s.sages in the fragments of the G.o.dodin subjoined to Gorchan Maelderw, where "the son of Nwython," is distinctly mentioned as one of the heroes that fell at Cattraeth.

{184b} Donald Brec, or as he is called in Latin, Dovenal Varius, king of the Scots, who was slain by Owain, king of the Strathclyde Britons in the battle of Vraithe Cairvin, otherwise Calatros, which in sound somewhat resembles Galltraeth, or Cattraeth. It is true that the Scottish chronicles a.s.sign a much later date to that event, than the era of the G.o.dodin, nevertheless as they themselves are very inconsistent with one another on that point, giving the different dates of 629, 642, 678 and 686, it is clear that no implicit deference is due to their chronological authority, and that we may, therefore, reasonably acquiesce in the view which identifies Dyvnwal Vrych, with Donald Brec, seeing the striking similarity which one name bears to the other.

{184c} Supposing the person who killed Donald to be the same with Owain, son of Urien, there may be here an allusion to his men as well as to the birds of prey. See line 18 note one.

{184d} Lit. "The bone;" even as it is popularly said at this day that a man who gives great support to another is his back bone.

"Caletach wrth elyn nog asgwrn."

Harder to an enemy than a bone. (Elegy on Cunedda.)

{185a} Or, "whilst the foes range the sea."

{185b} Lit. "It was his characteristic or property."

{185c} "Naw rhiallu;" the literal amount of this force would be 900,000; "naw," however, may have here the meaning of "nawv," _floating_; "naw rhiallu," a fleet.

{185d} "Gorddinau;" from "gorddin," what impels or drives forward; or the word may mean _tribes_, from "cordd"; and then the pa.s.sage would be:

"In the face of blood, of the country, and of the tribes."

{185e} Cynddilig was introduced to our notice before, (line 645) as a person who loved the world in company with the melody-seeking Eidol.

{186a} Or, "as the alternative."

{186b} That this is a proper name, appears from the following pa.s.sage in Taliesin's "Canu y Cwrw;"-

"Ev cyrch cerddorion Se syberw Seon Neu'r dierveis i rin Ymordei Uffin Ymhoroedd G.o.dodin."

{186c} Or, "who caused the stream of blood."

{186d} Gwenddoleu ap Ceidiaw is recorded in the Triads as the head of one of the three "teulu diwair," or faithful tribes of the Isle of Britain, because his men maintained the war for six weeks after he was slain in the battle of Arderydd, A.D. 577. He is also joined with Cynvar and Urien, under the t.i.tle of the three "tarw cad" or bulls of battle, on account of their impetuosity in rushing upon the enemy.

{187a} "Pen o draed;" from head to foot. Not, as Davies translates it, "from the highest to the lowest," as is evident from a similar phrase in Cynddelw, (Myv. Arch. vol. i. p. 220.)

"Yd kwytynt pennawr penn o draed;"

where the word "pennawr" refers to one particular rank, if not to an individual.

{187b} See line 344.

{187c} See line 324.

{187d} See line 335.

{187e} Lit. "after their conflict."

{188a} "Tra;" "whilst the gory pool continued to fill."

{188b} "Erchyn;" al. "echyn," "and slew them like a hero; they were not saved."

{188c} Or, "he darted with the spear," or, "they were prostrated with the spear."

{188d} "A medd," with the mead. He abandoned the social banquet, or a life of luxury, at the call of public duty.

{188e} Al. "Is there a place where the people do not relate the greatness of his counsel?"

{188f} "Bwylliadau," (i.e. bwyelliadau) the strokes of his battle-axe.

Another version gives "bwyll yaddeu," which may be rendered, "Pwyll a.s.saulted."

"With a rush Pwyll made the a.s.sault."

{188g} "Lliveit handit;" which were sharpened.

{188h} Al. "Where his founding blade was seen."

{189a} Or, "maintenance for."

{189b} There were two persons who bore this name in the sixth century, the one was Pryderi the son of Dolor, chief of the people of Deivyr and Bryneich, and was distinguished with Tinwaed and Rhineri, under the epithet of the three strong cripples of the isle of Britain:

"Tri Gwrddvaglawg ynys Prydain; Rhineri mab Tangwn; a Thinwaed Vaglawg; a Phryderi mab Doler Deivr a Bryneich." (Triad, 75.)