Y

GODODDIN

I
Departures
II
Gwanhanon
III
To Catraeth
IV
Battles Onset
V
Gwarchan
VI
Fallen Heroes
VII
Liddesdale
VIII
Fallen Legends
IX
Battles Increase
X
Fallen Leaders
XI
Battles End
XII

Nostoi

Canto I
Departures

I
Gododdin, should I breathe this breath for thee,
Let crowded courts appraise my bombast bold,
Weaving the words of Dwywais dashing son,
Whose single song, a poet's privilege,
Midst vanquishd places manifests itself,
For since this saint-like awesome soul was slain
Since soil was swept across Aneirin
Poetry has parted from Gododdin,
& as no soldier marches without arms
No bard without this poem may contend

...Y Gododdin, by Aneirin, begins.

II
Sharp points have puncturd seas of swarming spears
A shard defence of brutal foes defied,
Well-hidden men, before the shield-dins onset,
Awake beneath Dun Eidyn's lofty sphinx,
Alas, for this proud host Death spurns return
So let those Bards of valour truthful sing
When stubborn shields were split thro fearing fields
Their victims seldom felt the spear-gift twice!

III
As early rose the reign of lamplit day
Revolving sovreign of the royal light
That shines high over heath & heavenly vales
What sad march starts the shaking of the shield
Towards Victorys vicinity, hoped-for,
Those hollow mead-horns bright in Eidyns hall
Excite, & invite intoxication,
Inciting with its crystal vintage clear
When scything reapers sing of shining war
& minstrels muse on battle-braided war

IV
The multi-colourd coat of Tinagad
Spun from the speckld skins of vaulting wolves
Has framed his whistle-jerks & juggling jigs
Disdainfully received by Eidyns sleighted slaves;
Friends, when my daddy went out a-hunting
Pole bourn on shoulders, foodstuffs in his hand
Out to his same-sized canines would he call,
Snatch it! Catch it! Tease it! Seize it! Fetch it!
He killd the flippers in his coracle
Just as the princely lion slays its prey,
& when he moved up steepning mountain slopes
Fresh heads well won of roebucks, stags & boar,
He caught a spotted, moor-hen from the hill
& pulld a fish from Derwents tumbling falls.
The flesh-hook of my father furrowd far
Thro' tusky boars, lone lions, foxes swift Whose noose none saved but those with nimblest bounds.

V
Men gatherd in Gododdin gladly laughing
But bitter in their battles blades displayd
Between, what peaceful year had they enjoyd,
But now brave Bogdads son send bloodpulse rushing,
Tho all performd good penance in the church
Both old & young, those hungry for glory
Faced deaths inevitable penetrations!

VI
As natives of a wine-fed land grow brave
Gododdins Gwlyget inspires thro speech
First fashioner of Mynyddawgs fair feast
Whose cost entails the carnage at Catraeth.

VII
As he was when he rode with his riders
A bouncing ball rebounding back & forth
So shall he be until the heart-warm hearth
Whence from banded Gododdins goodly nest
In grand Dun Eidyn, with the sun-dressd mead
They offerd firmest force to violent strife
Cadfannon in command, steersman of steeds
Careering crimson fillies with the dawn!

VIII
From native bed his fame spread far abroad
From golden torque has vino fairly flow'd
He gifted finest suits, clad those brave men
Who match'd his own heroic courtesy
That sons of foreign soldiers full recieved
Like Cians only boy from yon Bannawg
No lad more ardent on the fosse did tread
Ever, of Votadini, than Llivieu

IX
From yonder Sea of Iudeu, battle-bold
Comes man thrice-times more fierce than fiercest lion
Brave Bubon, mightiest in battles mire

X
From Edinas splendid, castellated crag
He led his loyal men-at-arms to war
Before his happy palace saw him pour
The mead that made the Mordei joyful be
The well-brewd braggets blissful beverage
Before he wore the grand, gold, purple garb
& on plush horses him borne safe away
Come lift up Gwrthleu, liquor on the tongue,
Whose vocal valour turnd aside the tide,
Him restless bear eer pacing down the path!

XI
Hail warrior wolf! First prince of thy pack,
What beads of amber warmth drip from the brow,
More precious than a banquet, sipping mead,
Ye blockd in battle foes which pourd with blood
Both Gwynedd & the Hen Ogledd be yours
For as the son of Ysgarran once counseld
Thou art first bladesman of the broken shield.

XII
Three centuries of ore-kiss'd soldiers speed
Of valour fond, blown headlong down the course
Three hundred haughty heroes of the heart
Unanimous! As one! A single sword
Has hastend forth upon three hundred horses
Of these, none would return, O world of woe!

Canto II
Gwanhanon

I
As battle approaches arms assembld
By warlike men, stood poisd by noble chiefs,
& trenches bustle to the curvd horns call,
A great king & his crew shall carnage cause
& dark gore spread from bush-stalk to the spear.

II
The men of Catraeth clambourd with the dawn
About their long-successful Guledig
This Urien arose the most respected
His sovreign seat sustain'd, & kept its ties,
Both warrior & perfect prince baptised
The tribal pride of Prydain wide array'd
At Gwenystrad, & made a constant charge
Not field nor wood the people could protect
With shelter when this slaughter to them comes

III
Enthused with day-dawn lifting up their limbs
Men rose up, solid soldiers by their sides
But whether them at beck & call or king
Each seemd as if them hundred men among
With dispositions urging on attack
In measures same as merrying with mead
Along thick hack-paths prick-blades spare no foes
Of those held on a forward horse-flung course

IV
He roard to war while grass-fed cattle dozed
& sporting lions likeness heart & stern
His mead-meant courage thro Gwanhanon moved
& battld every inch, captain renownd,
& as Aneirin his prowess praisd
All men should brave & splendid-minded praise
Such as Eithinyin, Boddar Adafs son!

V
Geraint, from southern realms, has raisd a shout
& by the blessed stream his buckler pierced
Sword-master & best lord of gentle mein
Up mountains & oer oceans far regaled
Leader of the Gododdins soldierd youth
Commander of true genorosity!

VI
Tis best the bards praise tribes illustrious
A message sent from Mynyddawg, man-lord,
As through Gwanhanon Eudafs daughter scourged
Those clad in purple robes would crush & mangle men

VII
O Lord of Rheged, dealer in daring,
What blades of rage have reveld on thy brow
Attacking foes with fury at the rock,
O sacred stone of blessed Galystem!
To form a shield, defending thine own force
Let battle settle in brave Owain's soul

VIII
Unyielding, with their broad shields flashing sunflame
Such glory-greed demands harsh actions fame
Steeds fill the van as spears plant blood-staind bones
While friends were struck so too were all our foes
Spurning unendurable dishonour
Firm at the ford they stood their stubborn ground
Or dashd at many courtly champions

IX
Before he left his life beside the ford
This flight-wild eagle swept thro dewy morn
& scatterd an advance on either side;
So as we bards must judge mans noblest deeds,
No ransom war-mad blood-pursuits could prevent
Or halt the devastations of his foes
When under swan-white steed was he interrd
& slept well him whom firm hearts could command
His armour coverd with a quart of gore
Undaunted Buddvan, son of Bleiddvan bold

X
As rolling waves oer shingle roaring wings
Valiant men assault the foe in lines
Them after morning mush to mangl'd flesh
This day tumultuous three parts play'd out
Til in the front was heard an active shout
Before the key to Gwenystrad's defence
That barricading mound & sloping ground
Gore-tinted men drooping by the ford-pass
Dropping their arms in pallid misery
Both peaceful & dejected with defeat!

XI
Men wail upon the walls of Gwanhanon
Invoking Christ, knights of enrichd descent
Clothes clotted with blood, toiling in battle
Incesssantly, energetically,
All thoughts of flight flown from their mighty minds

XII
Gore-waging war has ravaged his retreat
Far from the warm, safe hearthside of the hall
& cellars full of sweet ensnaring mead
To battles clash has Gwrys dashd at the dawn
Giving the Angles interesting gifts
Til Karma comes, inflicting cruel pain
Soon Gwynneds sons shall of his glory sing
& weep for his grave at Gwanhannon
Where clutching the buck-lance of Cadwallon
He bull-like wrought the Battle of Princes
Until slumbering under muddy sod
Gododdins foremost border knows his grave!

Canto III
To Catraeth

I
This is the cataclysm of Catraeth
So many souls in sorrow sigh its song
A kingless county & a smoking land
The clan of Old King Cole did savage reeve
Long biers of streaming blood, what wretched fate
Awaits in miserable necessity
Cyvwlch the Tall & Tudvwlchs doom decreed
Together they had sunk the torchlit mead
Tho pleasant then, its taste detested now

II
Come rise as one, Gododdins golden sons
& flow to Catraeth, go with eager speed
& there encounter how affects ye mead
When bloody blades shall scatter between teams
Of Knights illustrious, & at thy front
Ardent Eithinyin, far his names fame known

III
A bear in battle & a stone in stress
Across the border roars a famous man
Torque blushing in the flush of well-earnd wine
A century of stainless men retaind
O noble-natured knight from distant heights
Yon Bannawgs hoary peak, Lord Cians single son
Of whom the bards Gododdin none compare
In ardency, when musing on Llivieu

IV
From Loths rock thro Loths lands to Liddesdale
Gododdin by the course of Ragno go
Whose hands directed the splendid slaughter
& clutchd the branch of Caerwys long before
It shatterd in the storm of the season
From overseas roard tempests, vessels tore,
Whose full-mannd, nourish'd navy saild the waves
Fetching successful warriors to war
The wild hosts of Heibilyawn, & the host
Of Meidlyawn, more animals than men
From deep Dindywydd marchd, but shatter'd soon,
Some batter'd shield neath conflict's evil hooves
Broken afore wars vacuums filld the van.

V
Men moved to Catraeth, marching with the morn
The foam of flagons quaffd on quiet nights
Their prophesied success would falsely prove
Mission ambitious, men must maim & slay!
Rushd standards blazing wondrously to war
From Eidyns fort no force like this eer flowd
To scatter battle-horsemen formd abroad

VI
Men went to Catraeth, company & keen,
Whose drunken mead would soon sick poison prove
Three hundred caught the cataclysmic storm
Where sportive celebrations silenced cries
& tho stood at the altar, penitent,
Inevitable Death confronted them

VII
Tis important noble retinues to raise
Whose sword-shafts falcon-thirsts shall satisfy,
& other birds of prey foodstuffs prepare
Of those who marchd on Catraeth golden chaind
Under the sovreign rod of Mynyddawg
No better Briton marchd on their behalf
Than Cynon, to Gododdin, from afar.

VIII
What waves of woe have burst across the world
Them mirrord in the mead which blue horns fill
He wears the purple robes & foes defies
Come praise Tudvwlchs appearance of stern aspect
Whose banners fly with colours of good wine

IX
In jollity men gatherd for Gododdin
O mighty force approaching certain doom
There swords in silent slaughter shall slay in shortest order
Form stillnesses pillard by the mighty laws of life!

X
Those men had marchd on Catraeth neath the sun
Whose host's most fearsome foes shall pierce the peace
Ten thousand seek three hundreds overthrow
Where, crimson-chrismd under lances dancing,
What gallant, manful war-post fearless held
By Mynyddawg Mwynfawr & his braw men

XI
The men had gone to Catraeth with the dawn
Those left behind regret their absent charms
Ensnard by lustrous mead of luscious gold
Them baned by year of song & minstrelsy
Swords running redder than the thickest plumes
Long blades lime white, helms cloven in quarters,
Comes the onslaught of Mynyddawg Mwynfawr

XII
With spirit siezed by easy drunken mead
A multitude moved across the border
Their goal the preservation of the law
Acting to higher call, accordingly
Tudvwlch & Cyvwlch carvd breaches in Caers
But disastrous proves the feast of Mynyddawg!
For Catraeth's throng I cherish long revenge
For blades of steel, for mead, for vehemence
& for our fetters, those assembld arms
War-forces form... are those their ghostly howls I hear?
Aye! Tis right to kill Angles with anger!
Aye! Tis just to crush those that are crushing!

Canto IV
Battles Onset

I
The lads were led to Catreath at the dawn
A cirque of shields their certain doom delays
Esteemd in armours gleaming & blood-greedy,
What clash of arms! What mighty thunder made!
When men of low-born breeding basely find
This hero & his halberd, as them hewn
From higher point, this rampant champion
Lays low the foe, this captain clad in steel
Lord of all Mordei, whose rich homage paid
To Erthai as the grandest armies groand!

II
There was a fight that first glimpse of the dawn
At the river fall, fought in front of the wall,
Both pass & knoll in flashing flames there flared
While lusting tusker rushes up the hill
Bent on the citys priceless treasure chests
Blood ochreing to hues of moon-dark hawks

III
The men rise early, time a moments instant
The confluence aflame, he found the fence
With loyal lads behind him lion-led
He fought a hundred, tho their foremost slain
What sadness agues us as his bloodspill pools
Like quaffing liquer-mead in laughters midst
How brave were you, who slew that little man
With bitter stroke of sword impetuous,
Extol my lords irresistible ocean
When not one foe his fair fight could afford!

IV
This hero felld the foe with sling & spear
& in the slaughter no quarter requird
Repelld by pools of gore, his goblets glass
Flung off with all its mead before his king
Whom armies single-handedly oerthrew
By every soul his counsel was approved
For cowards from his company removed
Before bleak battles onset, when sharp swords
By banners waving azure silver shone

V
By dream-lit Dawn mens might in marching sped
Unto the cutting, captain at their crown
Gore-fields greet Gwair's ungodly gobsmackd stare
& as thro days distress my friend fought on
He made a brave defence of the mountain
But murky was his forward beam of war
& men made weepy for his gentile heart
Him queen amid we fluid flights of bees
Before his bones lay buried under sward
Lord Mynyddawg made Mordei's sword-mead flow

VI
Eyes flicker in the rosy-fingerd dawn
Legs quicken in a battle-loving band
Such gallant fellows follow from his lead
That fronting hundreds lungblast raisd the bouts
Eager now to prove himself in battle
As if him hungry for the wine & mead
How savage did ye sliced & slaughter foes
Bold Ithael, audacious in attack!

VII
Aedan has donnd the heros double-shield
Of varied front, a stallion in stride
Him hurricane of hurt & blazing fire,
His dashing lances dancing in the sun
Drew carrion, fat profit for the crows

VIII
The Guledig shall lads to battle lead
This mallet of the land their reapings loved
But youths ebbulience by blood bestaind
Their armours trampld-garments crimson-dyed
Deaths Angel made a merry desolation
When lances dancing at the first advance
Clove spear-path kinks of light thru phalanxd foes

IX
The border crossd, a belly full of mead
Deem them not harmless when them reckless-hearted
Ye fashiond lavish feasts of lions fare
& flung back those who flockd to fling a spear
If friends fell back ye yelld on the attack
Blood flows as finest wine from gaping gore
More than the three-year store thy steward pourd
That on the fourth in volume did decrease
Ambrosia to all defiant stood
Against such odds globe-gloried Breichiawl

X
More mightier a hall was never made
As that of Cynon, sainted sovereign,
He sits no longer at his tables head
& those struck down are never struck again
His sharp-apicald spear-points penetrate
& perforate the blood-serrated foe
His armourd chargers fly off in the van
His blasting blade this raid of wrath attends
When Cynon rushd to battle one green dawn.

XI
Three charging chieftans Novantean led
Five centuries of loyal soldiery
These leaders three of three swift hundred hunting hounds,
All clad in gold, from Eidyns riches rode
Chasing their fleeing foes with bitter face
Three kings of towns from Britains crown came forth
Cynon, Cynrig, & Cynrain of Aeron
Smashing the ashen lances of Deivyr
In Britain was no better knight eer raisd
Than Cynon, stinging serpent to all his sullen foes

XII
Full never was feast-hall more flawless made
Nor kinder, nor majestic lion born
Than comely Cynon, gentle-breasted lord
Flesh-castle of the combat on the flank
To parts remote his citys fame extends
A shelter for the soldiers & their songs
& of all heroes seen, or seen hereafter
On earth who war-cry when the combat comes
Thou art the bravest at the weapons wield
Thy keen-edgd axehead scythes thro fields of blood
& cuts men down, bull-rushes fallen low,
Slaying the pillage-crew with courage keen
Eer-soaring praise I sing for Clydnos son
His praises swept unslated & unstilld!

Canto V
Gwarchan

I
After the wine & feastings flavours flown
Enrichd on first fat fruits of slaughters spoil
Energetic Eidol mounts the hill
As ravens hover sensing victory
Ascending skies oer spears wide thickening
That him surround, some virgin barley-crop
& offers not one semblance of retreat
While warring-wonders shock stiff javelins
Lips pallid grown, & pouting , lances carve
Banquets of blood, tho dim from lack of sleep
Men surge from under Heidduns sword-sharp son
Tough leader of the din tumultuous!

II
Blood-frigid Eidol, pallid skin-stretch pale
Regaling judgement as his carnage spread
Him owning horses, captain of their trappings,
He makes an instantaneous onset
Descending & ascending as he flies.

III
Correct it is to praise those skillful men
Who lusting life leapt from the craven halls,
Eidols ambition moves bards every side,
Praise goblets full of mead, good steeds & gold!
O quiet soul! O conqueror! O king!
Sea-roving foemen spy thy streamers blue
Thee tiger on the tides, whose swarming host
Chargd manfully by thy broad-beating breast
Twas customry for ye nine companies to lead
Into the blood for love of lands & tribe
O throne victorious, hear strains harmonious,
Cynddilig praising, Aerons lion-cub,
& Enovants grandson loved the world the most

IV
As harnesses his charging horses held
Them gut-gore drenchd on Catraeths crimson field
His was the foremost hillfort-hewing shaft
Whose battle-hounds harried the hoary highlands
Behind whose bark men hearken to the post
Hard beckond to by Heiddun, steel-clad chief!

V
When fairly met good men must meet life's loss!
Arvon's Dialgur brought the golden torque
Beyond brave battles fought by Brythons bold
Him by Cynons own riders wide renown'd

VI
No shame by Senylts court was ever felt
Far-famed for filling brimming bowls of mead
Whose sword-arm earnd the holiest devotions
For as he brayd & bargd into battle
Supporting blood-soakd soldiers in his arms
Before Gododdin, Brennych & Deivyr,
What hooves of Hermes hied between the hosts
When spear-gore streamd over battle-black gear
& beams of bow-thread gleam from outstretchd hands
Praise Gwen, him like a hunter in the haar
When foemen fought in mutual reproach
When not one foot would turn its toes in flight
Defending every region generally!

VII
Tis right for bards to relish such renown
The Zeus-blast, & the Sunstorm, & the Tempest
Swells with this gallant & talented knight
Whose ruddy reapers ache for breakneck war
A manly lion leading pens of sheep
All Britain lauds his firth-broad battle-sword
Fields cleaving clear beneath broad-shoulderd shields
Blood flowing as liquer leaves vesseld glass
If mead be money, deem gold thine to claim
Wine-nourishd was Gwaednerth, old Llywris son!

VIII
As native acres received invaders
He fixd a front against the coming foe
& drove them off, those laughing chiefs of war Even as far as Ephyd, Elphin-famed,
A bull of battle Eithinyin became!

IX
From realms about with qualities acclaimd
To combat, & to Catraeth, with a cry
Mix speedy steeds with shields, broad armours dark,
Uplifted javelins, lances sharp-pointing,
Mailcoats a-glittering & with swords!
Excelling, he would penetrate the host
Blade felling a full five battalions
As altars took the gold of Rhuvawn Hir
We minstrels, too, receivd a rich reward.

X
Again has Angor blown away the brave
Pike fierce, some widely-piercing serpentine
An army's immovable monument
Proposing plenty pain & punishment
Prize-giver to the best assaulting lance,
Thou art perfections lawful pinnacle
& cometh careful to thy faithfull's call
Protecting all our Cymric progeny
Praise Tudvwlch, Castle slayer, battle-lord!
& Meryn, Madyens son & man well born!

XI
The grey wolf roars as water, & was caught
By Gwolowy, as Angor scatters slain
This bold, unbroken rock defends his ain
Main guardian Gododdin loved to love
Whose ruddy horses, radiance & swords
Have heard the song that rises rapidly
From Cymry's famous bard, who stands in front
Of Garth Meryn, Tottarth with taleful tongue!

XII
It was his hearts first custom to defend
Gododdin versus very best of foes
In battle's van avenging vehemence
It was his bodys custom, lion-swift,
To run on predatory shifting hordes
It custom was for Golstan's sovreign son
To listen to his father's worldly words
& custom kept when Mynyydawg him held
To ruin regal shield & redden lance
Before the lord of Eidyn, when him sworn.

Canto VI
Fallen Heroes

I
Come rise as one, rise warriors, uprise
& wick with one accord gan sally forth!
From shorter lives are longer grieftimes wept
Tho seven times their number had they slain
Each woman on loves ending day laments
With weeping tears a-line the lashes of wild eyes.

II
Wreath-leader midst conflicts cacophony
Observd by most on the murderous moor
Chief champion acharge & head of hosts,
Beneath whose blades fell five battalions
Men of Brennych & Deivyr utterd moans
Two thousand slain in just one single hour,
Alas, his flesh wolf-won before him wed
Alas, him ravens prey before loves vows
His spear laid low upon the blood-soaked soil
The mead-price of the hero-teeming hall
Praise Hyveidd Hir while still the minstrels play

III
Men went to Catreath, inebriated,
Both firm & strong, tis wrong to spurn their praises
As about the blackening, blood-red blades,
Full fierce & tough the stern, rough war-dogs roard
& if a man was judged to be of Brennych
Of him no single phantom left alive
A friend is fallen while I still breathe air
Who terrors of the father-chief defied
Too noble to accept his bridal dowry
Cians son, born of Maen Gwygwyns soil

IV
Were I to lose lands thro lewd extortions
This crude calamity would lay me low
No hall-housed hero braver than him born
None steadier in slaughters awful pity
On Penclwyds ford his horses foremost strove
His fame far-flung, pockd armour, riddld shield
Before his corpse by reed-long copse-grass stord
The only fawn of Fermarch pourd the mead

V
Thro every region wrack & ruin reignd
As over all his fetterd valour rose
His shield-front yielding to the piercing point
Protected, he, Rhuvoniawg, with pomp
Beside the banks of Heledds stream were seen
Horses of scarlet-harnessd war once more
A mass of arms there formd immovable
That when affronted, reddening the field,
Would slash & slaughter at the battles clash!
Such sadness in the news was wrested home
To teary dirges bards this New Year sung
Erthai, the son of Aedan, showd his blade
Aedan, who pierced the Boar with haughty roar!

VI
Let Kings stand firm twyx Dremrudds ruddy glances
Whose purposes times pillages obscure
Men plough the seas with pure impunity
Of these, the palest first is satisfied
A wee bit crazed & yet his crown complete
Before him garden-coverd, Gownddelw
Right worthy lived as tall as Maelderw
& wielded spears as such we bards must praise
& moved our souls as he pervaded lands
Into the hill-ravine his charge descends
Full flesh & bone not shadows following

VII
For Abedon this gwarchan I shall sing
An apple not far fallen from its tree
Rent naked, render'd bold among thistles
This death, his death, shall not again occur
Effeminate, horses were his dainties
Now peace is lost in the grieving mansion
Thou hero wert in the day of conflict
Ye were a seeker, seeking things to fear!

VIII
The rich mead of the Mordei I consumed
Some spear-fest in the crest-encrusted hall
A feast for eagles he did fashion fair
When Cydwal sallied forth he raisd a shout
The verdant dawn observd his hardening trials
As shards of splinterd shields by him bestrewn
Darts flown with heartless cruelty men slay
In conflicts foremost quarter did he stand
First son of Syvno, soothsayers had seen
Him deignd to sell his life, tho dearly warnd
The price of slaughter, for his massing foes
Who with barbd crosses & sharp spears him down
Both Athrwys & Affrel fell before
A carcass phalanx formd from Gwynedds gallant line

IX
I wish I would have been the first to fall
The price of all those courtly quarts of wine
I wish I could have buckld neath the blade
Before he fell on Elphins fertile plain
I loved his fame who forced the blood to flow
& thrust his sword thro those who violence loved
Could ever a valourous tale regaling
Leave out the son of Keidyaw, man of war!

X
No shield unwielded in that spear-flung field
They met war-waging equals, eye for eye
In gory battles struggle raging fall
Unshaken in the shield-storm surged his shout
Full faultless honour as he fought his foes
In phrenzied force until his will there faild
Before the grave of Gwrvelling the gargant
Some swardy heap of green foreer became

XI
To never lower his athletic shield
Was his life's lot, to not encourage wrong
His rush for horses bluster'd thro the gates
Til holly lances brush'd the gold with gore
If friends fell by him foemen too would fall
Him on his kith could never shower shame
Whose valour's brave activity display'd
When slain was Mordei's far-famed Chyhuran

XII
Gododdin, I respectfully demand
The dales beyond Drum Essyds ridgey range
Where moneys love-slaves own no self-control
& Dwywais son inspires our valours shining
The site all settld on for conference
Was not degrading, in Llanveithins front
We danced an airy shimmy between twilights
Puffd-up upon the pilgrims splendid purple
Alas! Defenceless Gwaws was slit & slain
Whose sweet voice seemd Aneirins in song

Canto VII
Liddesdale

I
I glanced on gatherd hosts from Hyddwyn high
Conflagarations ghostly sacrifice
& saw two leaders from their stations fall
Gore spills thro Nwythons orders under sword
Men marching on harmonious a shout
When the heads of Brych & Dyvynwal raven-gnawd!

II
Uprise as one, Gododdins silver sons
About the stranger of this crimson robe
Thou gorgeous pilgrim, ye who broke the camp
Where young bucks sing raw-throated melodies
Where Brychs spears shone no rods there could be seen
Men win no merit milling in the rear
Morial sufferd not their evil deeds
His steel-edge ready for red flows of blood

III
Foes languish in a sad & trembling sorrow
Since that mad battles impetuous tumult
About the the battling borders of Ban Carw,
Brychs fingers bullied by his spear shaft hurld
Defending Pwyll of Disteir & Distar,
Rychwardd of Rodri, & Rhys of Rhiwdrech
Spending the bow & bending stout & strong
Thro courage true his targets were attaind
When none escaped, oertaken by the shaft!

IV
The noise of rivers meeting neath the fort
Arouses men to splendour, & to arms,
As chillness ebbs & flows thro battles breach
Do those that lust for fame now seek deaths dreams
When bodies lay coverd by the rugs of heroes
After the best of shelterless assaults
The breach lies unafflicted by the surge
Men must bear great exertions with much patience
Yet frown at arms, while intellect allures,
& if found fleeing from pursuing foes
The grass-roofd grave a slumber-house would be!

V
No hall was ever made more eminent
Nor mightier for slaughters more immense
The mead of Morien has turnd to flame
& none could say that Cynon cant carve corpses
Whose hero-sword resounds around the ramparts
No more than we can move a massive boulder
Will Gwid, the son of Peithan, too be moved!

VI
It was as true as the old songs tell us
When no mans mare dare overtake Marchleu
Whose lances, hurld by this grand Earl, commanding
From prancing stallion, thick hack-paths form,
A soldier reard for slaughter & support
Full furious his swords defensive arc
Whose grasp sent ashen shafts a-shattering
Atop the stony pile in solemn stance
He spreads destruction with a dark delight
With blade well-bloodied midst the verdant furze
As when the reapers in fine weather flock,
So Marchleu made the sleepers life-streams flow

VII
The mulld mead of the Mordei did I drink
Which liquer led me to the ramparts edge
To spy & praise Colwedds heroic prowess
When all were fallen he would also fall
When sinless souls in sweeter judgement proved
His was a rare arm daring on that field

VIII
Those swords & spears are splinterd, strewn & still
That used to pierce the large, Lloegrian horde
Shields at the entrance, shields amid lances
Men weaving weeping widows as they died
While the blazing spears of Graid, great Hoewgis son
Causd blood to pour in rude effusions crude.

IX
When thou, first nameling of the flames of fame
Defending highland harvests was observd
Twas said we fled thy fury like markd men
Yet yonder gaurdless doorway to Din Drei
With summit spilling silver, jade & gold
When his enemies dared venture an entrance
Gwynwydds face there unseen, his name there unheard!

X
Round Neimyn's name no glory gain'd today
Tho noble men descended share the shade
When deed-songs these endeavours far deserve
Now Nwython's son is dead, his golden ring
Shared by three hundred chieftans, furious
Large-hearted heroes, bellies full of mead
The army loved his energetic arms
On Cavall's ridge-crown foemen fiercely felld
No man among a thousand soldiers strong
No spear, shield, sword or dagger better handled
Than by our bravest Neimyn, Nwython's son

XI
Three centuries of soldiery lay slain
All slaughter'd from the centre to the edge
His leadership inspired & gentle glow'd
As thro harsh winters barley filld his horses
Now sable ravens cloak those fortress walls
Of choking fire, & there an Arthur fought
Right at the heart of warring's weariness
Heroic pass-defender, Gwenor praise!

XII
Upon the fort aflame with blazing mail
Both sure & slow his cureless slaughter grows
One weak, wan man with feeble cries fends off
The local birdlife, like Pelloid Mirain
No living soul shall ever demonstrate
What happen'd on that brash, unhappy bank
Of Llwch Livanad in the lands of Lliw
No soul on earth now living could eer name
A man in conflict Cyvnal could not match!

Canto VIII
Fallen Legends

I
See forces flow forwards on swan-colourd horses
With manes all a-quiver & harnesses low
Beside men descending the heavy host heaving
Defending brave Mynyddawg manship & mead
Shields float, lances fall on the fairest brows
Men languid droppd like fruit lopp'd from a tree
& skulkless fall, reproachless them remember'd

II
Cynvelyn rises high on pillard wrath
Who left the milling birds a filling meal
Lord sovereign of lands of awesome songs
His death hall I lament until I die
His blade is lost, his regions sadness grieves
For Gwynneds strongest torn from kindred parts
Lament the brave, & let Dun Eidyn fear
The dreaded Pictii painted naked-blue!

III
O Maiden! O Virgin! O Legend!
Since ye was raisd from birth a sovreign son
The lordly lad of Cilydd, Gwynedd-born,
Before the turf had cloakd thy face with furze
To him was given treasure, praise & fame
That sleeps within this grave brave Garthwys Hir!

IV
His native place invasions grievous gaind
The price of vine-wrapt feastings in the hall
Blades lying still between embattd hosts
Gododdin praise thy knights illustrious
Brave Eithinyin a battles bull becomes
Whose swordthumbs bounce like thunder off the shield
Until, men growing stricken at the loss,
Another death-fould fighter there must fade!

V
Bleiddiads wolfish boldness unrestraind
Whose shining shafts shall snake-like sky-flow glow
Him kings & women smitten wounded lies
Life-lover! How I wish that ye had lived
Thy zest victorious oppressd unjustly
Whose death despised for combat did ye crave!

VI
In brazen battle & in tumult tall
The conflict craws thro him cacophonous
No brand of angry combat could he shun
Brave Bleiddig, Eli's son, a bounding boar
Whose flasks of glassy wine guts gulp'd down deep
Upon this combat-day his fame ensured
On Arvwl Cann, before our man expired
Such bloody, ruddy carnage he did crave.

VII
From him has sprung a thousand mountain streams
Whose crimson fluid flow'd down from the front
His was a weapon wanton in the war
Prevailing in well-made, unfailing mail
Whose ambidextrous blade remain'd unseen
To confidenceless swords, unmanifest,
Whose flashing slashings blasts them to ashes
When wives are in a moment widows made
Before his death would Breint, proud Bleiddig's son
Send blood up-gushing from his deadly spear

VIII
For the murder of a man most learned
Such sorrows follow bleeding bodyfall
All for the hewing of his hairy head
Shall Gwydien, sky-eagle steepd in gore,
Defend the field with ever brutal spear
Wherehonourd by his masters trembling semblance,
Morien raisd his ancyent saintly lance
& with a roar unbent his stiff, strong bow
Morien of the sacred song protects
The ruind hall, & cleaves the triple heads
Of first in youth, in strength, in later age,
Equal to them was the maid-like Bradwen,
Equal to twelve, Gwenabwy, son of Gwen!

IX
For the guttings of his talented master
A servant bore the shield into the fray
To help her vital blade off-hack the heads
Of Saxon churls who cut their chieftains tracks
She grasps a wolfish mane without a club
In hands hard held, she sorely brave must be
At Catraeths carnage & its wrath engaged
Has Bradwen perish'd like a sand-lockd fish.

X
For a feast, most sad, most very precious
For settld land, for land made desolate
Shields shatter in the battle as them strewn
About the swordswirls of three hundred lords
Them riding ramparts as the warbands fought
With Saxons, them with Irish, them Pictii
& one, without a weapon in his hand
Would raise aloft fair Bradwens stiff-red corpse
Where midst the wrath & ruin of the rout
Gwenabwy, son of Gwen, deft-handed raved

XI
Tis wrong to leave his memory unsung
Fearless, he never faild to block the breach
Whose court no British minstrel ever quitted
Last January this man made a plan
To leave the land untilld, made waste & wild
O dragon of indignant disposition!
Commander of the field, after the wine,
Gwens son, Gwenabwy, fell for Catraeth fought,
Grief lauds his lovely, slender blood-staind corpse!

XII
How well it was Adonwy went to Gwen
Him made bereft when stripp'd of Bradwen brave
& aye, he fought, & murderd men, & burnd
Tho Morien he never would surpass Regardless of the warline & the rear
His towering & helmetless presence
Had not observd the seaswell chivalry
That mangling Angles all no quarter gave!

Canto IX
Battles Increase

I
They had bounced as a bouncing ball thro spears
& mounted horses, far from home
Yet given aid provd useless for Gododdin
Wine-ravishd they had perishd on the corn
& under red-staind knights still steeds arrayd
Neath those whom morning-time had chimed so bold

II
Invaders drive in the van of vast riches
Until, by trailing shields, them turnd aside
Sent shivering before hoard-roving Beli
Up from the bloody field a dwarf hoppd to the fence
Made parley with hoar-headed counsellors
Entrhond on prancing piebald, golden-chaind,
The Boar proposed a compact at the course
Curtly refused by worthy shouts of rage
As men there sang, Let Heavens realm protect us
& let this offer rot, some spear collapsd,
Just as the lads of Alt Cluds far-famed fosse
Had pressd that same spear low into the soil
Or Cadfannon, plunderer widely-known,
Whose enemies sufferd, crushd underfoot.

III
There was a reinforcement of the host
With penetrating weaponry supplied,
Them from all points of vantage formd the van
Whose serried front the enemy must fear
Thro days of long & strenuous exertion
Their bravery was raisd, displayd & praisd
But, following intoxicating mead,
No man was spard, tho Gorwylam fought well
Twas destind Fate decreed to break our charge.

IV
Three hundred sport the cirques of sparkling gold
About the sallies savagery ensues
& tho men slain how heavily they slew
Forever their eternal honour earnd
Of those dear friends who fearless fought the foe
But one man in a hundred would return

V
As Isaac came to Catraeth from the south
In conduct he invokd the flowing sea
Quite genial & gentle in his ways
He drank the mead & sank it with delight
From Castle Offer to the point Madeu
He scatterd, thro engagement, foes engaged
His sword resounding in poor mothers mouths
Praise Gwyddneus son, whose spirit ardent grown

VI
Men summon, yet reproach not if them keen,
Nor meddle with if violent hearts have they
Let boundaries be broken by just claims
& shelters be defended without praise
For praise is later heapd on those that folk impress!

VII
How many men of excess northward went
Who loved the wine & revelries of mead
Hosted by mighty-minded Mynyddawg
Outliving them lament we at the loss
Of such a fearsome swirl of spiritus
Shields clashd as the wild sky flashes thunder
Over warrings Eithinyins angers caus'd

VIII
As precious gem-stones with seduction gleam
Compare them with Eithinyins splendid mares
& Cynvelyn, Gododdin him long loved
Who gave his spear of heavy gold to me
Bestowing for the benefit of soul
Thus let us praise his Tegvan, son well-sired,
Whom, as him Cadfannons grandson, ardent grew,
When weapons whistld over heads of wolves
He would arrive astride the days distress.

IX
Have I not suppd the mead upon the march
& flushd my guts with wine afore Catreath
What slaughter rises from this restless lance
When wallowing in war, what glory seen!
Deliverer of fearless fight effective,
Madawg Elmet wielded his frightful shield

X
To Angor given freely-offerd fame
Him standing in the slaughter like a stone
O flinchless eagle of the forward host!
With zeal ye bore the brunt of boiling toil
When warring worlds outstrippd the swiftest steeds
Yet with the lamb-mild mead, when goblets flowd
With fresh wine buffing up thy paling cheek
Ye loved to feast & vine-bowls loved to lift!

XI
Before brave men by Angor scatterd wide
& sullen souls all skewerd serpent-like
See mail-clad van-men trample & contain
Some bee-stung bear, stoic & assaulting
Forcing furious fightless to their feet
Thro conflicts call, at the drenchd entrenchment
This dwarf-death hath a ravens feast devised
His righteous name to prize-like deeds attachd
Before the boss & bulwark of the War
Meryn beside him Madyen, lucky-born

XII
Lord, raise us up thro Heaven's order'd realms
We slain by woe, a dirge of constant grief
When from Dun Eidyn strangers left the feast
& wiser men from councils banish'd were
When with the Angles we did widely war
For every son of ours nine score we slew
What harness, horse & silken robes array'd
By Gwaedneth, spread in bright & lively rows

Canto X
Fallen Leaders

I
When Ceredig in battle-armour chargd
Twas like the tearing onset of a Boar
Or Minotaur, into the mangling fray
When wild dogs waverd at his waving hand
As witnessd by wild Owain, Eulats son,
By Gwrien, with Gwriad & Gwynn
But from Catraeths dreadful disastrous day
From Hyddwyn Hill, before its slopes were lost
After his hand received the stream-clear mead
Not one would face their fathers smile namore!

II
Praise Ceredig, brave captain fondly loved
His kingly fame collecting & protecting
Yet pet-cub calm quite peaceful fore the days
When he would ken of bravery in men
O friend of songs! Hope I ye recognize
In Heavens blissful regions thine abode

III
Praise Tudvwlch Hir, defending his ain lands
Who seven days of slaughter Saxons gave
Full valorous until his deathdom came
When in mens memories he must remain
When Tudvwlch came to Catraeth in support
The post of Cilydds son a plain of blood became

IV
Before the grave, broad-ruddy was the blade
Of he who deftly fill'd the fields with death
His legend was a wolf & won men's joys
About the camp, by fawning corprals cooed
Before arrested none could say him feeble
Stood perfect in the doings of a deed
O leader of thy diaspora's speech
About Tudvwlch both caers & corpses fall

V
Men cherish Ceredig, yes him acclaim
Some wrestler midst impetuous slaughter
Whose golden shield lit up the gory field
Lance-shatterings form splinters manifold
How fierce his spear-point pierces every foe
As manly posture firm the post maintains
Before he sufferd earth, before the death-rough blow
His stations duty held there & fulfilld
Thus he may be received with angel song
In unity before the Trinity!

VI
No hall could ever rise up more renownd!
When heavy armourd Mynawg lost his life
His tempers venom Pherawgs fierce son toppd
From mounted steed, stout-handed, dealt out flames
To tame his horse-backd enemies, then rout,
The city sufferd as its masses waild
The van that was Gododdin scatterd wide
Upon the day of wrath, when battle sighd for blood
Still Mynyddawgs brave men deservd their horns of mead.

VII
As Morien was lost so was the shield
Which blockd the breach & set the fields aflame
More ponderous than a croziers shaft
In hearty hand he bore the bluest blades
The other steering stately-headed steeds
That flashing dapple-grey thro slaughter smashd
Til overwhelmd, yet fleeing not from Death
Praise him who pourd the soul-ensnaring mead!

VIII
Praise diademd Owain! a nations mainstay
Like eagle striking sea-crest for its prey
Him compact-allured its vital points did meet
With shrinking resolution, but no retreat
Before Gododdins host,
, come days descent
For Manawds realm ye pressd on confident
& shields & spears were disregarded bold
No space there is of easy mead & meat
That from thy fiercest fray-brothers feel safe

IX
It is a forces fate to suffer trial
With manly hands Mynawg moulded his men
Deep-fathom'd wisdom strove for stateliness
That let the happy food & music flow
While friendship strippd treasures from his coffers
Left nothing for the nurture of his fort
When him summon'd to the sea-storm slaughter
Thro conflicts crazefest split spears equal slew
When metal weapons even gash'd the ground
Them with a clang had smashd the heads of foes
With much success has Fflamdwyn fought his frays!

X
Of mind & mettle manly, yet years young
Grown valorous & gallant in the gore
The gallopings of tangle-maned stallions
Would thunder under thighs illustrious
With shield-flight hung all featherlite & broad
He flowd abroad on swift, slim, flashing steeds
Whose spurs gleamd golden by his ermine furs
& blade-length beamd a brilliantine blue;
These lips of mine shall never, as I live,
Accurse thy name with cumbersome contempt
For priceless is thy praise, I sing this song
For life abandond to the battlefield
Before the joys of journeys conjugal
Before conflicted fronts crows carrion
Alas! my precious friend, Owain my brave
I fall distressd, for ravens rippd thy flesh There is a pain of absence on that plain
Where slain was Marcos only scepterd son

XI
While plunging headlong from the precipice
Not branch nor bush defends him from breach-fall
His death a violated privelege
Lord Owain, what law lifts a man so high?
Before this battle ye had preachd of peace
& worshipd poesys words in proper place
While dreading murders din & spurning swords
& cupping empty corsletts in thy hands
Let sovereigns reward men at his shrine!

XII
Lord Heavenly, consider Owain's soul
Rheged's first chief the heavy sward conceals
His thirst for knowledge drunk from deepest pools
& as he gave safe succor to the bards
His lances flow'd as wings of glowing dawn
This slayer of his stubborn, stalwart foes
His father's cub, his grandfather's offspring
O matchless king of the glittering west
When slain by Fflamdwyn slept no better man
While all about him Angles death-dreams share
Or fled the bloody floods of deadly fray
Chastised by chieftans sleeplike as they sped
Ye were a multi-colour'd man of style
& gave good horses to all those who ask'd
Thy riches were not shared out for your soul
The soul of Owain, Urien's ain son!

Canto XI
Battles End

I
Brave men, from mead & meal heel-swift did march
No tale of pain more famous told than theirs
A slaughter all so total has occurd!
At Catraeth, of a host once-talkative,
Then let us grieve for Mynyddawgs brave men!

II
As one those swift-heeld warriors chargd hard
Lives were shortend by the merry mead distilld
The band of Mynyddawg in trials renownd
Found life the price of wine & feastings fine
Ceredig, Madawg, Ieuan & Pwyll,
With Gwynn, Cynfan, Gwyawn & Gwyan,
Steel-armd Peredur, Aedan & Gwawrddur
From battle-steadfast warband scatterd shields!
Learn as them slain those soldiers also slew

III
Regale those swift-heeld heroes as one soul!
A year of luscious wine designd so grand
& now to mention them makes anguish, dole & drain
For proud homes left behind now childless caves
Where we shall grieve their loss in mournings long

IV
When thoughts in throngs come to my mourning mind
I count the bards in cold anxiety
That now are found in flight precipitate
Along such luckless & lamenting lanes
I have with love deplored & dearly loved
Those gallant lads of Argoed who gelld
In company accustomd on the plain
& marshalling themselves their chieftans please
Thro tough woods grafting, & thro fields of grief
They often cursd that banquetings carouse
When men were fed & led beyond the fire
Built by a carpet, fresh with white hide spread

V
My friend, we would have passd our days in peace
Had he not marchd, commander bannerd white
We would be sat by platters & mulld mead
Had he not turnd our homely groves to mud
Across the field, through families of ours
He crept, & this Gododdin shall relate
That after the fight in the fosse, what fuss!
Quite dwellingless we din-wail destitute!

VI
Host-slayers have been summon'd to the soil
Earth-portions to their peoples bitter-sweet
The dead leaves of their rules blown to & fro
& left their lands advantages awry
From battle not an acres-half they strayd
Their fate forever sad that it should be!

VII
Tis proper that brave company to praise
& celebrate our nation, tho Catraeth
Did turn into a tumult & a rout,
Confused & crimson, trampling & stamping
Puts valour underfoot, pours vengeance like wine
As now the hurt of combat horrific
Cibno cannot relate, nor war describe
Despite his splendid eloquence in song

VIII
Watch the great & courteous retinue
Which held the wall & all its ashen spears
Now never to the sea forever come
Tho faild not neither in retreat nor meeting
He nobly rose defending his own borders
Alas, unable made to leave the fort,
Nor extricate himself from Eidyns fence
Lord Cynons fortress-chested excellence
Rested his sword on the golden entrenchment
Victorious in sovereign disposal
Thou hoary-headed master of ministry
Whose counsels seemd as deep as ocean streams!

IX
Yon ramparts full of golden carcasses
No citzizen nor steed dire slaughter saw
But for one feeble wretch off-shooing birds
Those featherlings which Syll of Mirein
Said he had seen swooping that matin hour,
Beaks flying in from Llwys flacid flood
More than the breeze of morning could support

X
Many slippy tears sail down the cheek
Many punctured sides red-cropp'd with gore
Many feet in widely-spill'd blood bathe
Many widows for lost husbands scream
Many minds much drownd in heaviness
Many sons without a father wonder
Many an old grey town deserted lies
By Catraeth ruind & its deeds of war
Many cries of misery rose up as esrt Camlann!

XI
These weary tears fall on from dreary war
Shed dearly for dead soldiers, staining soul
& doubling grief grows upon the seeing
Great heads of heroes falling to the floor
For those I blow a long, embitterd sigh
Praise those who strove their country to defend
Gwylyyd & Gwyawn, Rhuvawn & Hwyawn
Defied discomfort stoic at their posts
Come conflicts end let spirits rich, & helms,
Uplifted be to Heavens tranquil realms!

XII
Alas, smile-hearted Cynwals shield was piercd
Him stallion long-legged settld thighs
His shaft dulls dark, his saddle darker parkd
Spread under Saxon sitting in his cell
Sate gorging on a goats leg, may he be
A man whose purse eer emptied of all spoils

Canto XII
Nostoi

I
I know no petulance, nor headstrong charge,
On those who drive me seeketh no revenge
Nor will I laugh in tones derisory
While I receive this hard earth underfoot
My limbs are lockd & bound these hands both be
Yet sat in this subterran, slimy cell
With steely chains across my kneecaps clapt
Still yearn I for the mead-horn & to sing
About those lads at Catraeth, to compose
Glad verse elaborate, as I, Aneirin,
Shall Taleisins thoughts tell, told to me,
Thus Y Gododdins strains I summon here
Before dawnbreak on Britains brightest day.

II
My lord achievd the Old Norths chief exploit
Breast generous, his brood magnaminous
No mother on Gods Earth has ever sired
A steel-clad killer more illustrious
Whose gleaming sword becomes my nightmares lamp
This fading frame from dismal prison draggd
From place of death, from dungeons dangers bourn
Come praise Ceneu! Llywarchs undaunted son!

III
Three hundred armd & chargd to Catraeth's call
Of those who rush'd from cups of frothing mead
To celebrate their cause just three returnd
Cynon, Cadreaith & Cadlew of Cadnant
& with them I, & as my blood deplored
A ransom laid with silver, steel & gold;
On payment made bard-raiment by me worn
To sing this elegy for fallen freinds
Kenning the cares of deep distressful war
When chieftans must their contibutions pay!

IV
First lord of the Gododdins firth-side strand
For thee, Mynawg, these tears unpeel my cheeks
The raging flames of Eidyn formd thy force
A well-pickd pack! Thy plans most primal part,
To forge a wall of firmness at the front
Alas! the savage scatters each assault
Alas! since meat was shared & sloe-mead sunk
Of thy brave retinue none have returnd
Save three frail blades, slow slouching down the vales.

V
The companys crownd captain coronet
How breathless stylish maidens servd him mead
Before the wrack of war-shields, when rough ears
Heard surging soul-cries urging no quarter,
& no retreat before the foe-blood flows
When those dare-standing droppd as rushes hewn,
Gododdin! Remember! On Mordeis shores
& Madawgs tented camps few lads made base,
But one man in a hundred with him came!

VI
First soldiers celeberated sweet Jesus
Then kindld battles flames within their hearts;
On Tuesday, by dark-brown garments armourd
On Wednesday they polishd its enamel
On Thursday, fatekeepers there denied them
On Friday, Hades Halls did slowly fill
On Saturday their unity made useless
On Sunday, not a scarlet sword unstaind
On Monday men would wade waist-deep through mud
After such toils Gododdin grimly tells
That at the tents of Madawg, when him home,
But one man in a hundred with him came

VII
Come battles kings must spurn the angel's day
Before the wars were swamp'd by numrous hosts
& firestorms had torn thro all the fray;
On Tuesday, they donn'd the regal robage
On Wednesday was an anxious conference held
On Thursday, ambassadors made contracts
On Friday, came carnage & confusions
On Saturday, murders by blows return'd
On Sunday, blood reduced weapons by drowning
On Monday form'd a pool seen deep as knees
Gododdin! all of this cannot relate
At Madawg's tents as to the camp men came!

VIII
Those thick chains of three hundred golden chieftans
Star-glimmer as them for their country rode
Hard into battle, & tho slain they slew
Striding to the highest point of honour
But from that band of happy-hearted comrades
What tragedy befalls! For only three returnd

IX
Ye men of Mynyddawg, of those who sped
To sit in splendid order round the store
Of beverage, & each bold stories told
When conjuring that feast, my sad mind reels
To those true kinsmen lost by me for life
Of those three hundred Catraeth call'd to war
Just me, & three safe souls by brutal death deplord

X
From mead & meal, with speed, real soldiers marchd
Acclaimd in crises, careless with their lives
About the viands they together feasted
Where foodstuffs & fine wines would all enjoy
My ruin came from Mynyddawgs array
Where I did lose there leader & a friend
From Catreaths regal crew, who battle roard,
But I & three brave warriors returnd

XI
Wine-soakd & slur this war-band havoc swore,
In famous fighting, fearless all of Death
Men gatherd together in Mynyddawgs hall
Oer bragget & mead & the banquet bowl
Now, fallen leaves appal my grieving mind
How many friends from lifes ends faded far
At Catraeth, of three hundred men that chargd
But three returnd, & still the woe burns deep!

XII
Men marchd on Catreath with a true renown
Lush cups of blissful beverage their wine
Thro a year of exalted solemnities
Three & three hundred chieftans golden-chaind
Of all those knights who formd that charging party
But three forcd path-hack from a rampant death
Aerons two war-dogs fled with dauntless Cynon
& I, too, lived, breath saved, to sing my sacred song!

Glossary

UE = Unrecorded elsewhere. The same name may be foun din other

sources, but in a different historical context.

Abedon (VI-VI UE) His sole appearance is in one of the Gwarchans

from the Book of Aneirin.
Adonwy (VIII-XII UE)
Aedan (IV-VIII/VI-V) King of the Dalriadan Scots (see p.??). However,
there is an Aedan mentioned in XI-II that cannot be Aedan
Aeron (V-III/XII-XII) Probably the region in west Scotland about the
River & town of Ayr. This area borders Galloway, which connects with
Taleisins statement that Urien of Rheged was a protector in Aeron.
John Morris Jones notices how Aeron is associated with Clud, i.e.
Dumbarton, just to the north of Ayrshire.
Affrel (VI-VII UE)
Alt Clud (IX-II) Dumbarton, capital of the Brythonic kingdom of
Strathclyde.
Aneirin (I-I/II-IV/VI-XII/XII-I) 6th century Welsh bard & author of the
poem Y Gododdin
Angles (II-XII/III-XII/VIII-XII/IX-XII/X-XII) The Teutonic tribe that
invaded eastern Britain in the 5th-6th centuries. They made their
incursions north of the Humber. They were the chief enemy of the
Gododdin at Catraeth.
Angor (V-X/V-XI/X-X/X-XIUE)

Argoed (XI-IV) A region in Wales that stretched from Powys to

Gwent.
Arthur (VII-XI) King Arthur, the early sixth century military leader
that for a tim held back the Anglo-Saxon invaders
Arvon The heart of Dark-Age Gwynedd, the region faced Anglesey
across the Menai Strait.
Arvwl Cann (VIII-V)A horse, as in Arvwl Velyn, the horse of Pacsen
fab Urien that is named in an englyn by Llywarch Hen.
Athrwys (VI-VIII) The same name appears in the genealogies of the
Old North, but this Arthwys lived many decades before Catraeth. There
is a greater possibiltyt of him being Athrwys, son of Meurig, king of
Gwent, who lived at roundabout the right time.
Bannawg (I-VIII/III-III) Most probably the Bannock Hills of Stirling,
as in the Bannock burn. The 11th century Life of Cadog tells us the
saint came to a town citra montem Bannauc (to the south of Bannauc)
which was said to be 'in the middle of Albania. It is widely known that
Stirling has always been considered the linch-pin between highland &
lowland Scotland. A Triad names the spectre of Banawg as one of the
Three Wil;d Spectres of the island of Britain.
Ban Carw (VII-III) A deer park in the Liddesdale (see p.)
Beli (IX-II) King of Strathclyde, the father of his successor Owen,
who defeated the Dalriadans at the Battle of Strathcarron, 642. The
Harleian genealogies name him as the son of Nwython, his predecessor
as king.
Bleiddiad (VIII-V) The Bonedd y Saint mentions a certain Bleiddut
son as the father of Cynvelyn.
Bleiddig (VIII-V/VIII-VII) Son of Eli & father of Breint. A triad Three
kings who sprung from villeins mentions a Hyfaidd son of Bleiddig in
Deheubarth.
Bleiddvan (II-IX UE) Buddvans father
Boddar Adaf (II-IV) Eithinyins Father
Bogdad (I-VUE)
Bradwen (VIII-VIII/VIII-IX/VIII-X/VIII-XI . UE) A female fighter.
Breichiawl (IV-IX) Possibly Brocuuael Ysgithrawc, son of Kyngen.

Breint (VIII-VIUE) Son of Bleiddig

Brennych (V-VI/VI-II/VI-III) Bernicia, a kingdom of the Angles
corresponding to modern Northumberland & Durham.
Brych (VII-I/VII-II/VII-III) Stanza VI-I has been mistakenly considered
an interpolation that refers to the Battle of Strathcarron (642AD)
where fought aa certain Domnall Brecc. Yet the Welsh text explicity
describes two leaders Dyvynwal & Brych not an individual with both
names.
Brython (V-V) A Dark-Age, Welsh-speaking native of Britain.
Bubon (I-IXUE)
Buddvan (II-IX UE) Son of Bleiddvan
Cadfannon (I-VII/IX-II/IX-VIII UE)
Cadlew (XI-IIIUE) One of the three survivors of Catraeth.
Cadnant (XI-III) A sub-region of Gwynned
Cadreaith - XI-III) One of the three survivors of Catraeth. A Caedrieith
son of Seidi is named by the Triads as one of the three Chieftans of
Arthurs court.
Cadwallon (II-XII) King of Gwynedd (d.634), son of his regal
predecessor, Cadvan. The appearance of his buck-lance at Catraeth
seems to indicate that a young Cadwallon was fighting in his first
battle, his contingent being led by his fellow Gwynedd man, Gwrys.
Caers A fortified encampment, equivalent to the Latin Castra.
Caerwys (III-IV) A town in modern-day Flintshire, North Wales.
Camlann (XI-X) The battle which saw the death of King Arthur,
recorded in the Annales Cambrae as; 537 The battle of Camlann, in
which Arthur and Medraut fell: and there was plague in Britain and
Ireland.
Catraeth (I-VI/II-I/III-I/III-II/III-V/III-VI/III-VII/III-X/III-XI/IV-I/V-IV/VIX/VI-III/VIII-IX/IX-V/IX-IX/X-III/XI-I/XI-VII/XI-X/XII-I/XI-III/XII-IX/XIIX/XII-XI/XII-XII) The name of the battle where the Gododdin were
slaughterd. It took place in the Liddesdale of the Scottish Borders
(ssee p.??)
Cavall (VII-X) A ridge on the Battlefield of Ctraeth, & also the name
of King Arthurs dog.

Ceneu (XII-I ) One of the 24 sons of Llywach Hen. He paid the

ransom to free Aneirin.
Ceredig (X-I/X-II/X-V/XI-II... UE)
Chyhuran (VI-XI UE)
Cian (I-VIII/III-III/VI-III) The father of Lliv. Possibly a Pict.
Cibno (XI-VII UE) A bard.
Cilydd (VIII-III/X-III UE) The father of Tudvwlch & Garthwys Hir.
Clydno (IV-XII) Clydno Eidyn???
In the late 6th century, the king of the Votadini was, apparently, the
Mynyddog Mwynfawr who is said to have ruled from Din Eidyn or
Edinburgh. He was the son of a certain Ysgyran, and probably
succeeded Clydno Eidyn. The Gododdin oem implies that the Britons
who fought the English at Cattraeth assembled at Mynyddogs court at
Edinburgh. Clydno Eidyn, in turn, was the son of Cynfelyn son of
Dyfnwal Hen. Myynyddog is also given the epithet Eidyn.
Colwedd (VII-VII UE)
Cydwal (VI-VIII)
Cymry (V-X/V-XI) The old Welsh term for the united Brythonic tribes.
Cynddilig (V-III) Grandson of Enovant. A member of the contigent
from Aeron.
Cynfan (XI-II UE)
Cynon (III-VII/IV-X/IV-XI/IV-XII/V-V/VII-V/XI-VIII/XI-III/XII-XII) The son
of Clydno Eidyn. One of the three survivors of Catreath. A Welsh Triad
calls him one of the 'three lovers of the island of Britain,' with his
sweetheart being a daughter of Urien. The Stanzas of the Graves tell
us;
The grave of Cynon is in Llan Badarn.
The grave of the warrior of high renown is in a lofty region,
But a lowly place of repose,
The grave of Cynon the son of Clydno Eden.
The grave of Cynon is in Ryd Reon. Whose grave is beneath the hill?
The grave of a man mightly in conflict,

The grave of Cynon the son of Clydno Eden.

Cynrain (IV-XI UE)/
Cynrig (IV-XI UE)
Cynvelyn (VIII-II/IX-VIII)
Cynwal (XI-XII UE)
Cyvnal (VII-XII UE)
Cyvwlch the Tall (III-I/III-XIIUE)
Deivyr - (IV-XII/V-VI/XI-II) Deira, a kingdom of the Angles
corresponding to the region between the River Humber & the River
Tees.
Din Drei (VII-IX) A fortress in the Liddesdale (see p.??)
Dialgur (V-VUE)
Dindywydd (III-IV) A site on the Lleyn peninsular, NW Wales. To the
north side of the mountain there is a place called the Town Land, and it
wrecked many old walls called Cwmwd Tindywydd. Rambling Lleyn Ieuan Lleyn 1799
Derwent (Derwynedd I-IV) - A river in north Cumbria. The falls are
most likely the famous 100 feet high Lodore Falls at the southern end
of the Derwent Water
Distar (VII-III UE)
Disteir (VII-III UE)
Dremrudd (VI-VI UE)
Drum Essyd (VI-XII UE)
Dun Eidyn (I-II/I-VII/III-V/IV-XI/V-XII/VIII-II/IX-XII/XI-VIII/XI-III) An
ancient hillfort that stood on Edinburgh rock, where todays modern
castle now stands.
Dwywai - (I-I/VI-XII) Aneirins mother (see p.??)
Dyvynwal (VII-IUE)
Edina (I-X) Dun Eidyn/Edinburgh
Eidol - (V-I/V-II/V-III UE)
Eidyn See Dun Eidyn

Eithinyin (II-IV/III-II/V-VIII/ VII-IV/IX-VII/IX-VIII UE) Boddar Adafs

son
Eli (VIII-V) Father of Bleiddig. There is a possibility that Eli is
another name for Beli, as in Culhwych & Olwens Reidwn, son of Eli,
who is later on in the same tale known as the son of Beli.
Elmet A Brythonic kingdom based about modern-day Leeds.
Elphin (V-VIII/VI-IX) Either Elphin, the son of Urien & foster-father of
Taleisin, or Elphin the son of Gwyddneu (from the Hanes Taleisin).
Enovant (V-III) Grandfather of Cynddilig
Ephyd (V-VIII) Named after the Epidii who inhabited the peninsular
of Kintyre in Roman Times, before being displaced by the Dalriadan
Scots.
Erthai (IV-I/VI-V) Probably Artur, son of Aedan on account of him
being a lord of the Mordei (see p. )
Eudaf (II-VI UE)
Fermarch (VI-IV) Possibly Aedans grandson Ferchar, son of
Conaing. The History of the Men of Scotland records: "Aedan had
seven sons. i. two Eochaids. i. Eocho Bude and Eochaid Find, Tuthal,
Bran, Baithne, Conaing, and Gartnait . . . . These are the sons of
Conaing son of Aedan.i. Rgalln, Ferchar, Artn, Artr, Dondchad,
Domngart, Nechtan, Nm, Crumne"
Bannerman Studies in the History of Dalriada 1974 p.47-48
Fflamdwyn (X-IX/X-XII) The slayer of Owain (see p. ). IN his The
Battle of Argoed Llwyfain Taleisin writes of an earlier battle
between Owain & Fflamdwyn
Galystem (II-VII) The valley of the River Gala in the Scottish Borders.
Garth Meryn (V-XI) Garth means an enclosure, or battle-square in
the context of a miltary conflict. In stanza V-XI it should mean the
battle-square of Meryn, one of the Gododdin.
Garthwys Hir (VIII-III) The Bonedd Y Saint names a certain
Garthwys as the son of Owain of Rheged.
Geraint (II-V UE)
Gododdin (I-I/I-V/I-VII/II-V/II-XII/III-II/III-III/III-IV/III-VII/III-IX/V-VI/VXII/VI-XII/VII-II/VII-IV/IX-I/X-VI/X-VIII/XI-V/XI-III/XII-IV/XII-V/XII-VI/XII-

VII) The Brythonic tribe & area known to the Romans as the Votadini.
Their lands covered roughly the three Lothian counties of modern
Scotland, whose capital was at Din Eidyn/Edinburgh.
Golstan (V-XIIUE)
Gorwylam - (IX-III UE)
Gownddelw - (VI-VI UE)
Graid (VII-VIII UE) The son of Hoewgi
Guledig (II-I/IV-VIII) A title generally used for a king of the united
Welsh tribes
Gwaednerth (V-VI/IX-XII UE)
Gwair (IV-V) The Triads name a Gweir son of Gwystyl as one of the
three taleithiawg cad, or coronetted chiefs of battle.
Gwanhanon (II-IV/II-VI/II-XI/II-XII) Stow-on-Wedale (see p.)
Gwawrddur (XI-II ) Culhwch & Olwen names; Duach the son of
Gwawrddur Kyrvach; Grathach the son of Gwawrddur Kyrvach; Gwaws (VI-XII UE)
Gwen (V-VI/VIII-VIII/VIII-X/VIII-XI/VIII-XII) The father of Gwenabwy
(see p.???)
Gwenabwy (VIII-VIII/VIII-X/VIII-XI UE) The son of Gwen
Gwenor (VII-XI UE)
Gwenystrad (II-I/II-X) The Gala Water (see p.??)
Gwid (VII-V UE) The son of Peithan
Gwlyget (I-VI) As Mynyddawgs steward he would have prepared the
feast on which the Gododdin dined. He is named as such in the old
Welsh tale Culhwch & Olwen, where Gwlgawd Gododdin owned the
horn used to pour out wine at the wedding of Olwen & the giant
Ysbaddaden. Probably the man mentioned in X-VII.
Gwolowy (V-XI UE)
Gwriad (X-I UE)
Gwrien (X-I UE)
Gwrys (II-XII UE)

Gwrthleu (I-XUE)
Gwrvelling (VI-X UE)
Gwyan (XI-II/XI-XI UE)
Gwyawn (XI-II)
8. Three Humble Princes of the Island of Prydain. Llywarch Hen son of
Elidyr Lydanwyn; and Manawydan son of Llyr Lledyeith; and Gwgawn
Gwrawn son of Peredur son of Eliffer Gosgordvaur.
peniarth
Gwydien (VIII-VIII) A Gwydion son of Dn is mentioned by the
Triads;
Three Great Enchantments of the Island of Britain:The Enchantment of
Math son of Mathonwy which he taught to Gwydion son of Dn, and
the Enchantment of Uthyr Pendragon which he taught to Menw son of
Teirgwaedd, and the Enchantment of Rudlwm the Dwarf which he
taught to Coll son of Collfrewy his nephew.
Gwyddneu (IX-V UE) Father of Isaac. Probably the son of Clydno
Eidyn. As the king of Meirionydd he is normally given the epithet
Garanhir, meaning crane legs. He was said to rule a sunken land of the
west
Gwylyyd (XI-XI UE)
Gwynn (X-I/XI-II UE)
Gwynned (I-XI/II-XII/VI-VIII/VIII-II/VIII-III) A kingdon in the NW of
modern Wales comprising Snowdonia & the island of Anglesey
Gwynwydd (VII-IX UE)
Heibiliawn (III-IV) The Men of Hibernia, i.e. Ireland
Heiddun (V-I/V-IV UE)
Heledd (VI-V) A Princess of the Hen Ogledd. Sister of Llywarch Hen,
she gave her name to the river from which the Liddesdale draws its
name. The actual name in YG is Mallet - Eil gweith gelwideint a
mallet / Yg catveirch a seirch greulet - the similarity of the letters M &
H suggest a copyists error.

Hen Ogledd (I-XI) The Old North, i.e. the Brythonic parts of Britain
north of the Mersey-Humber line.
Hoewgi (VII-VIII UE) Father of Graid
Hwyawn (XI-XI UE)
Hyddwyn (VII-I/X-I) Harden Hill in the Liddesdale (see p??)
Hyveidd Hir (VI-II UE)
Ieuan (XI-II UE)
Isaac (IX-V UE) The son of Gwyddneu.
Iudeu (I-IX) Traprain Law in East Lothian. The Sea of Iudeu would
be the Firth of Forth (see p.???)
Ithael (IV-VI UE)
Keidyaw (VI-IX) Sir Kay of Arthurian legend. (see p.???)
Liddesdale The valley in the borders where the Battle of Catraeth
took place. Aneirin uses Leudvre, which Reverend John Williams
identifies with the River Liddel.
Llanveithin (VI-XII) An area near Cardiff
Lliw (VII-XII) King Loth
Llivieu (I-VIII/III-III) The son of Cian
Lloegrian (VII-VIII) The word Lloegyr was, & still is, used by the
Welsh for the Anglo-Saxons.
Llwch Livanad (VII-XII) Loch Leven is found in the county of Perth &
Kinross - its antiquity is related to Saint Serf, who founded monastic
community on an island there tell story of owan & thaney
Llwy (XI-IX UE)
Llywarch (XII-I) A poet & king of the Hen Ogledd
Llywri (V-VI UE)
Loth (III-IV) His name appears in Welsh as both Lliw and Lewdwn
Lwydawc of Din Eidyn. The first line of stanza (III-IV) reads, Llech
leutu tut leu leudvre. Here, 'Llech,' means rock while Lleu-tu means
'belonging to Lleu,' giving us 'the rock belonging to King Loth,' i.e. the
rock on which Din Eidyn sat. With Tut, meaning tribe or people, &

Leudvre meaning Liddesdale, we obtain the lines translation of, From

Loths rock thro Loths lands to Liddesdale.

Madawg (XII-V/XII-VI/XII-VII) A leader of a Scottish contingent in

thge Catraeth campaign (see p.??)
Madawg Elmet (IX-IX/XI-II UE) A warrior from the Brythonic
kingdom of Elmet. He could be Madawg son of Bryn, one of the triadic
Golden Corpses of the Island of Britain, or Madog son of Uther as
mentioned in the Book of Taleisin. Another poem mentions Eliwod as
Madogs son, & specifically describes Eliwood as Madogs nephew,
making Arthur & Madog brothers.
Madeu (IX-V) The Maidens Way (see p.??)
Madyen (V-X/X-XI UE) The father of Meryn
Maelderw (VI-VI) His sole appearance is in one of the Gwarchans
from the Book of Aneirin.
Maen Gwen - Could be related to the Venicones a tribal name
described by Ptolemy for lands between the Dee & Forth.
Maen Gwygwyn (VI-III) Its connection to Cian suggest it is to be
found beyond Bannawc in Pictland

Manawd/ (X-VIII) Manau Gododdin, an area encompassing both sides

of the Firth of Forth, with Din Eidyn as its capital. Nennius (chapter
62) tells the story of how Cunedda left manau Gododdin to settle in
Gwynedd. The name remains today in Clackmannan at the head of the
Forth. The Annals of Ulster mention a battle (711) in Manau as taking
place between the rivers Haefe (Avon) & Caere (Carron).
Marchleu (VII-VI UE)
Marco (X-X) King Cynfarch (see p.??)
Meidlyawn (III-IV) The men of Mide - the kingdom roughly
surrounding Dublin. The description of the men as being animals
relates to the wildness of the native Irish.
Meryn (V-X/X-XI UE) The son of Madyeith

Mirein (XI-IX UE)

Mordei (I-X/IV-I/IV-V/VI-VIII/VI-XI/VII-VII/XII-V) The ruling dynasty of
Morien
Morial (UE)
Morien (VII-V/VIII-VIII/VIII-XIIX-VIIUE) An imperial region
spanning the Central Belt of Scotland see p.mordei
Mynawg (X-VI/X-IX/ XI-III) Another name for Mynyddawg Mwynfawr
Mynyddawg Mwynfawr (I-VI/II-VI/III-VII/III-X/III-XI/III-XII/IV-V/VXII/VIII-I/IX-VI/X-VI/XI-I/XI-II/XII-IX/XII-X/XII-XI) Lord of Edinburgh &
the overall commander of the Gododdin. The epithet Mwynfawr
means wealthy.
Neimyn (VII-XUE) The son of Nwython
Novantean - (IV-XI)
Nwython (VII-I/VII-X) Father of Neimyn. The king of the Brythonic
realm of Strathclyde at the battle of Catraeth
Old King Cole (III-I) The text reads, The Sons of Godeburg. The
great 5th century king of the Hen Ogledd from whom several dynastys
dscended.
Offer (IX-V) Castle Over (see p.??)
Owain (i) (II-VII/X-VIII/X-X/X-XI/X-XI) Owain of Rheged (see p.??)
(ii) (X-I UE) The son of eulat
Peithan (VII-V UE) The father of Gwid
Pelloid Mirain (VII-XII UE) Apparently the name of a bird.
Penclwyd (VI-IV) The head of the River Clyde
Peredur (XI-II UE)
Pherawg (X-VI UE)
Pictii (VIII-II/VIII-X)The Picts
Prydain (II-I) Britain
Pwyll (VII-III/XI-II UE)
Ragno (III-IV UE) The text implies he is from Caerwys

Rheged (II-VII/X-XII) A kingdom of the Hen Ogledd ruled over by the

Uriens (see p. )
Rhuvawn (V-IX/XI-XI UE) A Triad names Rhufawn the Radiant son
of Dewrarth Wledig as one of the Three Fair Princes of Britain
alongside Owain of Rheged.
Rhuvoniawg (VI-V) A sub-region of Gwynedd.
Rhiwdrech (VII-III UE)
Rhys (VII-III UE)
Rodri (VII-III UE)
Rychwardd - (VII-III UE)
Saxons (VIII-IX/VIII-X/X-III/XI-XII) The Teutonic tribe that invaded
eastern Britain in the 5th-6th centuries. They made their incursions in
the south & east of the island. In VIII-X, the actual word Aneirin used
was gynt, which means heathen, based on a loan from the Latin
gentes, meaning in biblical the nations who are not chosen by God
like us.
Senylt (V-VI) The father of King Nudd Hael. In a Welsh Triad,
Heilyns court is compared to Senylts for its liberality.
Syll (XI-IXUE)
Syvno (VI-VIII UE)
Taleisin (XII-I ) One of the greatest bards of the early Welsh. A
contemporary of Aneirin.
Tegvan (IX-VIII UE)
Tinagad (I-IV) The stanza infers that Tinagad was something of a court
jester. A Traid names a Dinogad, son of Cynan Garwyn, the king of
Powys.
Tottarth (V-XI UE) From the text we can infer that he was a famous
bard.
Tudvwlch Hir (III-I/III-VIII/III-XII/V-X/X-III/X-IV UE) The son of
Cilydd
Urien (II-I/X-XII) A title used for the kings of Rheged.

Votadini (I-VIII) A Brythonic tribe whose regions in Roman times

roughly encompassed the Lothian counties of modern Scotland. They
would be known as the Gododdin by Aneirins time.
Ysgarran (I-XI UE)