Preiddeu
Annwn or The Spoils of Annwfn
This poem is taken from
'Llyfr Taliesin' NLW Peniarth MS 2 which dates to around 1275; but the
poem itself has been dated to between the ninth and twelfth centuries.
It is similar in structure to other poems from the Book of Taliesin and
shows a high degree of poetic skill.
Preiddeu
Annwn
Golychaf wledic pendeuic
gwlat ri.
py ledas y·pennaeth
dros traeth mundi.
bu kyweir karchar gweir
yg·kaer sidi.
trwy ebostol pwyll a·phryderi.
Neb kyn noc ef nyt aeth
idi.
yr gadwyn trom/las kywirwas
ae ketwi.
A·rac preidu annwfyn
tost yt geni.
Ac yt urawt parahawt
yn·bardwedi.
Tri lloneit prytwen yd
aetham ni idi.
nam seith ny dyrreith
o·gaer sidi.
Neut wyf glot geinmyn
cerd ochlywir.
yg·kaer pedryuan
pedyr·ychwelyt.
yg kynneir or peir pan
leferit.
O anadyl naw morwyn gochyneuit.
Neu peir pen annwfyn
pwy y vynut.
gwrym am y·oror
a·mererit.
ny beirw bwyt llwfyr
ny ry tyghit.
cledyf lluch lleawc idaw
rydyrchit.
Ac yn llaw leminawc yd·edewit.
A·rac drws porth
vffern llugyrn lloscit.
A·phan aetham
ni gan arthur trafferth
The Spoils of Annwfn
I praise the Lord, the
Sovereign of the royal realm,
Who has extended his
sway over the tract of the world.
Gwair's prison in Caer
Siddi was in order
Throughout the course
of the story concerning Pwyll and Pryderi.
No-one before him went
into it -
Into the heavy grey chain
which was restraining the loyal youth.
And on account of the
spoils of Annwfn he was singing bitterly
And our (own) poetic
invocation shall continue until Judgement(-Day).
We went, three full loads
of Prydwen, into it;
Apart from seven, none
came back up from Caer Siddi.
I am one who is splendid
in (making) fame: the song was heard
In the four-turreted
fort, fully revolving.
It was concerning the
cauldron that my first utterance was spoken:
It [ie the cauldron]
was kindled by the breath of nine maidens.
The cauldron of the Chieftain
of Annwfn: what is its faculty?
- Dark (ornament) and
pearls around its rim -
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two
versions: second one I believe is a better translation.... The poem encompasses
Bardic/Druidic Mystery School teachings, especially around the Ogham Alphabet,
or the Tree Alphabet... It also has been said to reveal a struggle with
changing spiritual practices in ancient Britain. The struggle focused
on the nature of Deity, and the name concealed within the Poem.
Cad Goddeu
or The Battle of the Trees
(Translation by Revd.
Robert Williams)
I have been a mulitude
of shapes,
Before I assumed a consistant
form.
I have been a sword,
narrow, variegated,
I will believe when it
is apparent.
I have been a tear in
the air,
I have been in the dullest
of stars.
I have been a word among
letters,
I have been a book in
the origin.
I have been the light
of lanterns,
A year and a half.
I have been a continuing
bridge,
Over three score river-mouths.
I have been a course,
I have been an eagle.
I have been a coracle
in the sea.
I have been complaint
in the banquet.
I have been a drop in
a shower;
I have been a sword in
the grasp of a hand.
I have been a shield
in battle.
I have been a string
in a harp,
Disguised for nine years.
In water, in foam,
I have been a sponge
in fire,
I have been wood in covert.
I am not he who will
not sing of
A combat though small,
The conflict of the battle
of Godau of sprigs.
Against the Guledig of
Prydain,
There passed central
horses,
Fleets full of riches.
There passed an animal
with wide jaws,
On it were a hundred
heads.
And a battle was contested
Under the root of his
tongue;
And another battle there
is
In his occiput.
A black sprawling toad,
With a hundred claws
on it,
A snake speckled, crested.
A hundred souls through
sin
Shall be tormented in
its flesh.
I have been in Care Vevenir,
Thither hastened grass
and trees.
Minstrels were singing,
Warrior bands were wondering,
At the exaltation of
the Brython,
That Gwydyon effected.
There was a calling on
the Creator,
Upon Christ for causes,
Until when the Eternal
Should deliver those
whom he had made.
The Lord answered them,
Through language and
elements:
Take the forms fo the
principal trees,
Arranging yourselves
in battle array,
And restraining the public.
Inexperienced in battle
hand to hand.
When the trees were enchanted,
In the expectation of
not being trees,
The trees uttered thier
voices
From strings of harmony
The disputes ceased.
Let us cut short heavy
days,
A female restained the
din.
She came forth altogether
lovely.
The head of the line,
the head was a female.
The advantage of a sleepless
cow
Would not make us give
way.
The blood of men up to
our thighs,
The greatest of importunate
mental exertions
Sported into the world.
And one has ended
From considering the
deluge,
And Christ crucified,
And the day of judgement
near at hand.
The alder-trees, the
head of the line,
Formed the van.
The willows and quicken-trees
Came late to the army.
Plum-trees, they are
scarce,
Unlonged for men.
The elaborate medlar-trees,
The objects of contention.
The prickly rose bushes,
Against a host of giants,
The rasberry brake did
What is better failed
For the security of life.
Privet and woodbine
And ivy on its front,
Life furze to the combat
The cherry-tree was provoked.
The birch, not withstanding
his high mind,
Was late before he was
arrayed.
Not because of his cowardice,
But on account of his
greatness.
The laburnum held in
mind,
That your wild nature
was foreign.
Pine-trees in the porch,
The chair of distribution
By me greatly exalted,
In the presence of kings.
The elm with his retinue,
Did not go aside a foot;
He would fight with the
centre,
And the flanks, and the
rear.
Hazel-trees, it was judged
That ample thy mental
exertion.
The privet, happy is
his lot,
The bull of battle, the
lord of the world.
Morawg and Morydd
Were made prosperous
in pines.
Holly, it was tinted
with green,
He was a hero.
The hawthorn, surrounded
by prickles,
With pain at his hand.
The aspen-wood has been
topped,
It was topped in battle.
The fern that was plundered.
The broom in the van
of the army,
In the trenches he was
hurt.
The gorse did not do
well,
Notwithstanding let it
overspread.
The heath was victorous,
keeping off on all sides.
The common people were
charmed,
During the proceeding
of the men.
The oak, quick moving,
Before him, tremble heaven
and earth.
A valiant door-keeper
against an enemy,
His name is considered.
The blue-bells combined,
And caused a consternation.
In rejecting, were rejected.
Pear-trees, the best
intruders
in the conflict on the
plain.
A very wrathful wood,
The chestnut is bashful,
The opponent of happiness,
The jet has become black,
The mountain has become
crooked,
The woods have become
a kiln,
Existing formerly has
the great seas,
Sine was heard the shout:---
The tops of the birch
covered us with leaves.
And transformed us, and
changed our faded state.
The branches of the oak
have ensnared us
From the Gwarchan Mwelderw.
Laughing on the side
of rock,
The rold is not an ardent
nature.
Not of mother and father
was I made,
Did my Creator create
me.
Of nine-formed faculties,
Of the fruit of fruits,
Of the fruit of the primordial
God,
Of primroses and blossoms
on the hill,
Of the earth, of an earthly
course,
When I was formed,
Of the flower nettles,
Of the water of the ninth
wave.
I was enchanted by Math,
Before I became immortal,
I was enchanted by Gwydyon
The great purifier of
the Brithon,
Of Eurwys, of Euron,
Of Euron, of Modron.
Of five battalions of
scientific ones,
Teachers, children of
Math.
When the removal occurred,
I was enchanted by the
Guledig.
When he was half-burnt,
I was enchanted by the
sage
Of Sages, in the primitive
world.
When I had a being;
When the host of the
world was in dignity,
The bard was accustomed
to benefits.
To the song of praise
I am inclined, which the tongue recites.
I played in twilight,
I slept in purple;
I was truly in the enchantment
With Dylan, the son of
the wave.
In the circumfrence,
in the middle,
Between the knees of
kings,
Scattering spears not
keen,
From heaven when came,
To the great deep, floods,
In the battle there will
be
Four score hundreds,
That will divide according
to their will.
Are they neither older
or younger,
Than myself in their
divisions.
A wonder, Canhwr are
born, every one of nine hundred.
He was with me also,
With my sword spotted
with blood.
Honor was allotted to
me
By the Lord, and protection
(was) where he was.
If I come to where the
boar was killed,
He will compose, he will
decompose,
He will form languages.
The strong-handed gleamer,
his name,
With a gleam he rules
his numbers.
They would spread out
in a flame,
When I shall go on high.
I have been a speckled
snake on the hill,
I have been a viper in
Llyn.
I have been a bill-hook
crooked that cuts,
I have been a ferocious
spear
With my chasuble and
bowl
I will prophesy not badly.
Four score smokes
On every one that bring.
Five battalians of arms
Will be caught by my
knife.
Six steads of yellow
hue
A hundred times better
is
my cream-colored steed,
Swift as the sea-mew
Which will not pass
Between the sea and the
shore.
Am I not pre-eminent
in the field of blood?
Over it are a hundred
chieftans.
Crimson (is) the gem
of my belt,
Gold my shield border.
There has not been born,
in the gap,
That has been visiting
me,
Except Goronwy,
From the dales of Edrywy.
Long white my fingers,
It is long since I have
been a herdsman.
I have travelled the
earth,
Before I was proficient
in learning.
I have travelled, I made
a circuit,
I slept in a hundred
islands.
A hundred Caers I have
dwelt in.
Ye intelligent Druids,
Declare to Arthur,
What is there more early
Than I that they sing
of.
And one is come
From considering the
deluge
And Christ crucified,
And the day of future
doom.
A golden gem in a golden
jewel.
I am splendid
And shall be wanton
From the oppression of
the metal-workers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cad Goddeu ~ The Battle of the Trees
I have been in many shapes,
Before I attained a congenial
form.
I have been a narrow
blade of a sword.
(I will believe it when
it appears.)
I have been a drop in
the air.
I have been a shining
Star.
I have been a word in
a book.
I have been a book originally.
I have been a light in
a lantern.
A year and a half.
I have been a bridge
for passing over
Three-score rivers.
I have journeyed as an
eagle.
I have been a boat on
the sea.
I have been a director
in battle.
I have been the string
of a child's swaddling clout.
I have been a sword in
the hand.
I have been a shield
in the fight.
I have been the string
of a harp,
Enchanted for a year
In the foam of water.
I have been a poker in
the fire.
I have been a tree in
a covert.
There is nothing in which
I have not been.
I have fought, though
small,
In the Battle of Goddeu
Brig,
Before the Ruler of Britain,
Abounding in fleets.
Indifferent bards pretend,
They pretend a monstrous
beast,
With a hundred heads,
And a grievous combat
At the root of the tongue.
And another fight there
is
At the back of the head.
A toad having on his
thighs
A hundred claws,
A spotted crested snake,
For punishing in their
flesh
A hundred souls on account
of their sins.
I was in Caer efynedd,
Thither were hastening
grasses and trees.
Wayfarers perceive them,
Warriors are astonished
At a renewal of the conflicts
Such as Gwydion made.
There is calling on Heaven,
And on Christ that he
would effect
Their deliverance,
The all-powerful Lord.
If the Lord had answered,
Through charms and magic
skill,
Assume the forms of the
principal trees,
With you in array
Restrain the people
Inexperienced in battle.
When the trees were enchanted
There was hope for the
trees,
That they should frustrate
the intention
Of the surrounding fires....
Better are three in unison,
And enjoying themselves
in, a circle,
And one of them relating
The story of the deluge,
And of the cross of Christ,
And of the Day of judgement
near at hand.
The alder-trees in the
first line,
They made the commencement.
Willow and quicken tree,
They were slow in their
array.
The plum is a tree
Not beloved of men;
The medlar of a like
nature,
Over coming severe toil.
The bean bearing in its
shade
And army of phantoms.
The raspberry makes
Not the best of food.
In shelter live,
The privet and the woodbine,
And the ivy in its season.
Great is the gorse in
battle.
The cherry-tree had been
reproached.
The birch, though very
magnanimous,
Was late in arraying
himself;
It was not through cowardice,
But on account of his
great size.
The appearance of the
...
Is that of a foreigner
and a savage.
The pine-tree in the
court,
Strong in battle,
By me greatly exalted
In the presence of kings,
The elm-trees are his
subjects.
He turns not aside the
measure of a foot,
But strikes right in
the middle,
And at the farthest end.
The hazel is the judge,
His berries are thy dowry.
The privet is blessed.
Strong chiefs in war
And the ... and the mulberry.
Prosperous the beech-tree.
The holly dark green,
He was very courageous:
Defended with spikes
on every side,
Wounding the hands.
The long-enduring poplars
Very much broken in fight.
The plundered fern;
The brooms with their
offspring:
The furze was not well
behaved
Until he was tamed
The heath was giving
consolation,
Comforting the people
-
The black cherry-tree
was pursuing.
The oak-tree swiftly
moving,
Before him tremble heaven
and earth,
Stout doorkeeper against
the foe
Is his name in all lands.
The corn-cockle bound
together,
Was given to be burnt.
Others were rejected
On account of the holes
made
By great violence
In the field of battle.
Very wrathful the ...
Cruel the gloomy ash.
Bashful the chestnut-tree,
Retreating from happiness.
There shall be a black
darkness,
There shall be a shaking
of the mountain,
There shall be a purifying
furnace,
There shall first be
a great wave,
And when the shout shall
be heard,
Putting forth new leaves
are the tops of the beech,
Changing form and being
renewed from a withered state;
Entangled are the tops
of the oak.
From the Gorchan of Maelderw.
Smiling at the side of
the rock
(Was) the pear-tree not
of an ardent nature.
Neither of mother or
father,
When I was made,
Was my blood or body;
Of nine kinds of faculties,
Of fruit of fruits,
Of fruit God made me,
Of the blossom of the
mountain primrose,
Of the buds of trees
and shrubs,
Of earth of earthly kind.
When I was made
Of the blossoms of the
nettle,
Of the water of the ninth
wave,
I was spell-bound by
Math
Before I became immortal.
I was spell-bound by
Gwydion,
Great enchanter of the
Britons,
Of Eurys, of Eurwn,
Of Euron, of Medron,
In myriads of secrets,
I am as learned as Math....
I know about the Emperor
When he was half burnt.
I know the star-knowledge
Of stars before the earth
(was made),
Whence I was born,
How many worlds there
are.
It is the custom of accomplished
bards
To recite the praise
of their country.
I have played in Lloughor,
I have slept in purple.
Was I not in the enclosure
With Dylan Ail Mor,
On a couch in the centre
Between the two knees
of the prince
Upon two blunt spears?
When from heaven came
The torrents into the
deep,
Rushing with violent
impulse.
(I know) four-score songs,
For administering to
their pleasure.
There is neither old
nor young,
Except me as to their
poems,
Any other singer who
knows the whole of the nine hundred
Which are known to me,
Concerning the blood-spotted
sword.
Honour is my guide.
Profitable learning is
from the Lord.
(I know) of the slaying
of the boar,
Its appearing, its disappearing,
Its knowledge of languages.
(I know) the light whose
name is Splendour,
And the number of the
ruling lights
That scatter rays of
fire
High above the deep.
I have been a spotted
snake upon a hill;
I have been a viper in
a lake;
I have been an evil star
formerly.
I have been a weight
in a mill.
My cassock is red all
over.
I prophesy no evil.
Four score puffs of smoke
To every one l who will
carry them away:
And a million of angels,
On the point of my knife.
Handsome is the yellow
horse,
But a hundred times better
Is my cream-coloured
one,
Swift as the sea-mew,
Which cannot pass me
Between the sea and the
shore.
Am I not pre-eminent
in the field of blood?
I have a hundred shares
of the spoil.
My wreath is of red jewels,
Of gold is the border
of my shield.
There has not been born
one so good as I,
Or ever known,
Except Goronwy,
From the dales of Edrywy.
Long and white are my
fingers,
It is long since I was
a herdsman.
I travelled over the
earth
Before I became a learned
person.
I have travelled, I have
made a circuit,
I have slept in a hundred
islands;
I have dwelt in a hundred
cities.
Learned Druids,
Prophesy ye of Arthur?
Or is it me they celebrate,
And the Crucfixion of
Christ,
And the Day of Judgement
near at hand,
And one relating
The history of the Deluge
?
With a golden jewel set
in gold
I am enriched;
And I am indulging in
pleasure
Out of the oppressive
toil of the goldsmith.
