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
{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,” εχ.
{100c} Lit. “until the seventh day;”—an expression intended probably to
denote the space 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 assembled.” 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 bloody
engagement before the evening; the space 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_.
{101d} Mark the antithesis “gwr llawr”—“arbennawr,” and
“cethrawr”—“llavnawr.”
{101e} “En gystud heyrn;” an allusion to the instrument which caused his
death. “Ferreus somnus.”
{101f} It is clear from this statement that Erthai was the lawful lord
of the Mordei. He had been deprived of his dominions for a time,
probably through the usurpation of the “steel-clad commander,” but at
length succeeded in recovering them. Who Erthai was we know not;
Llywarch Hen had a son, whose name bore some resemblance to the word: he
is mentioned in the following triplet;—
“The best three men in their country,
For protecting their habitation,
Eithyr and _Erthyr_ and Argad.” (Elegy on Old Age.)
{102a} Al. “Erthgi,” which is obviously the same as “Arthgi,” a
_bear-dog_. The rhythmical run of the line seems, however, to point to
the other as the proper word.
{102b} “Erthychei;” there is here evidently an allusion to the name of
the hero, (that is, supposing the name adopted in the translation to be
the right one) which consideration induces us to prefer it to the other
reading, viz. “erthrychei.” “With the latter word, however, we should
translate the passage as follows;—
“In the front Erthai would mangle an army.”
{102c} Al. “dychurant,” _will be afflicted_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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