18

HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE BARD, TALIESIN.

Taliesin, who in one of his poems gives an honourable teftimony to the fame of Ancurin, was like him called Penbeirdd, Chief, or King of Bards. He lived in the reign and enjoyed the favour of Maelgwn Gwynedd, Sovereign of all Wales. He was found, when an infant, exposed in a wear, which Gwyddno Gorynhir, the King of Cantre'r Gwaelod, had granted as a maintenance to Prince Elphin his fon. Elphin, with many amiable qualities, was extravagant; and, having little fuccefs at the wear, grew discontented and melancholy. At this juncture Taliefin was found by the fishermen of the prince, by whofe command he was carefully fostered, and liberally educated. At a proper age the accomplished Bard was introduced by his princely patron at the court of his father Gwyddno, to whom he prefented, on that occafion, a poem called Hanes Taliefin, or Taliefin's Hiftory; and at the fame time another to the prince, called Dybuddiant Elphin3, the confolation of Elphin, which the Bard addreffes to him in the perfon and character of an expofed infant. Taliefin lived to recompenfe the kindness of his benefactor: by the magic of his Song, he redeemed him from the castle of Teganwy, (where he was for fome misunderstanding confined by his uncle Maelgwn,) and afterwards conferred upon him an illuftrious immortality.

Taliefin was the master, or poetical preceptor of Myrddin ap Morvryn: he enriched the British Profody with five new metres: and has tranfmitted in his poems fuch veftiges as throw new light on the hiftory, knowledge, and manners of the ancient Britons, and their Druids, much of whofe myftical learning he imbibed.

The first poem which I have chofen for a specimen of Taliefin's manner, is his defcription of the battle of Argoed Llwyvain, in Cumberland, fought about the year 548, by Goddeu, a King of North Britain, and Urien Reged, King of Cumbria, againft Fflamddwyn, a Saxon general, fuppofed to be Ida, the first King of Northumberland. I am indebted to the late Mr. Whitehead, Poet Laureat, for the following faithful and animated verfification of this valuable antique

Gwaith Argoed Llwyfain.

CANU URIEN.

Ybore ddyw fadwrn, câd fawr a fu,
O'r pan ddwyre haul, hyd pan gynu.

Dygryfws Fflamddwyn yn bedwarllu.
Goddeu, a Reged, i ymddyllu,
Dyfwy o Argoed hyd Arfynydd,
Ni cheffynt einioes hyd yr undydd!

Atorelwis Filamddwyn, fawr drybeftawd,
A ddodynt gyngwyftlon, a ynt parawd?
Yr attebwys Owain, ddwyrain ffoffawd,
Ni ddodynt iddynt, nid ynt parawd;

A Chenau, mab Coel, byddai gymwyawg lew,
Cyny talai o wyftl nebard!

2 Taliefin, in his poem called Anrheg Urien, has the two fol-
lowing lines
A won i enw Aneurin Gwawdrydd awenydd,
A minnau Daliefin o lan Llyn Geirionydd.

I know the fame of the infpired genius, Aneurin Gwawdrydd,
And I am Taliefin, whofe abode is by the Lake of Geirionydd.
See this poem published, and tranflated in Evans's fpecimens.
See further account of Taliefin in the 2d Volume of this work,
or Bardie Mufeum, p. 19.

Flufh'd with conqueft, Fflamddwyn said,
Boastful at his army's head;
"Strive not to oppose the stream,
Redeem your lands, your lives redeem.
Give me pledges?" Fflamddwyn cried.
"Never", Urien's fon replied,
Owen', of the mighty stroke ;
Kindling, as the hero spoke,

4 This is one of the 12 great battles of Urien Reged, cele brated by Taliefin, in poems now extant. See Carte's Hiftory of England, p. 211, and 213. where there is much valuable information relating to the ancient Britons.

A diftrict of Cumberland, the country of Prince Llywarch Hên, from whence he was driven by the Saxons. "Some place on the borders of Northumberland. Owen ap Urien acted as his father's general; and is called in the British Triads, "one of the three Cavaliers of Battle." 'Cenau,

Cenau, Coel's blooming heir

Caught the flame, and grafp'd the fpear.
"Shall Coel's iffue pledges give
To the infulting foe, and live?
Never fuch be Briton's shame,
Never, 'till this mangled frame,
Like fome vanquifh'd lion, lie
Drench'd in blood, and bleeding die "."

Day advanc'd and ere the fun
Reach'd the radiant point of noon,
Urien came with fresh fupplies.
"Rife, ye fons of Cambria, rise,
Spread your banners to the foe,
Spread them on the mountain's brow;
Lift your lances high in air,
Friends and brothers of the war;
Rufh like torrents down the steep,
Thro' the vales in myriads sweep;
Fflamddwyn never can sustain
The force of our united train.”

Havoc, havoc, rag'd around,
Many a carcafe ftrew'd the ground;
Ravens drank the purple flood;
Raven plumes were dy'd in blood;
Frighted crowds from place to place,

Eager, hurrying, breathless, pale,
Spread the news of their difgrace,
Trembling as they told the tale.
These are Taliefin's rhimes,
These fhall live to diftant times,
And the Bard's prophetic rage
Animate a future age.

Child of forrow, child of pain,

Never may I smile again,

If, 'till all-fubduing death

Close these eyes, and ftop this breath,

Ever I forget to raise

My grateful fongs to Urien's praise !

About the beginning of the fixth century, Urien, fon of Cynvarch ab Meirchion, King of Reged, (a territory in Caledonia, bordering on the tradclwyd Britons, to the fouth,) was bred in King Arthur's Court, and was one of his knights; he had great experience in war, and great power in the country by the largeness of his dominion, and the number of his vaffals; he was still greater by his reputation and wisdom; and by his valour in defending his country against the encroaching Saxons. After feveral engagements, with various fuccefs, he at last prevailed fo far against Theodoric, fon of Ida, as to force him to fly into the Holy Island for fafety. Urien, the glory of his country, who had braved death so often in the field, and fought it in vain among the thickest of his enemies, fell at laft in the midst of his own men, in the year 560, by the treachery of Morgant, brother to Rhydderch, from mere envy, on

Cenau led to the affiftance of Urien Reged, the forces of his Lewis's Hiftory of Britain, p. 201. and Carte's Hiftory of England. father Coel Godhebog, king of a northern tract, called Goddeu, The Strath-clwyd Britons inhabited the weft part of Scotprobably inhabited by the Godini of Ptolemy. Owen ap Urien land: and the Cumbrians dwelt from the wall fouthward as far and Cenau ap Coel were in the number of Arthur'sKnights. See as the Ribble, in Lancashire.

9

account

THE BATTLE OF GWENYSTRAD, BY TALIESIN.

account of his fuperior merit. The names of the two affaffins, fuborned to commit this execrable deed, were Dyvnwal, fon of Mynyddawg, and Llovan llawdino, of Edinburg, who were both Britons that served in his troops, and are recorded in the Triads, where this is reckoned to be one of the three villainous murders committed in Britain, and which contributed moft to its ruin. Urien is also celebrated, in the Triads, as one of the three Bulls of War. Taliefia dedicated to him upwards of twelve poems, in which he describes moft of his battles; and he likewife wrote an Elegy on his Death. Alfo, Prince Llewarch Hên composed a Lamentation, on the loss of this distinguished Hero.

Though they were fuccessful, it may be faid in the words of Shakespeare, to have been among those victories,

CANU Y MEDD.

THE MEAD SONG, by Taliefin.

It appears, that Prince Elphin had been invited by his uncle, King Maelgwyn, to keep his Christmas at his Court, at the Caftle of Digar wy, in Caernarvonshire: where fome difpute arifing between them about Religion, or Politics, (probably when heated with Mead,) Elphin was thrown into prison, and remained confined, until his Bard Taliefin obtained his release, by the following celebrated Song, addreffed to Maelgwyn; to which I have fubjoined an English verfion.

Golychaf wledig pendefig pób fa,
Gær gynnail y néf, Arglwydd pôb tra ;
Gura wnaeth y dwfr i bawb yn dda,
Gür a wnaeth pob llâd, ac a'i llwydda :
Meddwer Maelgwyn Món, ac a'n meddwa,
Ai féddgorn, ewyn gwerlyn gwymha,
As gynnull gwenyn ac nis mwynha.

Midd bidlaid, molaid, molud i bob tra,
Lleaws creadur a fág terra ;

A wnaeth Duw i ddŷn er ei a'i ddonhu̸,
Rhai drúd, rhai múd, ef a'i mwynha,
Rhai gwyllt, rhai dôf, Dofydd ai gwna
Yn dillig iddynt, yn ddillad ydd â ;

Yn fwyd, yn ddiawd, hyd frawd yd barha.

Golychaf i wledig pendefig gwlad hedd,
I ddillwng Elphin o alltudedd:

Y gŵr am rhoddes y gwin, a'r cwrwf, ar medd,
A'r meirch, mawr modur mirain eu gwedd;

A'm rhothwy etwa mal diwedd,

Trwy fodd Duw y rhydd trwy enrhydedd
Pum pembunt calan ynghaman hedd;
Elphinawg farchawg medd! hwyr dy ogledd!

TALIESIN.

To him that rules fupreme;-our Sovereign Lord,
Creation's Chief-by all that lives ador❜d.
Who made the waters, and fuftains the skies ;
Who gives, and profpers all that's good and wife.-
To him I'll pray, that Maelgwn ne'er may need,
Exhaustless stores of sparkling, ne&'rous, mead:
Such as with mirth our hours has often crown'd,
When from his horn, the foaming draught went round.
Delicious Mead! Man's folace and his pride,
Who finds in thee his ev'ry want fupplied:
The Bee, whose toils produce thee, never fips
Thy juice, ordain'd by Heav'n for human lips.

Oh, Power Supreme! Prince of the Realm of Peace;
Let Elphin's bondage, I befeech thee cease.
Who, to the beauteous steeds, giv'n heretofore,
And Wine, and Ale, and Mead, would give me more.
He in the paths of peace, if Heav'n so will,
Myriads of Feasts, shall give with honour still.
Elphinian Knight of Mead! flow is thy faith.-

Llywarch Hên, or Llywarch the aged, a Cumbrian prince, is the third noted Bard of the British annals. He paffed his younger days at the Court of King Arthur, with the honourable distinction of a free guest. When the British power was weakened by the death of Arthur, Llywarch was called to the aid of his Kinsman Urien Reged, King of Cumbria, and the defence of his own principality, against the irruptions of the Saxons. This princely Bard had four and twenty fons, all invested with the golden torques, which appears to have been the ancient badge of British nobility'. Many of them were flain in the Cumbrian wars, and the Saxons at length prevailed. The unfortunate Llywarch, with his few furviving fons, fled into Powys, there to revive the unequal and unsuccessful conteft, under the aufpices of the Prince of Powys, Cynddylan. Having loft, in the iffue of these wars, all his fons, and friends, he retired to a hut at Aber Ciog, in North Wales, to footh with his harp the remembrance of misfortune, and vent with elegiac numbers the forrows of old age in diftrefs. His poems are in fome places rather unintelligible: not because they want fimplicity, which

South Wales is Ofai, for any kind of liquor that is made of the juice of fruit, fuch as Cyder, Perry, Rafberry-wine, Currantwine, Goofeberry-wine, Cowflip-wine, Elder-wine, Service wine, Birch-wine, Mulberry-wine, Clary wine; and Ebulonn, which is made of old Ale, and Elder-wine.

• Hybarch yw mâb y marchog,

(In aur) yn arian, galérug, Dorchog.

We find alfo, in the Book of Numbers, Chap, xxxi. ver. 50. that chief commanders wore chains of gold.

Now, Dôl Giog, near Machynllaith, in Montgomeryshire. There Llywarch died, near the age of 150, about the year 634; and probably was buried at Llanvawr, near Bala in Merionechfhire, where in the weit window of the church, is a tone with an infcription, but not now legible. Llywarch Hên, was the fon of Elidyr Llydanwyn, of Trad Clwyd, in the North.

22

OF PRINCE LLYWARCH, THE AGED BARD.

is their characteristic beauty, but from the antiquity of the language, which is partly the Venedotian, and partly the Cumbrian dialect, and from scantinefs of information concerning the facts. The compofitions of Llywarch are pure nature, unmixed with that learning and contrivance which appears in the writings of aliefen he did not, like that great Bard, extend the bounds of British poetry, but followed implicitly the works of the Druids, clofing many of his ftanzas with their venerable maxims. He wrote in fuch a fimple, undisguised, pathetic manner, that it is impoffible to fufpect him of mifreprefentation; he has no fictions, no embellishments, no display of art; but gives an affecting narrative of events, and circumstances. Since I published the first Edition of this Book, Mr. Francis Percival Eliot, of Shenftone Mofs near Litchfield, has favoured me with the following verfion of feveral ftanzas in the firft, and fecond of the poems, of Llywarch Hên; which I with pleasure prefent my readers, (inftead of the former profe tranflation,) as an elegant, and animated fpecimen of the poetry of that princely Bard 3.

The Lamentations of Prince Llywarch Hên.

Hark! the cuckow's plaintive note,
Doth thro' the wild vale fadly float;
As from the rav'nous hawk's purfuit,
In Ciog refts her weary foot;

And there with mournful founds and low,
Echoes my harp's reiponsive woe..

Returning fpring, like opening day
That makes all nature glad and gay,
Prepares Andate's fiery car,

To roufe the brethren of the war;
When, as each youthful hero's breast
Gloweth for the glorious teft,

Rufhing down the rocky steep,
See the Cambrian legions fweep,

Like meteors on the boundless deep.
Old Mona fmiles

Monarch of an hundred ifles.

And Snowdon from his awful height,

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His hoar head waves propitious to the fight.

But I-no more in youthful pride,
Can dare the steep rock's haughty fide;
For fell disease, my finews rends,
My arm unnerves, my ftout heart bends;
And raven locks, now filver-grey,
Keeps me far from the field away.

Hark! how the fongfters of the vale,
Spring's glad return with carols hail;
Sweet is their fong-and loud the cry,
When the strong-fcented hound, doth fly
Where the gaunt wolf's step is trac'd
O'er the defart's dreary waste.
Again they fing; again they cry;
But low in grief my foul doth lye.

Yet once again, ye tuneful choir
Sing, but me, no joys infpire;
The babbling brook that murmurs by,
The filver moon that fhines on high,
Sees me tremble, hears me figh:
How cold the midnight hour appears!
How droops my heart with ling'ring cares!

And hear'st thou not yon wild wave's roar,
Dashing on the rocky fhore?
And the hollow midnight blaft,
Loft sensation binding fast,

In the adamantine chain

Of Terror?-Hark! it howls again.

And lo! what fcenes invade my fight,
Fear-form'd fhadows of the night!
See great Urien's princely fhade,
Cambria's monarch, fhoots the glade;
Gory drops his locks diftil,
Ever flows the fanguine rill,
Yet, feated still as it was wont,
Valour crowns his awful front.
Next Cynddylan treads the plain,
Raife, my harp, to him the ftrain:
Powys' prince, and Llywarch's host,
Llivon's pride, and Morlas' boaft:
Great as Caradoc in war;
Swift as Howel's scythed car;
Still the Saxons feem to fear
Cynddylan's arm, and think him near.
Next a warlike train advance,
Skill'd to poize the pondrous lance;
Golden chains their breafts adorn;
Sure for conqueft they were born.

• Those who may be incited to a further acquaintance with the beauties of Prince Llywarch Hên, may now have accefs to them in an octavo edition of all his works extant, with a profe tranflation, and notes; publifhed by Mr, William Owen.

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