Tag: welsh

Oldest Welsh Lullaby: Pais Dinogad –Ffynnon, Lynne Denman

“Pais Dinogad, fraith, fraith;
O grwyn balaod ban wraith.
Chwid! chwid! Chwidogaith,
Gochanwn, gochenyn wythgaith.
…saithhgeith
…chwechgeith
…pimpgeith
…tairgeith  
…daugeith
…ungeith

Un, dau, tri, petuar, pimp, chwech, saith, wyth.

Yan, tan, tether, pedder, pimp, sether, hither, hother.*

Pan elei dy dat ty e helya; llath ar y ysgwyd llory eny law. Ef gelwi gwn gogyhwc. Giff! Gaff! Dhaly! Dhaly! Dhwg! Dhwg!
Ef lledi bysc yng corwc. Mal ban llad. Llew llywywg. Pan elei dy dat ty e vynyd. Dydygai ef penn ywrch penn gwythwch pen hyd. Penn grugyar vreith o venyd. Penn pysc o rayadyr derwennyd. Or sawl yt gyrhaedei dy dat ty ae gicwein o wythwch a llewyn a llwyuein. Nyt anghei oll ny uei oradein.”
-x

*The first count of eight, as well as the number of slaves, or ”ones in chains”, is in Old Welsh. The second (yan, tan, tethera, methera, etc.)  is one of the variations of Cumbrian sheep-counting numerals.

“Dinogad’s shift is speckled, speckled;
It was made from the pelts of martens.
`Wheet! Wheet! a-whistling,
I would sing, sang the eight in chains. 
(….seven, six, five, four, three, two, one in chains…)

When your father went out to hunt –
A spear on his shoulder, a club in his hand –
He called on his lively dogs,
`Giff! Gaff! Take, take! Fetch, fetch!’
He killed fish from his coracle
Like the lion killing small animals.
When your father went to the mountains
He would bring back a roebuck, a boar, a stag,
A speckled grouse from the mountain,
And a fish from the Derwennydd falls.
At whatever your father aimed his spear –
Be it a boar, a wild cat, or a fox –
None would escape but that had strong wings.”  
–x