Texts

Canu Heledd

Early Welsh
verse

Jenny Rowland’s edition is divided into thirty (unnumbered) units, each with an editorial) title heading in Welsh or English: 1. Prologue, beg. Sefwch allann vorynnyon a syllwch (1 q.) -- 2. Marwnad Cynddylan, beg. Vn prenn ygwydvit a gouit arnaw (stt. 2-16) -- 3. A stray verse beg. Gan vyg callon .i. mor dru (st. 17) -- 4. Stafell Gynddylan beg. Stauell gyndylan ys tywyll heno (stt. 18-33) -- 5. Eryr Eli, beg. Eryr eli ban y lef [heno] (stt. 34-39) -- 6. Eryr Pengwern, beg. Eryr penngwem penngarn llwyt. [heno] (stt. 40-44) -- 7. Eglwysau Basa, beg. Eglwysseu bassa y orffowys heno (stt. 45-51) -- 8. Y Drefwen, beg. Y drefwenn ym bronn y coet (sttt. 52-56) -- 9. Ffreuer, beg. Gwynn y byt freuer mor yw diheint. heno (stt. 57-65) -- 10. Y Bugeiles Lom, beg. Y mynyd kyt atuo vch (st. 66) -- 11. Afonydd, beg. Amhaual ar auaerwy (stt. 67-68) -- 12. Newid Byd, beg. Kynn bu vyg kylchet croenen gauyr galet (stt. 69-72) -- 13. Gorwynion, beg. Gwarthec edeirnyawn ny buant gerdennin (stt. 73-75) -- 14. Gyrthmyl, beg. Bei gwreic gyrthmwl. bydei gwan hediw (1 st., 76) -- 15. Ercal, beg. Tywarchen ercal ar erdywal wyr (st. 77) -- 16. Heledd Hwyedig, beg. Heled hwyedic ym gelwir (stt. 78-79) -- 17. Gazing, beg. Neur sylleis olygon ar dirion dir (stt. 80-81) -- 18. Fragment beg. Marchawc o gaer ... a danaw (st. 82) -- 19. Heledd's Brothers, beg. Llas vym brodyr ar vnweith (stt. 83-86) -- 20. Epigram beg. Teneu awel tew lletkynt (st. 87) -- 21. Hedyn, beg. As clywo a duw a dyn (stt. 88-89) -- 22. Gwal Twrch, beg. Ryuedaf dincleir na diw yn ol (st. 90) -- 23. Caranfael, beg. Ny [wn y] ae nywl ae mwc (stt. 91-97) -- 24. Heledd a'i Brawd Claf, beg. Amser y bum vras vwyt (stt. 98-101) -- 25. Beddau Maes Maoddyn, beg. Maes maodyn neus cud rew (stt. 102-103) -- 26. Tren, beg. Pedwarpwnn broder am bu (stt. 104-106) -- 27. Chwiorydd Heledd, beg. Amser y buant addfwyn (stt. 107-109) -- 28. Cynddylan a Chynwraith, beg. Llas Cynddylan Has Cynwraith (stt. 110) -- 29. Maes Cogwy, beg. Gwelais ar lawr maes Cogwy (st. 111) -- 30. Llemenig, beg. [Celyn] a sych o du tan (st. 112).

Speaker/Addressee

Speaker: Heledd

Heledd

(supp. fl. c.first half of the 7th century)

The voice or narrator of Canu Heledd, a collection of englynion lamenting the death of Cynddylan, ruler of Powys. Heledd is identified as Cynddylan’s sister and a witness and solitary survivor of an English invasion which killed her brothers and brought destruction to her country.

Manuscripts

Oxford, Jesus College, MS 111 = Red Book of Hergest (Llyfr Coch Hergest) [s. xiv-xv]

ff. 260ra–261rb

Ends with st. 106 (Rowlands 1990).

Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, Peniarth MS 111 [1607–c.1610]

London, British Library, MS Additional 31055 [s. xvi^ex–xviiⁱⁿ]

Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, MS 4973B ff. 49b-376 [s. xvii¹]

Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, MS 4973B ff. 1-49 [s. xvii¹]

Language

Early Welsh

Form

verse (primary)

Length

Number of stanzas: 112 stt.

Associated items

Englynion y beddauEnglynion y beddau

Classification

Subjects

Heledd

Heledd

(supp. fl. c.first half of the 7th century)

The voice or narrator of Canu Heledd, a collection of englynion lamenting the death of Cynddylan, ruler of Powys. Heledd is identified as Cynddylan’s sister and a witness and solitary survivor of an English invasion which killed her brothers and brought destruction to her country.

See more Cynddylan

Cynddylan

(fl. c.616–c.641)

Cynddylan ap Cyndrwyn, a ruler of Powys who is thought to have allied with Penda, king of Mercia. It has been suggested that he was defeated and killed, along with Penda, in the battle of Winwaed.

Sources

Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.

[ed.] [tr.] Rowland, Jenny, Early Welsh saga poetry: a study and edition of the englynion, Cambridge: Brewer, 1990.

Contents : Part I. Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. The Llywarch Hen poems -- Appendix: early Welsh genealogical tracts -- Chapter 2. The Urien Rheged poems -- Chapter 3. Canu Heledd : I. The historical background, II. The poems -- Appendix: edition and text of Marwnad Cynddylan -- Chapter 4. Claf Abercuawg and penitential lyrics -- Chapter 5. Miscellaneous saga poems and the performance of the saga englynion -- Chapter 6. Other genres using the three-line englyn metres -- Chapter 7. Metrics, authorship, language, dating. -- Part II: Edition and translation of the texts -- The manuscripts of the saga englynion -- Editorial note -- Texts: Canu Llywarch -- Canu Heledd: Prologue, [etc.] ... [incl.] ‘Englynion Cadwallon’ -- ‘Claf Abercuawg’ and ‘Kyntaw geir’ -- Miscellaneous saga poems: Llym awel -- Geraint fab Erbin -- Gwyn ap Nudd -- Mi a wum -- Taliesin and Ugnach -- Seithennin -- Gwallawg -- Ysgolan -- Trystan fragments -- The three Juvencus englynion -- Miscellaneous stanzas. -- Translations -- Notes -- Abbreviations -- Bibliography -- General index -- Index to the textual notes.

429–447 (text); 483–496 (translation); 573–616 (textual notes)

[ed.] Williams, Ifor, Canu Llywarch Hen, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1935.

Internet Archive: <link>

33–48 (text, no. XI); 192–243 (notes); lxi–lxix (introduction)