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 1. I praise the Lord,
pendeuic gwlat Prince of the realm,
ri. King.
2. [r]y ledas 2. His sovereignty has
ypennaeth
extended
dros traeth
across the world's tract.
mundi.
3. bu kyweir 3. Equipped was
karchar gweir the prison of Gweir
ygkaer sidi. in the Mound Fortress,
4. trwy ebostol 4. throughout the account(?)
pwyll of
aphryderi. Pwyll and Pryderi.
5. Neb kyn noc ef 5. No one before him
nyt aeth idi. went into it,
6. yr gadwyn trom
6. into the heavy blue/gray
las
chain;
kywirwas ae
a faithful servant it held.
ketwi.
7. Arac preideu 7. And before the spoils of
annwfyn Annwfyn
tost yt geni. bitterly he sang.
8. Ac yt urawt 8. And until Judgment
parahawt shall last
ynbardwedi. our bardic invocation.
9. Tri lloneit
9. Three fullnesses of
prytwen
Prydwen
yd aetham ni
we went into it.
idi.
10. Except seven
10. nam seith
none rose up
ny dyrreith
from the Fortress of the
ogaer sidi.
Mound.
 II

11. Neut wyf glot

11. I am honored in praise.
geinmyn
Song was heard
cerd ochlywir.
12. in the Four-Peaked
12. ygkaer pedryuan
Fortress,
pedyr ychwelyt.
four its revolutions.
13. yg kenneir 13. My poetry,
or peir from the cauldron
pan leferit. it was uttered.
14. Oanadyl naw 14. From the breath of nine
morwyn maidens
gochyneuit. it was kindled.
15. Neu peir pen 15. The cauldron of the chief of
annwfyn Annwfyn:
pwy y vynut. what is its fashion?
16. A dark ridge around its
16. gwrym am yoror
border
amererit.
and pearls.
17. Ny beirw bwyt 17. It does not boil the food of
llwfyr a coward;
ny rytyghit. it has not been destined.
18. The flashing sword of
18. cledyf lluch lleawc
Lleawch
idaw rydyrchit.
has been lifted to it.
19. Ac yn llaw 19. And in the hand of
leminawc Lleminawc
yd edewit. it was left.
20. Arac drws porth
20. And before the door of hell
vffern
lamps burned.
llugyrn lloscit.
21. Aphan aetham ni 21. And when we went with
gan arthur Arthur,
trafferth lechrit brilliant difficulty,
22. except seven
22. namyn seith
none rose up
ny dyrreith
from the Fortress of Mead-
o gaer vedwit.
Drunkenness.

III
23. Neut wyf glot 23. I am honored in
geinmyn praise;
 kerd glywanawr. song is heard
24. in the Fortress of
24. ygkaer pedryfan Four-Peaks,
ynys pybyrdor isle of the strong
door.
25. echwyd
25. Flowing water and jet
amuchyd
are mingled.
kymyscetor
26. gwin gloyw 26. Sparkling wine their
eugwirawt liquor
rac eu gorgord. before their retinue.
27. Tri lloneit
27. Three fullnesses of
prytwen
Prydwen
yd aetham ni ar
we went on the sea.
vor.
 28. Except seven none
28. namyn seith
rose up
ny dyrreith
from the Fortress of
ogaer rigor.
Hardness.

IV
29. Ny obrynafi lawyr 29. I merit not the Lord's
llen llywyadur little men of letters.
30. tra chaer wydyr 30. Beyond the Glass Fortress
ny welsynt they did not see
wrhyt arthur. the valor of Arthur.
31. Tri vgeint canhwr 31. Six thousand men
aseui ar y mur. stood upon the wall.
32. oed anhawd 32. It was difficult
 ymadrawd to speak
aegwylyadur with their sentinel.
33. tri lloneit prytwen
33. Three fullnesses of Prydwen
yd aeth gan
went with Arthur.
arthur.
34. Except seven
34. namyn seith
none rose up
ny dyrreith
from the Fortress of Guts
ogaer golud.
(Hindrance?).

V
35. Ny obrynaf y lawyr 35. I do not merit little men,
llaes eu kylchwy slack their shield straps.
36. ny wdant wy pydyd 36. They do not know which
 day
peridyd pwy. who was created (or:
created whom?);
37. py awr ymeindyd 37. what hour of midday (?)
y ganet cwy. Cwy was born.
38. Pwy gwnaeth 38. Who made him
arnyt aeth who did not go
doleu defwy. (to the) meadows of Defwy?
39. ny wdant wy yrych 39. They do not know the
brych brindled ox,
bras y penrwy. thick his headband.
40. Seith vgein kygwng 40. Seven score links
yny aerwy. on his collar.
41. Aphan aetham ni 41. And when we went with
gan arthur Arthur,
 auyrdwl gofwy. dolorous visit,
42. except seven
42. namyn seith
none rose up
ny dyrreith
from the fortress of God's
o gaer vandwy.
Peak.

VI
43. Ny obrynafy lawyr 43. I do not merit little men,
llaes eu gohen. slack their will.
44. ny wdant pydyd 44. They do not know which day
peridyd pen. the chief was created,
45. Py awr ymeindyd 45. what hour of the midday
y ganet perchen. the owner was born,
46. Py vil agatwant 46. what animal they keep,
 aryant ypen. silver its head.
47. Pan aetham ni gan
47. When we went with Arthur,
arthur
sorrowful strife,
afyrdwl gynhen.
48. except seven
48. namyn seith
none rose up
ny dyrreith
from the Fortress of
o gaer ochren.
Enclosedness.

VII
49. Myneich
49. Monks howl
dychnut
like a choir of dogs
val cunin cor.
50. o gyfranc 50. from an encounter
udyd
with lords
ae
who know:
gwidanhor.
51. Ae vn hynt 51. is there one course of
gwynt wind?
ae vn dwfyr is there one course of
mor. water?
52. Ae vn vfel
52. is there one spark of
tan
fire
twrwf
of fierce tumult?
diachor.

VIII
53. Myneych 53. Monks pack together
dychnut
like young wolves
val bleidawr.
54. o gyfranc
54. from an encounter with
udyd
lords
ae
who know.
gwidyanhawr.
55. ny wdant pan
55. They do not know when
yscar
midnight
deweint
and dawn divide.
agwawr.
56. neu wynt pwy
56. Nor wind, what its course,
hynt
what its onrush,
pwy yrynnawd.
57. py va diua 57. what place it ravages,
py tir aplawd. what region it strikes.
 58. The grave of the saint
is hidden
58. bet sant
(or: lost, vanishing, in the
yn diuant
Otherworld),
abet allawr.
both grave and ground (or:
champion).
59. Golychaf y
wledic 59. I praise the Lord,
pendefic great prince,
mawr.
60. na bwyf trist
60. that I be not sad;
crist am
Christ endows me.
gwadawl.