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Branwen uerch Lyr. ____________ |
BRANWEN* THE DAUGHTER OF LLYR. THE SECOND BRANCH OF THE MABINOGI. |
The comments are those of Joseph
Loth, from his 1913 translation
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BENDIGEIDURAN uab Llyr, a oed
urenhin coronawc ar yr ynys hon, ac ardyrchawc o goron Lundein. |
BENDIGEID FRAN**, the son of
Llyr***, was the crowned king of this island, and he was exalted from the
crown of |
YK’s note: Lady Guest translates bonclust, below, and paluawt, later, by “blow on the ear”, “blow” while
Loth translates them by ‘slap on the face’ (French: soufflet). Since I am translating Loth’s notes, I keep here ‘slap
on the face’ instead of ‘blow’.
*The Triads
tell of three slaps on the face caused by anger: the one Irish Matholwch gave
to Branwen; Gwenhwyvach’s to Arthur’s wife Gwenhwyvar, which led to the Camlan
battle; the one that Golyddan Vardd, the bard, gave to Cadwaladyr the Blessed (Triads Mabin., p. 301, I. 16; Triad 51, Myv. arch., p. 392 tells us that Arthur gave that third
slap to Medrawt).
A poet of the end of XIVth century, Yr Iustus Llwyd, alludes to the
weddings of Branwen (Myv. arch., p. 367, col. 2).
Dafydd ab Gwilym compares the complexion of one of its mistresses with Bronwen’s, daughter of Llyr.
Lady Guest says that, according to the Cambro-briton, II, p.
71,1821, a funeral urn containing ashes and bones was discovered under a
tumulus, in 1813, on the shore of the Alaw, in Anglesey, in a place called Ynys
Bronwen, or the
**According to the Triads,
Bran the Blessed was so named because he brought the Christian faith to Kymry (
The two others inspired and blessed ones are: Lleirwg ab Coel ab Cyllin,
called Lleuver mawr, great light, who built the first church in Llandaff,
and Cadwaladr the Blessed, who granted refuge and protection on his lands to
the Christians fleeing the Saxons (Myv. arch., p. 401, 35).
This last one, together with Prydain ab Aedd Mawr, and Dyfnwal Moelmut,
is counted among the three founders and legislators of the
The Triads say that it was one of the three good hiding-places, together with Gwerthevyr’s bones (ref. to Nennius, Hist., 47; also Gaufrei of Monmouth, Hist., VI, 14) hidden in the main harbours of the island, and the dragons hidden by Lludd at Dinas Emreis (see Mab. of Lludd and Llevelys).
When it was discovered, it was one of three bad discoveries. Since no invasion was supposed to be possible as long as it remained hidden. Arthur unearthed it (the head), because he wanted his worthiness to be the only defense of the island : Gwrtheyrn, for his love of Hengist’s daughter, unearthed the dragons and the bones of Gwerthevyr (Triads Mabinog., p. 300).
One of the three great families of saints was founded by Bran. The two other ones are Cunedda and Brychan (Rees, Welsh saints, p. 77).
The name Bran is often found in poetry (Black Book, ap. Skene, Four
anc. books, p. 55: in the dialogue of Gwyn ab Nudd and Guiddnev, one of the
speakers says that he has been where Bran was killed). Taliesin claims
that he was with Bran in Iwerddon, and that he witnessed the killing of
Morddwyd Tyllon, (Skene, 154, 27); Llywarch ab Llywelyn, a XIIth century poet,
compares Gruffudd ab Cynan to Bran, son of Llyr, (Myv. arch., p. 205,
column 1). Bran, raven, is an extremely usual name among all Celts
(seven or eight Brans are found and
derived names in Cartul. of Redon).
*** Llyr Lledieith,
or
‘with the half-language’, or ‘with a half foreign language’, is a
character who occurs frequently. According to the Triads (Mab., II, p. 306, 9), he is one of the three
principal prisoners of the
Several different Llyr are
known: Llyr Lledieith, Llyr Merini, and finally Llyr, son of Bleidyt, made
popular by Gaufrei of Monmouth, especially due to the history of his daughters
Gonorilla, Regan and Cordelia (Hist., II, 11; Brut. Tysilio, Myv.
Arch. p. 440 and foll.). The history of the children of Lir is one of
the three painful stories among Irishmen (O' Curry. On the manners, II,
p. 325).
Llyr, in Gaelic as in Britonnic, means floods, sea.
Was he a Celtic Neptune? The passage referred to above, from the Black Book, tends to
confirm this hypothesis: “Bran, son of Y Werydd, of great glory” Y Werydd means
the Ocean, and seems to apply more especially to Saint-Georges channel.
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A frynhawngueith yd oed yn Hardlech yn
Ardudwy, yn llys idaw. Ac yn eisted yd oedynt ar garrec Hardlech, uch penn y
weilgi, a Manawydan uab Llyr y urawt y gyt ac ef, a deu uroder un uam ac ef,
Nissyen, ac Efnyssyen, a guyrda y am hynny, mal y gwedei ynghylch brenhin. |
And one
afternoon he was at Harlech* in Ardudwy**, at his Court, and he sat upon the
rock of Harlech, looking over the sea. And with him were his brother
Manawyddan the son of Llyr, and his brothers by the mother's side, Nissyen
and Evnissyen, and many nobles likewise, as was fitting to see around a king. |
*Harddlech, today
Harllech, on the Merionethshire coast. According to Lady Guest, Harlech is also
named Twr Bronwen, or Bronwen tower.
** Ardudwy was
a cymwd belonging to the cantrev of Dinodic in
Arvon (Myv. arch., p. 735).
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Y deu uroder un uam
ac ef, meibon oedyn y Eurosswyd o'e uam ynteu Penardun, uerch Ueli uab
Mynogan. A'r neill o'r gueisson hynny, gwas da oed ; ef a barei tangneued y
rwg y deu lu, ban uydynt lidyawcaf; sef oed hwnnw Nissyen. Y llall a barei
ymlad y rwng y deu uroder, ban uei uwyaf yd ymgerynt. Ac ual yd
oedynt yn eisted yuelly, wynt a welynt teir llong ar dec, yn dyuot o deheu
Iwerdon, ac yn kyrchu parth ac attunt, a cherdet rugyl ebrwyd ganthunt : y
gwynt yn eu hol, ac yn nessau yn ebrwyd attunt. “Mi a
welaf longeu racco,” heb y brenhin, “ac yn dyuot yn hy parth a’r tir. Ac
erchwch y wyr y llys wiscaw amdanunt, a mynet y edrych pa uedwl yw yr
eidunt.” Y gwyr a wiscawd amdanunt ac a nessayssant attunt y
wayret. Gwedy guelet y llongeu o agos, diheu oed ganthunt na welsynt eiryoet llongeu
gyweirach eu hansawd noc
wy. Arwydon tec, guedus, arwreid o bali oed arnunt. Ac ar
hynny, nachaf un o'r llongeu yn raculaenu rac y rei ereill, ac y guelynt
dyrchauael taryan, yn uch no bwrd y llong, a swch y taryan y uynyd yn arwyd
tangneued. Ac y
nessawys y gwyr attunt, ual yd ymglywynt ymdidan: |
His two brothers by the mother's
side were the sons of Eurosswydd*, by his mother, Penardun, the daughter of
Beli son of Manogan**. And one of these youths was a good youth and of gentle
nature, and would make peace between his kindred, and cause his family to be
friends when their wrath was at the highest; and this one was Nissyen; but
the other would cause strife between his two brothers when they were most at
peace. And as they sat thus, they beheld
thirteen ships coming from the south of “I see ships afar,” said the king,
“coming swiftly towards the land. Command the men of the Court that they
equip themselves, and go and learn their intent.” So the men equipped themselves and went down
towards them. And when they saw the ships near, certain were they that they
had never seen ships better furnished. Beautiful
flags of satin were upon them. And behold one of the ships outstripped the
others, and they saw a shield lifted up above the side of the ship, and the
point of the
shield**** was upwards, in token of peace. And the
men drew near that they might hold converse. |
* Many Welsh writers, in particular, Lady Charlotte Guest identified
this character with the Roman general Ostorius; this identification is
phonetically impossible. See the note at Llyr.
** Beli the Great, son
of Mynogan, would have reigned in
From Beli’s death until
Llyr, whose son brought the faith to
*** Iwerddon is today the Welsh name of
**** swch, properly ‘plough shear’, and
originally also probably snout, as the Irish socc. An Irish epic
poem speaks of a shield that moos during combat. See J Loth Revue celt.
1911: Le bouclier de Tristan.
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Bwrw badeu
allan a wnaethont
wynteu, a nessau parth
a'r tir,
a chyuarch guell y'r
brenhin. E brenhin a'e
clywei wynteu o'r lle yd oed ar garrec uchel uch eu penn, “Duw a rodo da ywch,” heb ef, “a grayssaw wrthywch. Pieu yniuer y llongeu hynn, a phwy yssyd pennaf arnunt wy ?” “Arglwyd,”
heb wynt, “mae ymma Matholwch brenhin Iwerdon, ac ef bieu y llongeu.” “Beth,” heb y brenhin, “a uynnhei ef ? A uyn ef dyuot y'r tir ?” “Na uynn, Arglwyd,” heb wynt, “negessawl yw
wrthyt ti, onyt y neges
a geif.” “By ryw
neges yw yr eidaw ef ?" heb y brenhin. “Mynnu ymgyuathrachu a thidy, Arglwyd,” heb
wynt, “Y erchi Branwen uerch Lyr y doeth, ac os da genhyt ti, ef a uyn
ymrwymaw ynys y Kedeirn ac Iwerdon y gyt,
ual y bydynt gadarnach.” “Ie,” heb ynteu, “doet y'r tir, a chynghor a
gymerwn ninheu am hynny.” Yr atteb hwnnw a aeth ataw ef. “Minheu a af yn llawen,” heb ef. Ef a doeth
y'r tir, a llawen uuwyt wrthaw ; a dygyuor mawr uu yn y llys y nos honno, y
rwng e yniuer ef ac yniuer y llys. Yn y lle trannoeth, kymryt kynghor. Sef a gahat yn y kynghor, rodi Branwen y Uatholwch. A honno oed tryded prif rieni yn yr ynys hon
; teccaf morwyn yn y byt oed. A gwneuthur oed yn Aberfraw y gyscu genti, ac
odyno y kychwyn. Ac y kychwynassant yr yniueroed hynny parth
ac Aberfraw, Matholwch a'y yniueroed yn y llongheu, Bendigeituran a'y niuer
ynteu ar tir, yny doethant hyt yn Aberfraw. |
Then they put out boats and came
towards the land. And they saluted the king. Now the king could hear them
from the place where he was, upon the rock above their heads. “ Heaven prosper you,” said he,
“and be ye welcome. To whom do these ships belong, and who is the chief
amongst you?” “Lord,” said they, “Matholwch*,
king of “Wherefore comes he?" asked
the king, “and will he come to the land?” “He is a suitor unto thee, lord,”
said they, “and he will not land unless he have his boon.” “And what may that be?"
inquired the king. “He desires to ally himself with
thee, lord,” said they, “and he comes to ask Branwen the daughter of Llyr,
that, if it seem well to thee, the Island of the Mighty** may be leagued with
“Verily,” said he, “let him come
to land, and we will take counsel thereupon.” And this answer was brought to Matholwch. “I will go willingly,” said he. So
he landed, and they received him joyfully; and great was the throng in the
palace that night, between his hosts and those of the Court; and next day
they took counsel, and they resolved to bestow Branwen upon Matholwch. Now she was one of the three chief
ladies of this island***, and she was the fairest damsel in the world. And they fixed upon Aberffraw****
as the place where she should become his bride. And they went thence, and
towards Aberffraw the hosts proceeded; Matholwch and his host in their ships;
Bendigeid Fran and his host by land, until they came to Aberffraw. |
* Ynys y Kedyrn, ‘the island of the Strong ones’. This name appears often in the
Mabinogion, seldom elsewhere. According to one of the triads (Myv. arch.,
p. 400, 1), the island had three names: Clas
Merddin before being inhabited; then Y vel ynys, ‘honey island’, and finally Ynys
Prydein, after its conquest by Prydain ab Aedd mawr. According to another triad
(Myv. arch., p. 388, 1), it took the name of Ynys Bryt after its colonization
by Bryt (Brutus).
*** The Triads do not, however, cite her among the famous ladies of
the island.
**** Aberffraw, in the
south of Anglesey, situated at the mouth of a small river as the word aber ‘river mouth’ points at, was, at least since the
VIIIth century, until the fall of Welsh independence, the main home of kings of
Gwynedd or North-Wales. It was the main town of a cantrev bearing the same name. Mon, called Anglesey
by the English , had a considerable importance especially because of its
fertility which, following Giraldus Cambrensis’ testimony, made it called the
mother of
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Yn Aberfraw dechreu y wled, ac eisted. Sef
ual yd eistedyssant, brenhin Ynys y Kedeirn,
a Manawydan uab Llyr o'r neill parth idaw, a Matholwch o'r parth arall, a
Branwen uerch Lyr gyt ac ynteu. Nyt ymywn ty yd oydynt, namyn
ymywn palleu. Ny angassei Uendigeituran eiryoet ymywn ty. A’r gyuedach a dechreussant. Dilit y gyuedach a wnaethant ac ymdidan. A phan welsant uot yn well udunt kymryt hun no dilyt kyuedach, y gyscu yd aethant. A'r nos honno y kyscwys Matholwch gan Uranwen. A thrannoeth, kyuodi a orugant pawb o niuer y llys ; a'r swydwyr a dechreusant ymaruar am rannyat y meirych a'r gweisson. Ac eu rannu a wnaethant ym pob kyueir hyt y mor. Ac ar hynny dydgueith, nachaf Efnyssen [y] gwr anagneuedus a dywedassam uchot, yn dywanu y lety meirch Matholwch, a gouyn a wnaeth, pioed y meirch. “Meirych Matholwch brenhin Iwerdon yw y rei hyn,” heb wy. “Beth a wnant wy yna ?” heb ef. “Yma y mae brenhin Iwerdon, ac yr gyscwys gan Uranwen dy chwaer, a'y ueirych yw y rei hynn.” “Ay yuelly y gwnaethant wy am uorwyn kystal a honno, ac yn chwaer y minheu, y rodi heb uyghanyat i ? Ny ellynt wy tremic uwy arnaf i,” heb ef. Ac yn hynny guan y dan y meirych, a thorri y guefleu wrth y danned udunt, a'r clusteu wrth y penneu, a'r rawn wrth y keuyn; ac ny caei graf ar yr amranneu, eu llad wrth yr ascwrn. A gwneuthur anfuryf ar y meirych yuelly, hyd nat oed rym a ellit a'r meirych. E chwedyl a doeth at Uatholwch. Sef ual y doeth, dywedut anfuruaw y ueirych ac eu llygru, hyt nat oed un mwynyant a ellit o honunt. “Ie, Arglwyd,” heb un, “dy waradwydaw yr a wnaethpwyt, a hynny a uynhir y wneuthur a thi.” “Dioer, eres genhyf, os uy gwaradwydaw a uynhynt, rodi morwyn gystal,
kyuurd, gyn anwylet gan y chenedyl, ac a rodyssant
ym.” “Arglwyd,” heb un arall, “ti a wely dangos ef. Ac nyt oes it a wnelych, namyn kyrchu dy longeu.” Ac ar hynny arouun y longeu a wnaeth ef. |
And at Aberffraw they began the
feast and sat down. And thus sat they. The King of the And they began the banquet and
caroused and discoursed. And when it was more pleasing to them to sleep than
to carouse, they went to rest, and that night Branwen became Matholwch's
bride. And next day they arose, and all
they of the Court, and the officers began to equip and to range the horses
and the attendants, and they ranged them in order as far as the sea. And behold one day, Evnissyen*,
the quarrelsome man of whom it is spoken above, came by chance into the
place, where the horses of Matholwch were, and asked whose horses they might
be. “They are the horses of Matholwch
king of “What are they doing here?” he
asked. “Here is the king of “And is it thus they have done
with a maiden such as she, and moreover my sister, bestowing her without my
consent? They could have offered no greater insult to me than this,” said he.
And thereupon he rushed under the
horses and cut off their lips at the teeth, and their ears close to their
heads, and their tails close to their backs, and wherever he could clutch
their eyelids, he cut them to the very bone, and he disfigured the horses and
rendered them useless. And they came with these tidings
unto Matholwch, saying that the horses were disfigured, and injured so that
not one of them could ever be of any use again. “Verily, lord,” said one, “it was
an insult unto thee, and as such was it meant.” “Of a truth, it is a marvel to me,
that if they desire to insult me, they should have given me a maiden of such
high rank and so much beloved of her kindred, as they have done.” “Lord,” said another, “ thou seest
that thus it is, and there is nothing for thee to do but to go to thy ships.” And thereupon towards his ships he set out. |
* Evnys, in Welsh, means hostile, enemy, annoying.
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E chwedyl a doeth
at Uendigeituran, bot Matholwch
yn adaw y llys, heb
ouyn, heb ganhyat. A chenadeu
a aeth y ouyn idaw, paham oed hynny. Sef kennadeu a aeth, Idic uab Anarawc, ac Eueyd
Hir. Y guyr hynny a'y
godiwawd, ac a ouynyssant
idaw, pa darpar oed yr eidaw, a pha achaws yd oed yn mynet e ymdeith. “Dioer,” heb ynteu,” “ Beth yw hynny ?” heb wynt. “ Rodi Bronwen uerch Lyr ym, yn
tryded prif rieni yr ynys honn, ac yn uerch y urenhin Ynys y Kedeyrn, a chyscu genthi, a gwedy hynny uy gwaradwydaw. A ryued oed genhyf, nat kyn rodi
morwyn gystal a honno
ym, y
gwneit y gwaradwyd a wnelit ym.” “ Dioer, Arglwyd, nyt o uod y neb a uedei y llys,” heb wynt,” na neb o'e
kynghor y gwnaet[h]pwyt y gwaradwyd hwnnw yt. A chyt bo gwaradwyd gennyt ti hynny,
mwy yw gan Uendigeituran no chenyt ti, y tremic hwnnw a'r guare,” “ Ie,” heb ef,” mi a tebygaf. Ac eissoes ni eill ef uy niwaradwydaw i o hynny.” E gwyr
hynny a ymchwelwys a'r atteb hwnnw, parth a'r
lle yd oed Uendigeituran, a menegi
idaw yr atteb a diwedyssei Uatholwch.
“ Ie,” heb ynteu,” nyt oes ymwaret e uynet ef yn anygneuedus, ac nys gadwn.” “ Ie, Arglwyd,” heb wy,” anuon etwa genhadeu
yn y ol.” “Anuonaf,” heb ef. “Kyuodwch, Uanawydan uab Llyr, ac Eueyd Hir, ac Unic Glew Yscwyd, ac ewch
yn y ol,” heb ef,” a menegwch idaw, ef a geif march iach am pob un o'r a lygrwyt
; ac y gyt a hynny, ef a geif
yn wynepwerth*** idaw, llathen aryant a uo
kyuref [a'e uys bychan] a chyhyt
ac ef e hun, a chlawr eur kyflet a'y wyneb ; a menegwch ydaw pa ryw wr a wnaeth hynny, a phan yw o'm anuod inheu y gwnaethpwyt hynny ; ac y may brawt un uam a mi a wnaeth hynny, ac nat hawd genhyf i na'e lad na'e
diuetha ; a
doet y ymwelet a mi,”
heb ef, “a
mi a wnaf y dangneued ar y llun y mynho
e hun.” E kennadeu a aethant ar ol Matholwch, ac
a uanagyssant idaw yr ymadrawd hwnnw yn garedic, ac ef a'e guerendewis. “A wyr,” heb ef,” ni a gymerwn gynghor.”
Ef a aeth yn y gynghor ; sef kynghor a uedylyssant, - os gwrthot hynny a
wnelynt, bot yn tebygach ganthunt cael kywilid a uei uwy, no chael iawn a uei
uwy. A disgynnu a wnaeth ar gymryt hynny. Ac y'r llys y deuthant yn dangneuedus. |
And tidings came to Bendigeid Fran
that Matholwch was quitting the Court without asking leave, and messengers
were sent to inquire of him wherefore he did so. And the messengers that went
were Iddic the son of Anarawd*, and Heveydd Hir. And these overtook him and
asked of him what he designed to do, and wherefore he went forth. “ Of a truth,” said he, “if I had
known I had not come hither. I have been altogether insulted, no one had ever
worse treatment than I have had here. But one thing surprises me above all.” “What is that?" asked they. “That Branwen the Daughter of
Llyr, one of the three chief ladies of this island, and the daughter of the
King of the Island of the Mighty, should have been given me as my bride, and
that after that I should have been insulted; and I marvel that the insult was
not done me before they had bestowed upon me a maiden so exalted as she.” “Truly, lord, it was not the will
of any that are of the Court,” said they, “nor of any that are of the
council, that thou shouldest have received this insult and as thou hast been
insulted, the dishonour is greater unto Bendigeid Fran than unto thee.” “Verily,” said he, “I think so.
Nevertheless he cannot recall the insult.” These men returned with that answer to the
place where Bendigeid Fran was, and they told him, what reply Matholwch had
given them. “Truly,” said he, “there are no
means by which we may prevent his going away at enmity with us, that we will
not take.” “Well, lord,” said they, “send
after him another embassy.” “I will do so,” said he. “Arise, Manawyddan son of Llyr,
and Heveydd Hir, and Unic Glew Ysgwyd**, and go after him, and tell him that
he shall have a sound horse for every one that has been injured. And beside
that, as an atonement for the insult***, he shall have a staff of silver, as
large and as tall as himself, and a plate of gold of the breadth of his face.
And show unto him who it was that did this, and that it was done against my
will; but that he who did it is my brother, by the mother's side, and
therefore it would be hard for me to put him to death. And let him come and
meet me,” said he, “and we will make peace in any way he may desire.” The embassy went after Matholwch
and told him all these sayings in a friendly manner, and he listened there
unto. “Men,” said he, “I will take
counsel.” So to the council he went. And in the
council they considered that if they should refuse this, they were likely to
have more shame rather than to obtain so great an atonement. They resolved therefore to accept
it, and they returned to the Court in peace. |
* Maybe we should read here Anarawt, a well-known name. According
to one of the triads, he was one of the three taleithiawc, “crown-carrying king,” with
Cadell, king of Dinevwr (or of the South), and Mervin, king de Mathraval or
Powys (Myv. arch, p. 405, collar. 2). Cambriae Annals mention the devastation of
Cereticiawn and Ystrattui. (Ystrad Tywi) by Anarawt and the Saxons.
Anarawt dies in 915; according to the
Brut
y Tywysogion, he is Rodri’s son; Anarawt is called
Rex Britonum (Monum. Hist. brit., p. 846, 847).
** Unic,
“single;” glew, “valiant”; ysgwydd, “shoulder.”
*** Wyneb-werth, translates exactly to price of
the face. ‘Face’ and
‘honour’ are synonymous
among Celts (see Kulhwch and Olwen). The compensation was called, in Ireland, log
enech, “price of the face;” the enech
ruice or ‘insult’ was
properly the redness of the face caused by an act detrimental to the
family honour; enechgris, of similar meaning, says that the face becomes
pale or white under the insult. The Armorican Breton form of wynep-werth is,
in the IXth century, enep-uuert [h] (Cart. of Redon); but this
word, on the other side of the sea, had a less general meaning: it was the gift
offered by the husband to his wife after the consummation of a marriage, the
compensation for virginity taken. The present word enebarz, ‘dowry’, is
the modern representative of enep-werth.
As
Lady Guest points out, the Mabinogi agrees here with the
laws. The compensation for an insult made to the king of Aberfraw (North-Wales)
had been one hundred cows by cantrev, with a white bull with red ears
per hundred cows; a gold rod as long as him and as thick as his small
finger; a gold dish as long as his face and as thick as the nail of a
ploughman who has ploughed for seven years (Ancient Laws, I, p. 7). wyneb-warth
seems to be a popular attempt at etymology: gwarth, in Welsh, means shame,
dishonour. [YK’s note: Joseph Loth is probably reporting a Welsh wording
of the manuscript version. See in the present version where wynepwerth is marked by ***]
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A chyweiraw y pebylleu a'r palleu
a wnaethant udunt ar ureint kyweirdeb yneuad, a mynet y uwyta. Ac ual y
dechreuyssant eisted ar dechreu y wled, yd eistedyssant yna. A dechreu ymdidan a wnaeth Matholwch a
Bendigeituran. Ac nachaf yn ardiawc gan Uendigeituran yr ymdidan, ac yn
drist, a gaei gan Uatholwch, a'y lywenyt yn wastat kyn no hynny. A medylyaw a
wnaeth, bot yn athrist gan yr unben uychanet a gawssei o iawn am y gam. “ A wr,” heb y Bendigeiduran,” nit wyt gystal ymdidanwr heno ac un nos. Ac os yr bychanet genhyt ti dy iawn, ti a gehy ychwanegu yt wrth dy uynnu, ac auory talu dy ueirch yt.” “ Arglwyd, heb ef,” Duw a dalo yt.” “ Mi a delediwaf dy iawn heuyt yt,” heb y Bendigeituran. “ Mi a rodaf yt peir ; a chynnedyf y peir yw, y gwr a lader hediw yt, y uwrw yn, y peir, ac erbyn auory y uot yn gystal ac y bu oreu, eithyr na byd llyueryd ganthaw.” A diolwch
a wnaeth ynteu hynny, a diruawr lywenyd a gymerth ynteu o'r achaws hwnnw. A thrannoeth y talwyt y ueirych idaw, tra barhawd meirych dof. Ac
odyna y kyrchwyt ac ef
kymwt* arall, ac y talwyt
ebolyon ydaw, yny uu gwbyl idaw y dal. Ac wrth hynny y dodet ar y kymwt
hwnnw o hynny allan,
Tal Ebolyon**. A'r eil nos, eisted y gyt a wnaethant. “ Arglwyd,” heb y Matholwch,” pan doeth yti y peir a rodeist y mi ?” “ E doeth im,” heb ef,” y gan wr a uu y'th wlat ti. Ac ni wn na bo yno y caffo.” “ Pwy oed hwnnw ?” heb ef. “ Llassar Llaes Gyfnewit,” heb ef. “ A hwnnw a doeth
yma o Iwerdon, a Chymidei Kymeinuoll, y wreic, y gyt
ac ef, ac a
dianghyssant o'r ty hayarn
yn Iwerdon, pan wnaethpwyt yn wenn
yn eu kylch, ac y dianghyssant odyno. Ac eres gynhyf i, ony wdosti dim y wrth hynny,” “ Gwn, Arglwyd,” heb ef,” a chymeint ac a
wnn, mi a'e managaf y ti. Yn hela yd oedwn yn Iwerdon, dydgueith, ar benn
gorssed uch penn llyn oed yn Iwerdon, a Llyn y Peir y gelwit. A mi a welwn gwr melyngoch, mawr, yn dyuot
o'r llyn, a pheir ar y geuyn. A gwr heuyt athrugar, mawr, a drygweith anorles
arnaw oed ; a gwreic yn y ol ; ac
ot oed uawr ef, mwy dwyweith oed y wreic noc ef. A chyrchu ataf a wnaethant, a chyuarch uell
im. “ Ie,” heb y mi, “ pa gerdet yssyd arnawch
chwi ? ‘Llyna gerdet yssyd arnam ni, Arglwyd,’ heb
ef, ‘y wreic honn,’ heb ef, ‘ym penn pethewnos a mis, y byd beichogi idi, a'r
mab a aner yna o'r torllwyth hwnnw, ar benn y pethewnos a'r mis, y byd gwr
ymlad llawn aruawc.’ |
Then the pavilions and the tents
were set in order after the fashion of a hall ; and they went to meat, and as
they had sat at the beginning of the feast, so sat they there. And Matholwch and Bendigeid Fran
began to discourse; and behold it seemed to Bendigeid Fran, while they
talked, that Matholwch was not so cheerful as he had been before. And he
thought that the chieftain might be sad, because of the smallness of the
atonement which he had, for the wrong that had been done him. “Oh, man,” said Bendigeid Fran,
“thou dost not discourse to-night so cheerfully as thou wast wont. And if it
be because of the smallness of the atonement, thou shalt add thereunto
whatsoever thou mayest choose, and to-morrow I will pay thee the horses.” “Lord,” said he, “Heaven reward
thee.” “And I will enhance the
atonement,” said Bendigeid Fran, “for I will give unto thee a cauldron, the
property of which is, that if one of thy men be slain to-day, and be cast
therein, to-morrow he will be as well as ever he was at the best, except that
he will not regain his speech.” And thereupon he gave him great thanks, and
very joyful was he for that cause. And the next morning they paid
Matholwch the horses as long as the trained horses lasted. And then they
journeyed into another commot*, where they paid him with colts until the
whole had been paid, and from thenceforth that commot was called
Talebolion**. And a second night sat they
together. “My lord,” said Matholwch, “whence
hadst thou the cauldron which thou hast given me?” “I had it of a man who had been in
thy land,” said he, “and I would not give it except to one from there.” “Who was it?" asked he. “Llassar Llaesgyvnewid; he came
here from Ireland with Kymideu Kymeinvoll, his wife, who escaped from the
Iron House in Ireland, when it was made red hot around them, and fled hither.
And it is a marvel to me that thou shouldst know nothing concerning the
matter.” “Something I do know,”
said he, “and as much as I know I will tell thee. One day I was hunting in and they came towards
me and greeted me. 'Verily,' asked I,
'wherefore are you journeying?' 'Behold, this,' said
he to me, 'is the cause that we journey. At the end of a month and a
fortnight this woman will have a son; and the child that will be born at the
end of the month and the fortnight will be a warrior fully armed.' |
* See note for the word cantrev.
[Mabinogi of Pwyll]
** the author sees here
the word tal, ‘payment’, and ebolyon, ‘foals’ (armor. ebeul). A poet of XII-XIIIth century,
Davydd Benvras, uses the form Tal y bolion (Myv. arch., p. 222. column
1. ) Talybolion or Talebolion was a
cymmwd of the cantrev Cemais on Mon (
*** For the importance of the cauldron in Ireland, and
often, on its magic value, see Joyce, A social history of Ireland, II,
p. 121-127; ref. Déchelette, Manuel Arch., II, p. 446.
|
Y kymereis inheu wyntwy arnaf, yu
gossymdeithaw : y buant ulwydyn gyt a mi. Yn y ulwydyn y keueis yn diwarauun
wynt ; o hynny allann y guarauunwyt im. A chyn penn y pedwyryd [mis] wynt eu
hun yn peri eu hatcassu, ac anghynwys yn y wlat, yn gwneuthur sarahedeu, ac
yn eighaw, ac yn gouudyaw guyrda a gwragedda. O hynny allan y dygyuores
uyg kyuoeth am ym pen, y erchi
im ymuadeu ac wynt, a rodi
dewis im, ae uyg kyuoeth, ae wynt. E dodeis inheu ar gynghor uy gwlat beth a wneit amdanunt. Nyd eynt wy o'y bod ; nit oed reit udunt wynteu oc eu hanuod, herwyd ymlad, uynet. Ac yna yn y kyuyng
gynghor, y causant gwneuthur
ystauell haearn oll ; a gwedy
bot y
barawt yr ystauell,
dyuyn a oed o of yn Iwerdon yno, o'r a oed o perchen geuel a mwrthwl, a pheri gossot kyuuch a chrib yr ystauell o lo, a pheri guassanaethu yn diwall o uwyt a llyn
arnunt, ar y wreic, a'y gwr,
a'y phlant. A phan wybuwyt eu medwi
wynteu, y dechreuwyt
kymyscu y tan a'r glo am
ben yr ystauell, a chwythu
y megineu a oed wedy eu gossot yg kylch y ty, a gwr a pob dwy uegin, a dechreu chwythu y megineu yny uyd y ty yn burwen am eu penn. Ac yna y bu y kynghor ganthunt hwy ymherued llawr yr ystauell ; ac yd arhoes ef yny
uyd y
pleit haearn yn wenn.
Ac rac diruawr wres y kyrchwys
y bleit a'e yscwyd a'y tharaw gantaw
allan, ac yn y ol
ynteu y wreic. A neb ny dieghis odyna namyn ef a'e
wreic. Ac yna o'm tebygu i, Arglwyd,” heb y Matholwch
wrth Uendigeiduran,“ y doeth
ef drwod attat ti.” “ Yna dioer,” heb ynteu,” y doeth yma, ac y mes y peir y minheu.” “ Pa delw, Arglwyd, yd erbynneisti wynteu ?” “ |