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PREIDDEU ANNWN: "The Spoils of Annwn"
Text and Translation Sarah Higley
The following is the text (and translation) of a poem taken from the fourteenth-century Llyfr Taliesin (Book of Taliesin) which makes intriguing mention of Arthur who apparently leads warriors on a raid of the Welsh "otherworld": Annwn . Hauntingly beautiful, it is nevertheless quite obscure in its language as well as its references, and recent consensus is that the poem is less about Arthur than it is about Taliesin
and his bardic prowess. Some of you may have already come upon a faulty translation of this poem in Robert Graves' The White Goddess , which omits the last two stanzas about monks. Students will wish to consult more recent translations and interpretations. See especially Roger Sherman Loomis, Marged Haycock, John Koch, and my own published remarks about this poem and its difficulties. Loomis's analysis is helpful for its examination of some of the obscure Arthurian references in the first four stanzas only; Haycock's analysis offers detailed linguistic work. My task on this page is to do only a little bit of both, but to refer you to these and other studies. The dictionaries I and others have used go by these abbreviations: GM,
GPC, and G. Text and translation below:
Preiddeu Annwn
I 1. Golychaf wledic pendeuic gwlat ri.
1. I praise the Lord, Prince of the realm, King.
2. [r]y ledas 2. His sovereignty has
ypennaeth dros traeth mundi.
extended across the world's tract.
3. bu kyweir karchar gweir ygkaer sidi.
3. Equipped was the prison of Gweir in the Mound Fortress,
4. trwy ebostol pwyll aphryderi.
4. throughout the account(?) of Pwyll and Pryderi.
5. Neb kyn noc ef nyt aeth idi.
5. No one before him went into it,
6. yr gadwyn trom las kywirwas ae ketwi.
6. into the heavy blue/gray chain; a faithful servant it held.
7. Arac preideu annwfyn tost yt geni.
7. And before the spoils of Annwfyn bitterly he sang.
8. Ac yt urawt parahawt ynbardwedi.
8. And until Judgment shall last our bardic invocation.
9. Tri lloneit prytwen yd aetham ni idi.
9. Three fullnesses of Prydwen we went into it.
10. nam seith ny dyrreith ogaer sidi.
10. Except seven none rose up from the Fortress of the Mound.
II
11. Neut wyf glot geinmyn cerd ochlywir.
11. I am honored in praise. Song was heard
12. ygkaer pedryuan pedyr ychwelyt.
12. in the Four-Peaked Fortress, four its revolutions.
13. yg kenneir or peir pan leferit.
13. My poetry, from the cauldron it was uttered.
14. Oanadyl naw morwyn gochyneuit.
14. From the breath of nine maidens it was kindled.
15. Neu peir pen annwfyn pwy y vynut.
15. The cauldron of the chief of Annwfyn: what is its fashion?
16. gwrym am yoror amererit.
16. A dark ridge around its border and pearls.
17. Ny beirw bwyt llwfyr ny rytyghit.
17. It does not boil the food of a coward; it has not been destined.
18. cledyf lluch lleawc idaw rydyrchit.
18. The flashing sword of Lleawch has been lifted to it.
19. Ac yn llaw leminawc yd edewit.
19. And in the hand of Lleminawc it was left.
20. Arac drws porth vffern llugyrn lloscit.
20. And before the door of hell lamps burned.
21. Aphan aetham ni gan arthur trafferth lechrit
21. And when we went with Arthur, brilliant difficulty,
22. namyn seith ny dyrreith o gaer vedwit.
22. except seven none rose up from the Fortress of Mead-Drunkenness.
III 23. Neut wyf glot geinmyn
23. I am honored in praise;
kerd glywanawr. song is heard
24. ygkaer pedryfan ynys pybyrdor
24. in the Fortress of Four-Peaks, isle of the strong door.
25. echwyd amuchyd kymyscetor
25. Flowing water and jet are mingled.
26. gwin gloyw eugwirawt rac eu gorgord.
26. Sparkling wine their liquor before their retinue.
27. Tri lloneit prytwen yd aetham ni ar vor.
27. Three fullnesses of Prydwen we went on the sea.
28. namyn seith ny dyrreith ogaer rigor.
28. Except seven none rose up from the Fortress of Hardness.
IV 29. Ny obrynafi lawyr llen llywyadur
29. I merit not the Lord's little men of letters.
30. tra chaer wydyr ny welsynt wrhyt arthur.
30. Beyond the Glass Fortress they did not see the valor of Arthur.
31. Tri vgeint canhwr aseui ar y mur.
31. Six thousand men stood upon the wall.
32. oed anhawd 32. It was difficult
ymadrawd aegwylyadur
to speak with their sentinel.
33. tri lloneit prytwen yd aeth gan arthur.
33. Three fullnesses of Prydwen went with Arthur.
34. namyn seith ny dyrreith ogaer golud.
34. Except seven none rose up from the Fortress of Guts (Hindrance?).
V 35. Ny obrynaf y lawyr llaes eu kylchwy
35. I do not merit little men, slack their shield straps.
36. ny wdant wy pydyd peridyd pwy.
36. They do not know which day
who was created (or: created whom?);
37. py awr ymeindyd y ganet cwy.
37. what hour of midday (?) Cwy was born.
38. Pwy gwnaeth arnyt aeth doleu defwy.
38. Who made him who did not go (to the) meadows of Defwy?
39. ny wdant wy yrych brych bras y penrwy.
39. They do not know the brindled ox, thick his headband.
40. Seith vgein kygwng yny aerwy.
40. Seven score links on his collar.
41. Aphan aetham ni gan arthur auyrdwl gofwy.
41. And when we went with Arthur, dolorous visit,
42. namyn seith ny dyrreith o gaer vandwy.
42. except seven none rose up from the fortress of God's Peak.
VI 43. Ny obrynafy lawyr llaes eu gohen.
43. I do not merit little men, slack their will.
44. ny wdant pydyd peridyd pen.
44. They do not know which day the chief was created,
45. Py awr ymeindyd y ganet perchen.
45. what hour of the midday the owner was born,
46. Py vil agatwant aryant ypen.
46. what animal they keep, silver its head.
47. Pan aetham ni gan arthur afyrdwl gynhen.
47. When we went with Arthur, sorrowful strife,
48. namyn seith ny dyrreith o gaer ochren.
48. except seven none rose up from the Fortress of Enclosedness.
VII 49. Myneich dychnut val cunin cor.
49. Monks howl like a choir of dogs
50. o gyfranc udyd
50. from an encounter with lords
ae gwidanhor.
who know:
51. Ae vn hynt gwynt ae vn dwfyr mor.
51. is there one course of wind? is there one course of water?
52. Ae vn vfel tan twrwf diachor.
52. is there one spark of fire of fierce tumult?
VIII 53. Myneych dychnut
53. Monks pack together like young wolves
val bleidawr.54. o gyfranc udyd ae gwidyanhawr.
54. from an encounter with lords who know.
55. ny wdant pan yscar deweint agwawr.
55. They do not know when midnight and dawn divide.
56. neu wynt pwy hynt pwy yrynnawd.
56. Nor wind, what its course, what its onrush,
57. py va diua py tir aplawd.
57. what place it ravages, what region it strikes.
58. bet sant 58. The grave of the saint
yn diuant abet allawr.
is hidden (or: lost, vanishing, in the Otherworld), both grave and ground (or: champion).
59. Golychaf y wledic pendefic mawr.
59. I praise the Lord, great prince,
60. na bwyf trist crist am gwadawl.
60. that I be not sad; Christ endows me.
