Sacred Texts  Legends & Sagas  Celtic  Index  Previous  Next 

LVIII.

RED BOOK OF HERGEST XV.

I. CADWALLAWN, before he came,
Fought, to our ample satisfaction,
Fourteen great battles,
For fairest Prydein,
And sixty skirmishes.

II. Cadwallawn encamped on Ceint;
Birds presaged the troubles of Lloegyr;
I His hand was open, and honour flowed.

p. 434

III. Cadwallawn encamped on Yddon,
The fierce affliction of his foes,
A lion prosperous over the Saxons.

IV. Cadwallawn the illustrious
Encamped on Digoll Mount,
For seven months and seven battles daily.

V. Cadwallawn encamped on the Havren,
And on the further side of Dygen,
And the devourers were burning Meigen.

VI. Cadwallawn encamped on the Wy,
The multitude, after passing the water,
Followed to the battle of shield.

VII. Cadwallawn encamped by the well
Of Bedwyr; before soldiers he cherished virtue;
There Cynon showed how to assert the right.

VIII. Cadwallawn encamped on the Tav;
Very numerous I see
The sharers in the fame of the powerful chief.

IX. Cadwallawn encamped on the Tawy;
He had the hand of slaughter in the breach;
Illustrious was he, eager he sought the conflict.

X. Cadwallawn encamped beyond the Caer
Of Caew, with an army urgent in tumult
A hundred battles, and the breaking of a hundred Caers.

XI. Cadwallawn encamped on the Cowyn;
The hand was weary of the rein;
The men of Lloegyr, numerous their complaints.

p. 435

XII. Cadwallawn encamped this night
In the extremity of the region of Penvro,
For refuge to retreat where the difficulty was great.

XIII. Cadwallawn encamped on the Teivi;
The blood mixed with the brine;
The fury of Gwynedd violently raged.

XIV. Cadwallawn encamped on the river Duffyrdd,
He made the eagles full:
After the battle gifts were conferred.

XV. Cadwallawn encamped, my brother,
In the upper part of the country of Dunawd;
His wrath was violent in the gushing fight.

XVI. Cadwallawn encamped on Menin,
The lion with a numerous host,
Great the tumult, extremely harassing to the rear.

XVII. From the plotting of strangers and iniquitous
Monks, as the water flows from the fountain,
Sad and heavy will be the day for Cadwallawn.

XVIII. The trees have put on the gay robes
Of summer; let wrath be hastened by fate;
Let us meet around Elved.


Next: LIX. The Omen of Prydein the Great. Book of Taliessin VI.