Ar Lan Y Môr

Introduction

“Ar Lan Y Môr” is a Welsh folk song, and when examining its history, it is important to understand the relationship between the two most important, but distinct, elements of traditional Welsh music, the words and the tune.

First, let’s consider the words. Typically, the words to the folk songs come from traditional stanzas known as penillion. Edward Jones was the “first to record in print a collection of penillion.” In his 1784 book Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards, he writes,

“Of the Welsh pennillion, or, epigrammatic stanzas; and pastorals. … These have been transmitted to us by oral tradition from time immemorial, and still are the domestic and colloquial Poetry of the natives of Wales, a people uncommonly awake to all the impressions of sorrow, love, and joy.

“The word Pennill is derived from Pen, a Head: because these stanzas flowed extempore from, and were treasured in, the Head, without being committed to paper. Pennill may also signify a brief head, or little subject.”

Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards, Edward Jones, 1784, p. 30

The most talented singers would have a vast store of stanzas memorized, which they could apply to a variety of traditional tunes, demonstrating their proficiency and knowledge by timing them appropriately and combining them sensibly.

This tradition of mixing and matching is very different from what we consider to be a “song,” in that a particular set of words is combined exclusively to a particular tune or melody.

When discussing this song and its history, I think it’s important to examine both the history of the two elements together, as well as separately.

In this article I’ll cover:

• A. The Song: the words and tunes together
  • 1. 1911 – Alys Morgan – Tonic Sol Fa
  • 2. 1937 – Journal of the Welsh Folk-Song Society, No. 11, Vol. III, Part 3 – Two Variants
  • 3. 1975 – Folksongs of Britain and Ireland – From print sources and Ben Phillips’ 1953 recording
  • 4. Common modern verses, with English translation
    • Notes on Translation
• B. The Penillion (verses)
  • 1. Ar lan y môr mae rhosys cochion … Beside the sea there are red roses …
  • 2. Ar lan y môr mae carreg wastad … Beside the sea there is a grave stone …
  • 3. Ar lan y môr mae cerrig gleision … Beside the sea are blue-gray pebbles …
  • 4. Llawn yw’r môr o swnd a chregyn … Full is the sea of sand and seashells …
  • 5. Mor hardd yw’r haul yn codi’r bore … How beautiful is the rising sun …
  • 6. Tros y môr y mae fy nghalon … Over the sea, there is my spirit …
  • 7. Oer yw’r rhew ac oer yw’r eira … Cold is the frost and cold is the snow …
  • 8. Mae gen i fuwch a dau gorn arian … I have a cow with two silver horns …
  • 9. Dacw’r ty a dacw’r talcen … Yonder’s the house and yonder’s the gable …s
• C. The Tune Family (an overview)

A. Words and Tune Together

In this section I will examine “Ar Lan Y Mor” as a “song,” with the same or similar verses applied to the same or similar tunes, accounting for the variations of an oral tradition. I’ll begin with the earliest I’ve found in print and end with the modern interpretation:

1. 1911 – Alys Morgan – Tonic Sol Fa
2. 1937 – Journal of the Welsh Folk-Song Society, No. 11, Vol. III, Part 3 – Two Variants
3. 1975 – Folksongs of Britain and Ireland – From print sources and Ben Phillips’ 1953 recording
4. Common modern verses, with English translation

1. 1911 – Alys Morgan – Tonic Sol Fa

As a folk song originally shared orally, “Ar Lan Y Mor cannot be dated with certainty, but the earliest I have found the tune and words in print together is 1911, in the Welsh romance novel Alys Morgan, published by “Moelona,” pen name of Elizabeth Mary Jones.

The music was written in Tonic-Sol-Fa notation, which I have transcribed into modern Western notation:

“Ar lan y môr mae lilis gwynion,
Ar lan y môr mae lilis cochion,
Ar lan y môr mae ‘nghariad inne,
Yn cysgu’n hwyr a chodi’n fore.”

Although 6/8 time makes more sense to me for this song, without 3 pick-up notes, I kept the notation in 3/4 time to maintain similarity to the other arrangements noted below.

top

2. 1937 – Journal of the Welsh Folk-Song Society, No. 11, Vol. III, Part 3 – Two Variants

The next time the tune and words appear together in print is in the Journal of the Welsh Folk-Song Society, No. 11, Vol. III, Part 3, published in 1937. On pages 125-126 they printed two versions, numbers 60 and 61. I transcribe the notation and notes below.

60 – Ar Lan Y Mor.
(On the Seashore.)

Ar lan y môr mae rhosus cochion;
Ar lan y môr mae lilis gwynion;
Ar lan y môr mae ‘nghariad inne,
Yn cysgu’r nos, a chodi’r bore.

(By the seaside there are red roses;
By the seaside there are white lilies;
By the seaside my sweetheart lives,
Sleeping at night and rising in the morning.)

Noted by Mr. W. T. Mathias, M.Sc., Liverpool, from the singing of Mr. Ivor T. Jenkins, London.

The words are a typical example of the “Triads” so well-known in old Welsh literature. Of the three objects or ideas mentioned, the third often forms a kind of climax to the other two, or, in some cases it is contrasted with them.

But what is of equal interest is that the first three lines of the tune generally begin with the same formula, the fourth being different. Many interesting examples of this close correspondence in form between triad stanzas and their music might be quoted. – ED.

“There is an early Victorian tinge about this one. Its phrases are very familiar in old-fashioned drawingroom ballads.” Miss A. G. Gilchrist.

“A little gem. So sincere and so characteristic of our very best and most expressive folk tunes. I hope there are several verses available.” E. T. Davies.

Journal of the Welsh Folk-Song Society, No. 11, Vol. III, Part 3, 1937, p. 125-126

61 – Ar Lan Y Mor. Tune 2.

Lan y môr mae lilis gwynion:
Lan y môr mae lilis cochion:
Lan y môr mae ‘nghariad inne,
Cysgu’r nos a chodi’r bore.

Noted by Mr. Philip Thomas from the singing of Mr. Robert Richards, Troedyrhiw. This “Triad tune” maintains the correspondence with the three first lines of the stanza more closely than the preceding tune even. Mr. Thomas adds the following traditional verse, a variant of which has already appeared in the Journal:

Dacw’r fuwch a’i dou gorn arian,
Dacw’r fuwch sy’n godro’i hunan,
Dacw’r fuwch sy’n llanw’r stwcia
Fel mae’r môr yn taro’r tonna’.

Journal of the Welsh Folk-Song Society, No. 11, Vol. III, Part 3, 1937, p. 126

top

3. 1975 – Folksongs of Britain and Ireland – From print sources and Ben Phillips’ 1953 recording

“Ar Lan Y Mor” was also included in Folksongs of Britain and Ireland, edited by Peter Kennedy, 1975.

Ar Lan Y Mor
Beside the Sea

1 Ar lan y môr mae rhosys chochion
Ar lan y môr mae lilis gwynion
Ar lan y môr mae nghariad inne
Yn cysgu’r nos a chodi’r bore

2 Oer yw’r rhew ac oer yw’r eira
Oer yw’r tŷ heb dân yn y gaea’
Oer yw’r eglwys heb ddim ffeirad
Oer wyf innau heb fy nghariad

3 Dacw’r tŷ a dacw’r talcen
Lle ces i nosweithiau llawen
Ar y llofft uwchben y gegin
Gyda’r ferch â’r rhuban melyn

4 Mae gen i fuwch â dau gorn arian,
Mae gen i fuwch sy’n godro’i hunan
Mae gen fuwch sy’n llanw’r stwcau
Fel mae’r môr yn llanw’r baeau

Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland, Edited by Peter Kennedy, 1975, p. 137

Kennedy also included English translations for these verses, but I do not include them here because I provide translations in the next section. Kennedy includes the following additional information on p. 165 in the tune notes:

“Ben Phillips, Lochtwrffin, Pembrokeshire, rec. E Cleaver and S. Ennis, 1953: BBC 20192

“Printed versions
JWFSS: 1937, vol. III, part 3, pp 125-6
Gwynn Williams: 1963, no. 100, p. 132

“On the BBC recording Ben Philips sang the first verse:

Ar lan y môr mae rhosys cochion
Ar lan y môr mae lilis gwynion
Ar lan y môr mae glân rhosynnau
Ar lan y môr mae nghariad innau

Beside the sea there are red roses
Beside the sea there are lovely lilies
Beside the sea there are beautiful roses
Beside the sea my sweetheart lives

“A variant, Hen Benillion (T. H. Parry Williams) printed by J. D. Lewis & Son, Gwasg Gomer, Llandyssul, 1940, p. 90, No. 343 and p. 92, No. 351, reads thus:

Ar lan y môr mae carreg wastad
Lle bûm yn siarad gair â’m cariad,
O amgylch hon fe dyf y lili,
Ac ambell gangen o rosmari.

Beside the sea a rock is standing
Where once my love and I were loving
About the rock there grows the lily
Beside it also grows some rosemary

Yng nglan y môr mae carrig gleison
Yng nglan y môr blodau’r meibion
Yng nglan y môr mae pob rhinweddau
Yng nglan y môr mae nghariad innau

Beside the sea are bluish pebbles
Beside the sea are silver brambles
Beside the sea is truth excelling
Beside the sea my love is dwelling

“The ‘triad’ formula is well known in Welsh literature, the triad being the three ideas expressed, and the third idea being the climax or contrast. They are the single traditional stanzas typer referred to as Hen Benillion (Old Stanzas). The particular version noted from Pembrokeshire is interesting in as much that the formula ascends a third with every idea with a different twist in the phrases.”

Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland, Edited by Peter Kennedy, 1975, p. 137, 165

It seems that the British Library now holds the Ben Phillips recording, which has been digitized but can only be heard in the library reading rooms. The shelfmarks in the Sound & Moving Image Catalogue are “C604/1363 C3” and “C604/1405 C12.” You can also find more information about the recording at the Folktrax website, but unfortunately the company/website that sold the recordings no longer exists.

I found the sound recording posted in a few places online: I am talking to you Hawthornbush, traditionalsong.tumblr.com, and Terre Celtiche Blog, from which the following audio file is shared.

I already discussed the printed versions in the Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, mentioned in the tune notes. I have not been able to find local or digital copies of the Gwynn Williams book or Hen Benillion by T. H. Parry Williams to compare and reference.

top

4. Common modern verses, with English translation

“Ar Lan Y Mor” appears in many places online and in print, either as lyrics alone or with notation, but presented as a “song” by modern definitions. All the modern collections include the first verse, but vary in which additional verses they include. I have numbered the verses as a reference tool, not to indicate their order of importance or the order in which they must be sung.

The additional verses are included seem to fall into 3 categories, which I will discuss in greater detail below:

1. Verses 2 – 5: the Malcolm Cowen penillion
2. Verses 2, 3, 4, 6: the “Y Mor a Chariad” (The Sea and Love)/Peter Kennedy penillion
3. Verses 7 – 9: the Ben Phillips penillion

a. Malcolm Cowen penillion

I refer to verses 1 – 5 as the Malcolm Cowen penillion because verses 1-5 appear on his website with a very nice, artistic translation. He placed his translation (which he dates to 2008) in the public domain, and it is these words with his translation which appear in the “Ar Lan Y Mor” Wikipedia article, first published in 2009.

Cowen doesn’t say where the Welsh words originated, but I imagine his website and Wikipedia are the ultimate origin for these words and translation in other locations, on the web and off, including Welsh Nursery Rhymes, Wales Guidebook, Omniglot, the print sources Treasure Each Voice and Only Men Aloud – Y Llyfr / The Book, and this version by Cerys Matthews on YouTube.

b. “Y Mor a Chariad” (The Sea and Love) penillion

I refer to these verses as the “Y Mor a Chariad” (The Sea and Love) penillion because of the book Penillion Telyn (Harp Verses), published in 1894. Unfortunately, this book has not been digitized, but I was able to purchase a copy and I can share the details here.

The title page reads:

Penillion Telyn. Casglwyd gan W. Jenkyn Thomas, B.A., Athraw yng Ngholeg Bangor. Rhan I.

(Harp Verses. Collected by W. Jenkyn Thomas, B. A., Professor at Bangor College. Volume I.)

The introduction is dated February 10, 1894. I believe it is one of the first penillion collections to group the verses thematically, i.e. “Dacw” (Yonder), “Serch” (Love). Many of the common “Ar Lan Y Mor” verses appear in the group titled “Y Mor a Chariad.” (The Sea and Love.), which I copy and translate here:

All seven verses were printed together (without the Roman numerals) on Dec. 7, 1895, in the Welsh newspaper Y Werin, “The Folk.”

Verse 6 is the only new verse not included in the Cowen list, but it is included in other sets of lyrics, including those of Richard Gillion and Alawon Cymreig (Welsh Tunes).

Regarding the first two verses (CCCXL), I found this interesting note on the Mudcat page discussing the song “Glan Mor Heli”,

“Before the Welsh singer, Siwsi George, passed away, she was working on a CD of songs involving birds. She told me that, over the centuries, the roles played by birds changed. In the 19th & 20th centuries, for instance, blackbirds were the ones who carried love messages and knew ‘stuff’ in general but in previous years the fashions were different. I know she was looking at the roles of seagulls, owls, magpies, cuckoos, etc.”

From: sian, west wales, Date: 14 Mar 09 – 05:52 AM

These two verses clearly illustrate the “seagull as messenger” idea.

Verse 4 appears in this collection as well, on p. 58, in the “Serch” (Love) category:

Llawn yw’r môr o heli chregyn,
Llawn yw’r wy o wyn a melyn,
Llawn yw’r coed o ddail a blodau,
Llawn o gariad merch wyf finnau.

Penillion Telyn, W. Jenkyn Thomas, 1894, p. 58

Note the slight alteration in the phrasing of the first line – “heli chregyn” (briny shells), rather than “swnd a chregyn” (sand and shells). Such variations are typical of the oral tradition.

A variation of Verse 9 also appears in this collection, on p. 74, in the “Dacw’r” (There/Yonder) category:

I will note here one other verse from Penillion Telyn which shares the fourth line with Verse 1:

Not only do whole verses “float,” but individual lines and ideas as well!

Penillion Telyn may have been a source of many later collections, including the book referenced by Peter Kennedy in the “Ar Lan Y Mor” tune notes, Hen Benillion by T. H. Parry Williams, from which he noted verses 2 and 3. Those two verses, with Kennedy’s translation, were in turn reprinted in the Tanglewood Music Center 2015 Yearbook.

c. Ben Phillips penillion

Finally, many modern versions of the song include verses 7-9, the three verses sung by Ben Phillips and included in Peter Kennedy’s Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland. All or most of the verses (including those in the two other categories) appear on Musicanet.org, the former Welsh Society of Central Ohio website, Richard B. Gillion’s website, and on the Mudcat.org thread.

top

Translation Notes:

On the difficulty of translating poetry, I quote from “Thoughts on Translation” by H. Idris Bell, published in The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, Session 1941,

“… How is the cargo of magical words which is a poem, words radiant with an immortal beauty, to be conveyed across the gulf which separates one language from another without fatally tarnishing their lustre?

“Yng nglan y môr mae carreg wastad,
Lle bûm i’n siarad gair â’m cariad:
Oddeutu hon mae teim yn tyfy
Ac ambell sbrigynn o rosmari.

“How is the immaculate perfection of that gem to be preserved in any other setting?

“If, as I have maintained, a poem is an indissoluble unity of content and form and therefore unique, the attempt to transfer it intact into any other tongue is manifestly idle. All that the translator can hope to do is write in his own language a parallel poem, a poem which produces an impression corresponding with that made on him in the original.”

H. Idris Bell, “Thoughts on Translation,” p. 19

In my translations, my aims were to be as literal as possible and to maintain 9 syllables per line. This is more in keeping with the translations in the Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, that appear with the following note,

“The translations had to be as nearly literal as possible, and any one who has ever attempted such a task will know how very difficult it is to avoid making a literal translation sound awkward, sometimes even ridiculous. The difficulty is greatly increased where much of the charm of the original consists in ingenuity of versification. The translator [Llew Tegid] says, – “I have written them in a kind of rhythmic prose, most of them the same metre as the Welsh : these might be sung, but they rarely rhyme. It would have been impossible to write metrical translations without too great a departure from the original.”

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol. II, Part 2, 1919, p. 66

Other sources offer more artistic translations, “parallel poems,” as Bell phrases it. The best I found were these:

• Malcolm Cowen
• User “Guest:Rory” on the Mudcat thread “Ar Lan Y Mor”
• Folksongs of Britain and Ireland

Finally, a few phrases in particular proved difficult to translate: “carreg wastad” (*), “blodau’r meibion” (**), and “rhuban melyn” (***).

“Carreg wastad” (*) literally means “flat stone.” Carreg Wastad Point is a location on the coast of Wales,

“a spot historically celebrated for the landing of the French in 1797. A body of men, 1400 in number, under the command of General Tate were disembarked at this point and proceeded inland as far as Fishguard, committing ravages in their career. At this juncture, however, they were met by a body of yeomanry under Lord Cawdor, the Lord-Lieutenant of the county, and, being by some misapprehension deserted by the ships which had left the coast, were obliged to surrender unconditionally, and lodged in the gaols of Pembroke, Haverfordwest, and others in the district. A large number of Welshwomen, in their characteristic red petticoats, viewed the transaction from the neighbouring hills, thus giving the enemy the notion that they were surrounded by much larger forces than really were present.”

A Handbook for Travellers in South Wales, Fourth Edition – Revised, 1890, p. 192

A memorial stone now marks the location. The University of St. Andrews has an old photo in their collections.

My choice to translate “carreg wastad” as “grave stone” comes from two comments in the Mudcat forum regarding the song. “Flat stone,” when coupled with the references to either lilies and rosemary or thyme and rosemary (see verse history below), plants associated with coffins or graves, alludes to a (flat) gravestone. Some versions of the verse begin “Yng nglan y môr,” rather than “Ar lan y môr,” and a user points out that “llan,” a mutation of “glan,” has the meaning of a churchyard. This reinforces the idea of a graveyard, or a lover lost in the graveyard of the sea.

“Blodau’r meibion” (**) literally means “flowers of the sons,” but the phrase is open to interpretation. A secondary meaning of “blodau” is “(usually pl.) the flower (the chief, foremost, or most superior), the best, the most select; prime (n.), acme.” In this sense the phrase would translate as “the best young man,” or “the flower of all young men.”

On the other hand, Malcolm Cowen writes that “”blodau’r meibion / young men’s flowers” = St John’s Wort (which has golden flowers),” and translates the line as “Beside the sea gold flowers glowing.” He did provide any evidence or citations for this assertion, however, and since I haven’t been able to corroborate this colloquial reference, I based my translation off of the first meaning.

“Rhuban melyn” (***) translates simply to “yellow ribbon.” Honestly, it’s pretty clear cut, except that it’s just a weird detail or image, and I wonder if there is a euphemism or double entendre at play here that doesn’t translate. For some reason the “loft above the kitchen” brings to mind the phrase “a roll in the hay,” and maybe the yellow ribbon ties into that imagery somehow, or the meaning has been lost to time, or there’s no significance at all.

top

B. History of the Verses

The exact age of these penillion verses is unknown, but in this section I will trace each verse in print.

1. Ar lan y môr mae rhosys cochion … Beside the sea there are red roses …

The first time a variation of this verse appears in print is in the 1911 Alys Morgan discussed above. This version differs slightly from the standard modern verse:

Ar lan y môr mae lilis gwynion,
Ar lan y môr mae lilis cochion,
Ar lan y môr mae ‘nghariad inne,
Yn cysgu’n hwyr a chodi’n fore.

Alys Morgan, 1911, p. 7 (emphasis added)

In the first line, we have lilies rather than roses, and “gwynion” and “cochion” have been reversed. In the last line, “hwyr” rather than “nos” changes the meaning only slightly. “Hwyr” means “late” or “evening,” as opposed to “nos,” meaning “night.” According to the online Dictionary of the Welsh Language, “hwyr a bore (bore (fore) a hwyr)” means “night and morning, (every) morning and afternoon.” With that in mind, “Yn cysgu’n hwyr a chodi’n fore” more closely translates to “Sleeping each evening and rising each morning.”

In the Journal of the Welsh Folk-song Society versions in 1937, discussed above, the first tune has “rhosus cochion” in the first line and “lilies gwynion” in the second, while the second tune has “lilis gwynion” followed by “lilies cochion.” The 1975 Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland, also discussed above, has “rhosys cochion” followed by “lilis gwynion.”

top

2. Ar lan y môr mae carreg wastad … Beside the sea there is a grave stone …

The earliest this verse appears in print is in the 1894 Penillion Telyn discussed above. The first line, however begins “Yng nglan y” rather than “Ar lan y,” and the third line has “Oddeutu hon y tyf” rather than “O amgylch hon fe gyf,” but these small variations do not change the meaning of the verse.

In the article “Penillion Telyn Cymru” (Welsh Harp Verses) by W. J. Gruffydd in Vol. 25 (1903) of Cymru, the second line of the verse reads “Lle bum yn scwrsio peth â ‘nghariad,” but again, the meaning is only slightly changed, to “chatted with my love” rather than “spoke a word to my love.”

There is one other common variation of this verse, where the third line reads “Oddeutu hon mae Thyme yn tyfu,” which first appears in Caneuon Gwerin Cymru (Welsh Folk Songs), 1919, as the second verse of “Dacw ‘nghariad i.” This translates to “Around the grave thyme grows.”

The third verse of “Dacw ‘nghariad i” is a variant of verse CCCXV in Penillion Telyn, discussed above. Compare them here:

The music of Caneuon Gwerin Cymru was arranged by W. Hubert Davies, who is described in the preface as “a gifted young Welsh musician.” Several people collected the tunes, including “J. Lloyd Williams, Esq., D.Sc., the first pioneer of the Welsh Folk-Song Movement, and Editor of the Society’s Journal.”

Mary Davies (author of the preface, and presumably related to the arranger) collected “Dacw ‘Nghariad I” (There’s my Sweetheart) from Mrs. Evans, Whitechurch, Glamorganshire, in 1908, who heard it sung at Llangammarch, in 1828, by Thomas Elias (Y Bardd Coch), a traveling tailor. It was first published in the Journal of the Welsh Folk-song Society, Vol. I, Part 2, 1910, p. 77, but with the first verse only:

The melody is in the “Nos Galan” tune family, however, rather than the “Ar Lan Y Mor” family, so I will not discuss the history of this song and verses here.

top

3. Ar lan y môr mae cerrig gleision … Beside the sea are blue-gray pebbles …

This penillion verse appears in print in:

• circa 1836 in Diliau y Delyn: sef Casgliad o Benillion Cymraeg, i’w Canu Gyd a’r Tannau (Structure and Support: a Collection of Welsh Verses, to be Sung Along with the Strings), by Peter Evans, as verse number 271 on p. 62.
• 1862 in “Cymru Fu,” Yn Cynwys Hanesion, Traddodiadau. yn Nghyda Chwedlau a Dammegion Cymreig. (Oddiar Lafar Gwlad a Gweithiau Y Prif Awduron). (“Wales of the Past;” Includes Histories, Traditions. with Welsh Legends and Miracles. (From the Spoken Word of the Country and the Works of the Main Authors).) on p. 365, in an article titled “Cant o Hen Benillion Cymreig” (One Hundred Old Welsh Verses).
• 1876 in Ceinion Llenyddiaeth Gymreig, Yn Cynnwys Detholion O Weithiau Prif Feirdd Ac Ysgrifenwyr Rhydd Ieithol Y Dywysogaeth O’r Bedwaredd Ganrif Ar Ddeg Hyd Yr Oes Hon; Yn Nghyda Darnau Detholedig O Gyfansoddiadau Rhai O’r Awdwyr Seis’nig, Wedi Eu Cyfieithu Yn Fwriadol I’r Gwaith Hwn (Welsh Literature Coins, Containing Selections From The Works Of The Main Poets And Free Language Writers Of The Principality From The Fourteenth Century To This Age; With Selected Pieces of the Compositions of Some of the English Authors, Intentionally Translated for this Work), edited by Rev. Owen Jones, on p. 286 in a section titled “Pennillion.”
• 1894, Penillion Telyn, see above.
• 1909, Hanes a Chyfansoddiadau Arobryn Eisteddfod Llangefni (Llangefni Eisteddfod Award Winning History and Compositions), p. 49 in the section titled “Hen Bennillion” (Old Verses).
• 1923, Y Cynganeddion Cymreig, At Wasanaeth Ysgolion a Dosbarthiadau (The Welsh Ancients, For the Service of Schools and Classes), by David Thomas, p. 274.

There are slight variations in spelling between these versions, but nothing substantial enough to change the meaning.

top

4. Llawn yw’r môr o swnd a chregyn … Full is the sea of sand and seashells …

The “o heli a chregyn” variation of this penillion verse mentioned in the appear in the Penillion Telyn section above also appears in:

• 1862 in “Cymru Fu,” Yn Cynwys Hanesion, Traddodiadau. yn Nghyda Chwedlau a Dammegion Cymreig. (Oddiar Lafar Gwlad a Gweithiau Y Prif Awduron). (“Wales of the Past;” Includes Histories, Traditions. with Welsh Legends and Miracles. (From the Spoken Word of the Country and the Works of the Main Authors).) on p. 365, in an article titled “Cant o Hen Benillion Cymreig” (One Hundred Old Welsh Verses).
• 1876 in Ceinion Llenyddiaeth Gymreig, Yn Cynnwys Detholion O Weithiau Prif Feirdd Ac Ysgrifenwyr Rhydd Ieithol Y Dywysogaeth O’r Bedwaredd Ganrif Ar Ddeg Hyd Yr Oes Hon; Yn Nghyda Darnau Detholedig O Gyfansoddiadau Rhai O’r Awdwyr Seis’nig, Wedi Eu Cyfieithu Yn Fwriadol I’r Gwaith Hwn (Welsh Literature Coins, Containing Selections From The Works Of The Main Poets And Free Language Writers Of The Principality From The Fourteenth Century To This Age; With Selected Pieces of the Compositions of Some of the English Authors, Intentionally Translated for this Work), edited by Rev. Owen Jones, on p. 286 in a section titled “Pennillion.”

The “o sand a chregyn” variation first appears in a poem titled “Hiraeth Mab ar ol ei Gariad” (“A Boy’s Longing for his Love”). I found this poem digitized in two places:

1. circa 1905 in Cerddi Cymru, Casgliad o Caneuon Cymreig, Hen a Diweddar, Cyfrol II. (Welsh Poems, A collection of Welsh Songs, Old and New, Volume II.), p. 128.
2. undated, in a Welsh broadside ballad sheet

A poem by the same title is also listed in the index to Cerddi Onllwyn (Onllwyn Poems) by D. Onllwyn Brace, published in 1888, with the note “Testyn cystadleuol yn Eisteddfod y Porth” (Competitive text at the Porth Eisteddfod), but the digitization cuts off before the page the poem appears on, so I have not been able to confirm if it is the same text.

Here it is as it appears in Cerddi Cymru:

Hiraeth Mab ar ol ei Gariad.

Yn y môr y mae pysgodyn, A, B, C,
Ac ar y traeth yr wy’n ei ‘mofyn, 1, 2, 3,
Yn yr ysgol mae dysgeidiaeth, A, B, L, ac O. P. Q.
Ar fy nghalon fach mae hiraeth, R ac S, T ac U.

Mae blodau ffeind y’ngardd y gard’ner, &c.
Ac enw rhai’n yw caru’n ofer, &c.
Torwch i mi bwys o rhei’ny, &c.
Fel bwy’n cofio cywir garu, &c.

Llawn yw’r môr o sand a chregyn, &c.
Llawn yw’r ŵy o wyn a melyn, &c.
Llawn yw’r coed o ddail a blodau, &c.
A llawn o gariad merch wyf finnau, &c.

Pan o’wn yn rhodio mynwent eglwys, &c.
Disgwyliwn am he teg i orffwys, &c.
Tarawn fy mhwys ar fedd f’anwylyd, &c.
Mi glywn fy nghalon fach yn symud, &c.

Haen o bridd a cherryg hefyd, &c.
Sydd rhyngwyf fi a chorff f’anwylyd, &c.
A phedair astell wedi eu hoelio, &c.
Pe bawn i’n well mi dorwn honno, &c.

Trwm yw’r pridd, a thrwm yw’r cerryg, &c.
Trwm yw calon pob dyn unig, &c.
Tryma peth tan haul a lleuad, &c.
Yw canu ffarwel lle bo cariad, &c.

Cerddi Cymru, p. 128

Most of this poem appears, with translation and notation, in six places in the Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society:

• (1) Verses 4 and 5 in Vol. I, Part 2, 1910, p. 71 as “3. Pan O’wn I’n Rhodio’n Mynwent Eglwys.”
• (2) Verses 2, 3, and 6 in Vol. I, Part 4, 1912, p. 184-5, in the section titled “I. Nos. 8 – 22. – Lisa Lân”, which is part of “Additions to the Tunes, Words, and Critical Notes Published in Parts I., II., III.”
• (3) Verse 1 in Vol. I, Part 4, 1912, p. 192, in the section titled “II. No. 3 Pan Own I’n Rhodio Mynwent Eglwys. (As I walked in a Church yard).”, which is also part of “Additions to the Tunes, Words, and Critical Notes Published in Parts I., II., III.”
• (4) Verse 1 in Vol. II, Part 2, 1919, p. 77 in “27. – Yn Y Môr Y Mae Pysgodyn.”
• (5) Verses 4 and 6 in Vol. II, Part 4, 1925, p. 175-7 in “170 – Pan O’wn I’n Rhodio’n Mynwent Eglwys. A variant” and “171 – Mynwent Eglwys. Another tune.”
• (6) Verses 3 and 4 in Vol. IV, Part 2, 1951, p. 51-2 in “29. Mynwent Eglwys”

First, verses 4 and 5 in Vol. I, Part 2, 1910, p. 71 as “3. Pan O’wn I’n Rhodio’n Mynwent Eglwys.” The tune is in the “Ar Lan Y Mor” family:

The notes to this song are:

(1. As I wandered through the churchyard,
seeking a pleasant spot to rest in,
I struck my foot against the grave of my beloved,
and I felt my heart start.

2. A layer of earth and stones
separate me from my loved one,
and four boards nailed together.
If it would avail, I should break through them.)

Noted by Mr. John Morris of Festiniog, from the singing of a young girl who had heard it in one of the hotels where she served as barmaid. – ED.

“It shows a good deal of likeness to a tune that one often gets in Scotland and England to words such as ‘I thrust my hand into a bush, and little thought what love could do.’ For one example in common time (though it is often given in ¾ time), see ‘Deep in love,’ Songs of the West, old edition, No. 86.” – L. B.

“The words are well known, though not usually in the form given in the text.” – J. H. D. ‘

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol. I, Part 2, 1910, p. 71

Second, verses 2, 3, and 6 in Vol. I, Part 4, 1912, p. 184-5, in the section titled “I. Nos. 8 – 22. – Lisa Lân”, which is part of “Additions to the Tunes, Words, and Critical Notes Published in Parts I., II., III.” Again, the tune is in the same family.

With the following additional notes:

(1. There are fine flowers in the gardener’s garden;
their names are ‘Loving in Vain.’
Cut me a posy so that I
may remember to love truly.

2. The sea is full of sand and shells;
the egg is full of white and yellow;
the trees are full of leaves and flowers,
and I am full of the love of a maid.

4. Heavy is the earth, and heavy the stones;
heavy is the heart of every lonely man;
the heaviest thing under sun and moon
is to bid farewell where there is love.)

Sent to the Colwyn Bay Eisteddfod competition, by “Asaph,” probably from the Swansea district.

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol, I, Part IV, 1912, p. 184-5

Third, verse 1 in Vol. I, Part 4, 1912, p. 192, in the section titled “II. No. 3 Pan Own I’n Rhodio Mynwent Eglwys. (As I walked in a Church yard).”, which is also part of “Additions to the Tunes, Words, and Critical Notes Published in Parts I., II., III.”, with notes only that read,

“A slightly different form is found in the Colwyn Bay Eisteddfod prize collection, noted by Mr. Soley Thomas from the singing of Mr. Humphreys, Machynlleth. The differences are very slight, the second note in the second line is C not A, and there are no triplets. The following additional verse is given: –

Yn y môr y mae pysgodyn,
Ac ar y traeth yr wy’n ei ‘mofyn,
Yn yr ysgol mae dysgeidiaeth,
Ac ar fy nghalon fach mae hiraeth.

(In the sea there is a fish,
And on the shore I seek it.
In the school there is learning,
and in my little heart there is longing.)

“A remarkably quaint and expressive melody on the words “Pan ow’n i’n rhodio,” &c., has been recorded by Mrs. Herbert Lewis, in Flintshire; it will appear in a future number of the Journal.”

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol, I, Part IV, 1912, p. 192

The Colwyn Bay Eisteddfod was held in 1910, and the Welsh Folk Song Society offered prizes for the “best and second best collections of unpublished Welsh folk-songs.” (JWFSS, Vol. I, Part 1, 1909, p. 12)

Fourth, Verse 1 appears again in Volume II, Part 2, 1919, p. 77, but the tune is quite different, possibly a remote relative of Nos Galan, with a “fol di rol di” chorus:

With the following notes:

(1. In the sea a fish is sporting,
On the shore I go to seek it;
In the school there is much learning,
And in my heart is grievous longing.

2. Happy I’d be, – but sad, it isn’t, –
If my shirt-front were glass transparent,
So the maidens all might witness
That my heart is held in bondage.)

Sung to the editor by Mr. John Williams, Inspector of Postmen, Bangor, who had learnt it from his father who died 48 years ago.

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol. II, Part 2, 1919, p. 77

Fifth, two variants appear in Volume II, Part 4. The tune of the first is in the same tune family as “Ar Lan Y Mor.”

This variant includes the following note:

“Noted by Mr. Philip Thomas, Neath “from the singing of Dr. Prys Williams, H.M.I. when he visited the Folk-Song class at the Llanwrtyd Holiday School, August, 1921. He said it used to be sung a great deal by the sailors along the shores of Cardigan Bay. The following additional words were obtained from an old lady in North Carmarthenshire.

Eisteddais lawr, dechreuias wylo,
Nes daeth rhyw ddyn dieithr heibo;
‘O cwyd dy ben a phaid a wylo,
Fe gei di gariad newydd eto.

‘Nid wyf fi ddim ond gwan obeithio,
Na chaf fi gariad newydd eto;
Ond mawr drueni sy’ arna ‘i weled
Ddodi pridd ar fab mor laned.

“This simple Dorian air is symmetrical in form and full of feeling. There is the same insistence on the 4th of the keynote as in the tune quoted above, but here it is effectively echoed in the third line by an emphasis on the 4th of the dominant.”

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol. II, Part 4, 1925, p. 175-7

The next variant is not in the same tune family, again possibly in the “Nos Galan” family rather than the “Lisa Lân/Ar Lan Y Mor” family. I included the notation here as a demonstration of the variety of ways penillion can be applied to different tunes.

This version includes the following verses in Welsh and English:

This is followed by the following notes, and is apparently the version referenced in Volume I as appearing in a later issue:

“”Sung by Mrs. Jane Williams, Holywell, August, 1911. It is her favourite song. She used to sing it to each of her twelve children when babies ‘to cheer them up!’ She had all her songs from her mother, who had used this song for the same purpose for her children. The words are found in different versions all over Wales, and I have recorded one version in Cardiganshire, which has the refrain ‘Tally ho! I lost my love!’ after each line. Mr. J. H. Davies has kindly supplied me with the following note – ‘Mynwent Eglwys’ seems to me to be merely a string of penillion. The first verse is in Jones’ Poetical-Relics, 1734 [sic], p. 39, and on p. 34 there is a penill beginning ‘Trwm yw’r plwm a thrwm yw’r cerrig.’ Of another I find this version –

‘Nid oes rhyngof ag e ‘heno
Onid arch a phridd ac amdo;
Mi fum lawer gwaith ymhellach,
Ond nid erioed a chalon drymach.’

“It is easy to see what infinite variations could be written on these, and I am inclined to think that many of ballad singers strung suitable penillion together when they had a good tune. I give the words here exactly as they were sung.” – Lady Lewis.

This interesting tune, though in the Major Key, when sung slowly is full of pathos; and the unusual modulation in the middle gives to the tune an expressive quaintness all its own.

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol. II, Part 4, 1925, p. 175-7

The year 1734 in reference to Edward Jones’ works should be 1784. Here are the two penillion referenced:

A mi ‘n rhodio ‘monwent eglwys,
Lle ‘r oedd anryw gyph yn gorphwys;
Trawn fy nbroed wrth fedd fy ‘nwylyd,
Clywn fy nghalon yn dymchwelyd!

Trwm yw ‘r plwm, a thrwm yw’r cerrrig,
Trom yw calon pob dyn unig;
Trymma peth rhwng haul a lleaud,
Canu ‘n iach, lle byddo cariad!

Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards, Edward Jones, 1784, p. 39, 34

In the 1794 version he reprints the verses and provides the following (artistic) translations:

Along the church-yard as I stray’d,
Where many a mould’ring corpse is laid:
My conscious heart its pain confest,
As on my love’s green sod I prest!

Sad and heavy sinks the stone,
On the lake’s smooth surface thrown;
Man oppress’d by sorrow’s weight
Sadly sinks beneath his fate;
But the saddest thing to tell,
Is to love, and bid farewel!

Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards, Edward Jones, 1794, p. 68, 65

I would also like to draw attention to Lady Lewis’ comment about the ballad singers stringing penillion together to make a cohesive “song” when they found a “good tune.” It may be that the all of the stanzas of “Hiraeth Mab ar ol ei Gariad” are penillion, not just the already documented second, third, fourth, and sixth. Assuming it is the same poem in the Cerddi Onllwyn collection, which is described as a “competitive text” rather than simply a poem, I think it is likely.

Finally, verses 3 and 4 appear in Vol. IV, Part 2, 1951, p. 51-2 in “29. Mynwent Eglwys”:

Again, the tune here is quite different, but I wanted to include this version because like the original “Hiraeth Mab ar ol ei Gariad,” it has the alphabetical refrain, not just the “fol di rol di” chorus. In the notes there are several other verses, including “Llawn yw’r mor o swnd a chregin…”, and a note in Welsh about where it was collected.

Here it is a variation performed by Meredydd Evans:

But moving on from “Hiraeth Mab ar ol ei Gariad,” we also find a variation of verse 4 in the song “Y Deryn Du A’i Blyfyn Sidan,” published in the Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol. IV, Part 1, 1948, p. 18-19.

With these notes:

(A young man asks the Blackbird “with his silken plume, his golden bill, and his silver tongue” to go to Cydweli, and bring him news of the maid he loves. The three other verses occur as parts of other songs).

The tune and words were sent to me by Mr. A Leslie Tusler, Barry County School for Boys, June, 1936, with the accompanying information. “At the suggestion of my father-in-law, Mr.  J. C. McClean, I am sending you the accompanying little tune. It was sung to a colleague of mine on the staff here, Mr. D. Gwynallt Evans, Senior Welsh Teacher and Radio Playwright, by an old lady during some researches of his in the Swansea Valley . . . . As far as the old lady knew, the tune had never been recorded, so she sang it to Mr. Evans until he knew it by heart; and he, in turn hummed it over to me. As the melody has a somewhat unusual turn in the 3rd phrase, I suggested to Mr. Evans that perhaps he had not got it quite right, but he hastened to assure me that this is one of the few tunes he can hum ‘without having to stop to think how it goes’ as he put it . . . . 

This particular version of the words is in the dialect of the Swansea Valley . . . . If I should not have copied them correctly (although for a Sais my Welsh is not too bad), it is because I am not familiar with this particular dialect.” – J.Ll.W.

“The melody reminds me of ‘Barbara Allen.’ It is full of true folk-song feeling and matches the words perfectly. Are you satisfied that the last bar is recorded correctly? The repeated F sharp is not in keeping with the melodic folk-idiom of the tune. E would be more natural, thus: -|m.f,m:r.d:-||” – E.T.D.

“Reminiscent of ‘Barbara Allen’.” – DeLloyd.

“A composed tune.” – A.G.G.

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol. IV, Part 1, 1948, p. 18-19

First, I’ll note that the tune is in the “Ar Lan Y Mor” family.

Secondly, the biggest difference in comparison to verse 4 is the addition of “iawn” (very) to every line. Also, the first and second lines have been reversed. Finally, the last line has been altered slightly from “Llawn o gariad merch wyf inne.” (So full of love for a girl am I.) to “Llawn iawn o gariad ydw inna.” (So very full of love am I.). The small variations in spelling are due to the dialect in which the tune was sung.

“Llawn iawn” is a popular alternative today, as well, according to “sian, west wales” in the Mudcat.org thread about the song:

“Again, I think a lot sing “Llawn iawn” at the beginning of each line here, and “llawn iawn o gariad ydwyf inne” for the last line. (But I’m working from memory.) There’s an historical reason why I prefer doing this (as well as the argument for keeping the pattern of previous verses); one ethnomusicologist has suggested a connection between the several Welsh songs starting with a 4 or 5 single-note opening, with the old-time Welsh preaching ‘hwyl’.”

Mudcat.org, RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Ar Lan Y Mor, From: sian, west wales, Date: 31 Jul 02 – 04:59 AM

Finally, I’d like to discuss the words of the first and second verses of “Y Deryn Du” and their relationship with other penillion and folktunes.

Lines 1 and 2 of the second verse appear in 1888 in the Dictionary of the Welsh Language, Vol. II, under the entry “Beili,”

All of verse 2 appears together with the first two lines of verse 1 in the Transactions of the National Eisteddfod of Wales, Blaenau Festiniog, 1898, in “Pennod XI. Hwian-gerddi” (Chapter 11. Nursery Rhymes),

Aderyn bach a’i bluen sidan,
A’i big aur a’i dafod arian;
Dacw’r tŷ a dacw’r ‘sgubor,
Dacw’r beudy a’r drws yn agor;
Dacw’r dderwen fawr yn tyfu,
A’r man lle mynaf gael fy nghladdu.

Transactions of the National Eisteddfod of Wales, Blaenau Festiniog, 1898, p. 161

A little bird with his silken feather,
And his golden beak and his silver tongue;
There is the house and there is the barn,
There is the door of the cowshed opne;
There the great oak grows,
And the place I want to be buried.

Translation

Finally, as mentioned above, lines 1 and 2 appear in “Dacw ‘nghariad i,” which came up in the history of verse 2 above, published in the the Journal of the Welsh Folk-song Society, Vol. I, Part 2, 1910, p. 77.

Dacw ‘nghariad i lawr yn y berllan,
O na bawn i yno fy hunan,
Dacw’r ty, a dacw’r ‘scubor,
Dacw ddrws y beudy’n agor.

Journal of the Welsh Folk-song Society, Vol. I, Part 2, 1910, p. 77

There is my love down in the orchard,
O that I were there myself,
There is the house, and there is the barn,
There the cowshed door is open.

Translation

“Dacw ‘nghariad i” was subsequently reprinted in Caneuon Gwerin Cymru (Welsh Folk Songs), 1919, along with a variation on Verse 2, “Ar lan y mor mae carreg wastad …”. This connection only strengthens the overall connection between the “Y deryn du” tune and the “Ar lan y mor” tunes.

top

5. Mor hardd yw’r haul yn codi’r bore … How beautiful is the rising sun …

This is the only common modern verse that I could not find documented in digitized print. The earliest I find it in print is in the 2002 book Now, Then, by Andrew McNeillie, in the notes about his poem “Allt,” p. 115. The most similar penillion verse I could find appears quoted by Talhaiarn in his book Gwaith Talhaiarn. The Works of Talhaiarn, in Welsh and English, published in 1855:

Regarding the word “llwyn,” A Dictionary of Welsh Language provides this definition, “bush, shrub, brake, thicket; copse, grove, arbour; woods, forest; (esp. in love-poetry) the traditional rendezvous of lovers, symbol of love or romance” (emphasis added).

While this lack of print evidence does not necessarily mean the verse isn’t old, it certainly is an outlier compared to the plentiful evidence supporting the age of the other stanzas. This glaring difference leads me to suspect that it is not a traditional penillion verse and has modern origins, despite being written in the “triad” style.

top

6. Tros y môr y mae fy nghalon … Over the sea, there is my spirit …

This is one of the earliest recorded penillion – it appears on p. 39 of Edward Jones’ 1784 Musical and Political Relicks of the Welsh Bards, and again on p. 71 of the 1794 edition. It also appears in:

• 1862 in “Cymru Fu,” Yn Cynwys Hanesion, Traddodiadau. yn Nghyda Chwedlau a Dammegion Cymreig. (Oddiar Lafar Gwlad a Gweithiau Y Prif Awduron). (“Wales of the Past;” Includes Histories, Traditions. with Welsh Legends and Miracles. (From the Spoken Word of the Country and the Works of the Main Authors).) on p. 360, in an article titled “Cant o Hen Benillion Cymreig” (One Hundred Old Welsh Verses).
• 1876 in Ceinion Llenyddiaeth Gymreig, Yn Cynnwys Detholion O Weithiau Prif Feirdd Ac Ysgrifenwyr Rhydd Ieithol Y Dywysogaeth O’r Bedwaredd Ganrif Ar Ddeg Hyd Yr Oes Hon; Yn Nghyda Darnau Detholedig O Gyfansoddiadau Rhai O’r Awdwyr Seis’nig, Wedi Eu Cyfieithu Yn Fwriadol I’r Gwaith Hwn (Welsh Literature Coins, Containing Selections From The Works Of The Main Poets And Free Language Writers Of The Principality From The Fourteenth Century To This Age; With Selected Pieces of the Compositions of Some of the English Authors, Intentionally Translated for this Work), edited by Rev. Owen Jones, on p. 282 in a section titled “Pennillion.”
• 1887 in Y Cydymaith Dyddan, sef casgliad cryno o ffeithiau dyddorol buddiol ac hynod; ystadegau Gweledydd, dinasoedd, &c. (The Diverting Companion, which is a concise collection of useful and extraordinary current facts; seer statistics, cities, &c.) by P. M. Evans, on p. 92 in an article titled “Hen Benillion Cymreig” (Old Welsh Penillion).
• 1894 in Penillion Telyn (see above)
• 1931

top

7. Oer yw’r rhew ac oer yw’r eira … Cold is the frost and cold is the snow …

The first print evidence of this verse in the Blodeu-Gerdd Cymry (Welsh Anthology) first published in 1759. It is the eighth verse in an 11 stanza poem titled “Cathl y Gair Mwys,” the Poem of the Ambiguous Word, ie pun. The play on words in this case is between the author’s name, Peter Lewis, and the Welsh words for sleeves, “llewis” or “llawes.”

Richard B. Gillion has an excellent translation on his website, a portion of which I will share here to illustrate the pun:

In the 1759 edition, the verse appears as,

In comparison with the later verse, the first two lines have been switched and the last two lines replaced. Although this is the earliest example of this verse I could find, I think it is likely that the author adapted a penillion stanza to his purposes, changing the last two lines to make the rhyme and pun.

Also of note, in the Blodeu-Gerdd Cymry the poem is attributed to “Y Parchedig Mr. Peter Lewis o Gaer Druidion” (The Reverend Mr. Peter Lewis of Caer Druidion), but there seemed to be confusion later as to the author. The poem is sometimes attributed to Lewis Anwyl, Welsh author and cleric in the same area. His birth year is listed as “1705?” and he married a woman named Gwen, the name of the woman to whom the poem is addressed in the second and third verses.

In his 1862 book Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery, George Burrows definitively states that Peter Lewis “was a clergyman of Cerrig y Drudion about the middle of the last century, and amongst other things wrote a beautiful song called Cathl y Gair Mwys, or the melody of the ambiguous word” (p. 278).

In Y bardd a’r cerddor, gyda hen ystraeon am danynt. Gan John Ceiriog Hughes. Llyfr IV. (The poet and the musician, with old stories about them. By John Ceiriog Hughes. Book IV.), circa 1863, Hughes writes,

Nid hawdd ydyw troi heibio oddiwrth eiriau mwys heb gymeryd y cyfleustra yma i adgyfodi hen gân ag sydd yn mysg goreuon ein llenyddiaeth. Go anfynych y bydd beirdd Cymreig yn chware ar eiriau yn fwriadol ac i bwrpas. Y gwir yw, y mae yr iaith yn rhy oludog, i gymeryd llawer o fantais arni, yn yr ystyr hono. O’r holl ganeuon Saesneg ar fawseiriau y mae yn anhawdd cael un a ragora ar y ganlynol, yr hon sydd yn rhydd oddiwrth yr anweddusrwydd ffol hwnw, a ddefnyddiai rhai o’r beirdd ystalwm, i gynyrchu chwerthin yn lle ffraethineb cyfreithlon a gweddus.

Cathl Y Gair Mwys.

Lewis at ei anwylyd. …

(P. L. 1706.)

(It is not easy to turn away from more words without taking this opportunity to resurrect an old song that is among the best of our literature. Rarely will Welsh poets play on words deliberately and for a purpose. The truth is, the language is too rich, to take much advantage of it, in that sense. Of all the English songs on rhymes, it is difficult to find one that surpasses the following, which is free from that foolish obscenity, which some of the old poets used, to produce laughter instead of legal and decent wit.

Melody of the Ambiguous Word

Lewis to his beloved.)

Y bardd a’r cerddor, gyda hen ystraeon am danynt. Gan John Ceiriog Hughes. Llyfr IV., p. 18-19 (translation added)

The ascription “P. L. 1706,” which is unexplained and uncited by Hughes, may be the source of later confusion over the author. 1706 was about the year of Lewis Anwyl’s birth, which may explain why he became connected to the poem, but it also seems to have sometimes been taken to mean the year the poem was written, which caused further confusion and debate.

The first time I could find Lewis Anwyl tied directly to the poem was in the article “LLoffion” (Scraps or Gleanings) in the paper Baner ac Amserau Cymru on October 7, 1874:

Cathl Y Gair Mwys.

Yn y flwyddyn 1742, yr oedd un o’r enw Lewis Anwyl yn barson plwyf Abergele. Yr oedd yn ŵr nwyfus a llawen, ac yn hoff iawn o gwmni a difyrwch; ac ystyrid ef yn fardd lled parod ei awen. Bu yn cyfeillachu yn hir â merch y Tyddyn Ucha’, ger y dref hono, ac y mae yno ystafell etto a elwir “Llofft Gwen.” Yn ystod ei garwriaeth, gwnaeth Lewis Anwyl gân i Gwen; yr hon, wedi hyny a gyhoeddwyd, ac a fu yn boblogaidd iawn yn y Dywysogaeth y pryd hwnw. Y mae y gân fel y canlyn: – …

(Melody of the Ambiguous Word

In the year 1742, someone called Lewis Anwyl was parson of the parish of Abergele. He was a lively and cheerful man, and very fond of company and entertainment; and he was considered to be a poet quite prepared for his muse. He was friends for a long time with the daughter of Tyddyn Ucha’, near that town, and there is still a room there called “Lofft Gwen.” During his relationship, Lewis Anwyl made a song for Gwen; which, after that was published, and was very popular in the Principality at that time. The song is as follows: – …)

Baner ac Amserau Cymru, October 7, 1874, p. 11 (translation added)

This story seems to be the one repeated without further verification. Personally I’m inclined to think Lewis Anwyl was not the author, and I take the original attribution to be the most correct one.

This verse also appears in 1883 in The North Wales Express in the article “Local Touches,” on October 12,

Among the countless flags which were displayed in honour of Mr C. A. Jones’s nuptials, last week, a certain local butcher distinguished himself greatly by suspending from his second floor window a flag on which a Welsh penill was written. The lines were as follows: — 

“Oer yw’r cenllysg, oer yw’r eira,
Oer yw ty heb dân y gaua’;
Oer yw’r hin pan fo hi’n rhewi,
Oer yw merch heb gymhar iddi.”

(Cold is the hail, cold is the snow,
Cold is the house without fire in winter,
Cold is the season when it freezes,
Cold is the girl without her equal.)

The North Wales Express, October 12, 1883, p. 5 (translation added)

The verse appears again in 1915, apparently from a call to the readership for old verses in The Carmarthen Journal and South Wales Weekly Advertiser:

This is nearly identical to the 1975 version in Folksongs of Britain and Ireland (see above) upon which most modern lyrics seem to be based.

top

8. Mae gen i fuwch a dau gorn arian … I have a cow with two silver horns …

I love this little verse. It sets me to thinking of fairy tales and magic that usually seem long gone from the world. It’s got a “big rock candy mountain” bit of a feel to it, too. I also enjoyed tracing its history, as it morphed from a much different verse. Here’s the progression, with details following:

Verse A first appeared in Edward Jones’ 1784 Musical Relicks of the Welsh Bards:

D’accw Lwyn o fedw gleision,
D’accw’r Llwyn fy’n torri ‘ngalon;
Nid am y llwyn yr wy’n ochneidio,
Ond am y Ferch a welais ynddo!

See where the verdant grove of birches grows,
That grove so fatal to my heart’s repose:
Yet not for that I sigh in such despair,
But for the maid I saw (enamour’d) there.

p. 37

As mentioned in the history of verse 5, A Dictionary of Welsh Language defines “llwyn” as a “bush, shrub, brake, thicket; copse, grove, arbour; woods, forest; (esp. in love-poetry) the traditional rendezvous of lovers, symbol of love or romance” (emphasis added).

It appears relatively unchanged in several penillion collections:

• 1855 in Gwaith Talhaiarn. The Works of Talhaiarn, in Welsh and English, p. 258, in a letter he wrote about penillion
• 1876 in Ceinion Llenyddiaeth Gymreig, Yn Cynnwys Detholion O Weithiau Prif Feirdd Ac Ysgrifenwyr Rhydd Ieithol Y Dywysogaeth O’r Bedwaredd Ganrif Ar Ddeg Hyd Yr Oes Hon; Yn Nghyda Darnau Detholedig O Gyfansoddiadau Rhai O’r Awdwyr Seis’nig, Wedi Eu Cyfieithu Yn Fwriadol I’r Gwaith Hwn (Welsh Literature Coins, Containing Selections From The Works Of The Main Poets And Free Language Writers Of The Principality From The Fourteenth Century To This Age; With Selected Pieces of the Compositions of Some of the English Authors, Intentionally Translated for this Work), edited by Rev. Owen Jones, on p. 282 in a section titled “Pennillion.”
• 1887 in Y Cydymaith Dyddan, sef casgliad cryno o ffeithiau dyddorol buddiol ac hynod; ystadegau Gweledydd, dinasoedd, &c. (The Diverting Companion, which is a concise collection of useful and extraordinary current facts; seer statistics, cities, &c.) by P. M. Evans, on p. 92 in an article titled “Hen Benillion Cymreig” (Old Welsh Penillion).
• 1894 in Penillion Telyn (see above), p. 74.
• 1900 in the Transactions of the National Eisteddfod of Wales, Blaenau Festiniog, 1898, p. 157, in a section titled “Hen Benillion.”
• 1909 in Hanes a Chyfansoddiadau Arobryn Eisteddfod Llangefni, 1908 (1908 Llangefni Eisteddfod Award Winning History and Compositions) p. 44, in “Hen Bennillion.”

Verse 2 appears in 1914 in the Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol. II, Part 1, p. 61.

27. – Dacw Fuwch. (Yonder’s a Cow).

Dacw, dacw fuwch a chanddi gyrne gleision;
Nid am y fuwch ‘rwy’ bron a thori’m calon,
Ond am y ferch lle rhois i’m bryd a’m serch,
A welais i yn ei godro.

(There’s a cow with grey horns,
It is not because of the cow my heart is nearly broken,
But because of the maid on whom I set me heart –
The maid I saw milking her.)

Sung to the editor by Dr. Rowland Jones, Bangor, who had learnt it when a boy from an old jockey at Tregaron.

“Is not this a reminiscence of ‘Malbrook,’ sung in England to ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow,’ a tune which became popularly known in this country in the last quarter of the 18th century?” – A. G. Gilchrist.

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol. II, Part 1, p. 61

Finally, we have the third verse included with the second “Ar Lan Y Mor” variant in the Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society:

Dacw’r fuwch a’i dou gorn arian,
Dacw’r fuwch sy’n godro’i hunan,
Dacw’r fuwch sy’n llanw’r stwcia
Fel mae’r môr yn taro’r tonna’.

Journal of the Welsh Folk-Song Society, No. 11, Vol. III, Part 3, 1937, p. 126

top

9. Dacw’r ty a dacw’r talcen … Yonder’s the house and yonder’s the gable …

A variation of this verse appears on Feb. 27, 1908, in the Welsh Gazette and West Wales Advertiser, in a small article titled “Rhigymau a Hwiangerddi Ceredigion” (Ceredigion Rhymes and Nursery Rhymes),

The same words appear on p. 94 of Adgofion yr Hybarch David Evans.

Another variation appears in the 1894 Penillion Telyn, which I have already mentioned and translated above.

top

C. Related Songs

This project has become too long for one page, so I’ll be including this research on another page.