Y Gododin: A Poem of the Battle of CattraethAneirin
History
Y Gododin: A Poem of the Battle of Cattraeth
Aneirin
Cattraeth, Battle of, Catterick, England, ca. 600 -- Poetry
“Hyveidd a Gododin a lleu towys.” (Myv. Arch. vol. i. p. 57.)
His name also occurs in another poem, by the same Bard, “to Gwallawg ap
Lleenawg;”—
“Haearnddur a Hyfeidd a Gwallawg
Ac Owein Mon Maelgynig ddefawd
A wnaw peithwyr gorweiddiawg.”
Haearnddur and Hyveidd and Gwallawg,
And Owain of Mon, of Maelgynian manner,
Would prostrate the ravagers. (Myv. Arch. vol. i. p. 64.)
The epithet “Hir,” (_long_ or _tall_) applied to Hyveidd, countenances
the view of his being conspicuous on account of his size.
{91a} Gognaw must have been the son of Botgad. The name, as well as
that of the preceding hero, occurs in an Ode which Taliesin addressed to
Gwallawg ab Lleenawg.
“Gognaw ei brawd digones.”
If, however, it be not a proper name in this stanza, it may be rendered
either “with laughter and sprightliness,” or “they were a laughing
energy.”
{91b} Al. “As with blades they dealt mutual blows.”
{91c} “A llaw,” _a hand_; metaphorically _power_. Al. “a allaw,” _who
is able_.
{92a} The same consideration which induced us to regard “Manawyd” as a
proper name in a former stanza, has caused us to leave “Gwanar”
untranslated in this place. It is not improbable, however, from the
shortness of this sonnet, that the line containing the name of its hero
may have been lost. In that case we should translate “chwerthin wanar,”
“their leader laughed.” That Gwanar was occasionally used as a proper
name by the ancient Britons, appears from Triad xl. (first series) where
we find one of the sons of Lliaws ab Nwyvre so called. He flourished
however before the date of the Gododin, and cannot on that account be
identified with the Gwanar of the text. Taliesin uses the word in his
“Mic Dinbych,” apparently as a proper name;—
“Clod wasgar a Gwanar ydd ymddullyn.”
{92b} Or “gem of a regiment;” his choice regiment.
{92c} Al. “digynny,” _went up_.
{92d} The Bard in the two last lines seems to be addressing Death, or
Fate, which he designates as “the strong pillar of the living law,” or
the law of nature, just as the Latins called it “dura necessitas,”
“mortis dura lex,” “fatalis Parcarum lex,” &c. The expressions “heb vawr
drydar,” and “arwar,” indicative of the effects of death, are introduced
by way of contrast to the noisy mirth which characterised the warriors’
march to the field of battle. “Arwar” signifies literally a _quiescent
state_, or _state of general rest_; _pacification_; and as such is a very
proper term to denote the character of death.
“O _arwar_ daiar down i gyd dyddbrawd.” (Ll. P. Moch.)
From the silent state of earth we shall all come at the judgment day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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