Folk-Lore of West and Mid-WalesDavies, Jonathan Ceredig
History
Folk-Lore of West and Mid-Wales
Davies, Jonathan Ceredig
Folklore -- Wales; Wales -- Social life and customs
ffarmwr, yr hwn a gafodd gyfleusdra i edrych arni dros gymaint o amser,
a ddywedai na welodd ef ond ychydig iawn o wragedd mor hardd-deg yr
olwg a'r For-Forwyn hon. Y mae yr holl deulu, yr ieuengaf o ba rai sydd
yn un ar ddeg oed, yn awr yn fyw, a chawsom yr hanes hwn, air yn ngair,
fel ei rhoddir yma, oddiwrthynt hwy eu hunain o fewn y mis diweddaf."
I have translated the above tale as literally as possible, almost
word for word, and in English it reads as follows:--
In the month of July, 1826, a farmer from the parish of Llanuwchaiarn,
about three miles from Aberystwyth, whose house is within 300 feet of
the seashore, descended the rock, when the sun was shining beautifully
upon the sea, and he saw a woman (as he thought) washing herself in
the sea within a stone's throw of him. At first, he modestly turned
back; but after a moment's reflection thought that a woman would not
go so far out into the sea, as it was flooded at the time, and he was
certain that the water was six feet deep in the spot where he saw her
standing. After considering the matter, he threw himself down on his
face and crept on to the edge of the precipice from which place he
had a good view of her for more than half-an-hour. After scrutinizing
her himself, he crept back to call his family to see this wonderful
sight. After telling them what he had seen, he directed them from the
door where to go and to creep near the rock as he had done. Some of
them went when they were only half dressed, for it was early in the
morning, and they had only just got up from bed. Arriving at the spot,
they looked at her for about ten minutes, as the farmer was calling
his wife and the younger child. When the wife came on, she did not
throw herself down as the others had done, but walked on within sight
of the creature; but as soon as the mermaid saw her, she dived into
the water, and swam away till she was about the same distance from
them as she was when she was first seen. The whole family, husband,
wife, children, menservants and maid-servants, altogether twelve in
number, ran along the shore for more than half-a-mile, and during
most of that time, they saw her in the sea, and sometimes her head
and shoulders were upwards out of the water. There was a large stone,
more than a yard in height, in the sea, on which she stood when she
was first seen. She was standing out of the water from her waist up,
and the whole family declared that she was exactly the same as a
young woman of about 18 years of age, both in shape and stature. Her
hair was short, and of a dark colour; her face rather handsome,
her neck and arms were like those of any ordinary woman, her breast
blameless and her skin whiter than that of any person they had ever
seen before. Her face was towards the shore. She bent herself down
frequently, as if taking up water, and then holding her hand before
her face for about half-a-minute. When she was thus bending herself,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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