Llythyrau Goronwy Owen/Llythyr 32
| ← Llythyr 31 | Llythyrau Goronwy Owen golygwyd gan John Morris-Jones |
Llythyr 33 → |
𝔏𝔩𝔶𝔱𝔥𝔶𝔯 32
At WILLIAM MORRIS.
YR ANWYL WILYM,
DYMA'R eiddoch o'r 14 o'r presennol wedi dyfod i'm llaw heddyw; garw o gyd y maent yn cadw llythyrau pobl druain naill ai yn Nghaergybi neu yn Nghaer Nerpwl! Yr achlod iddynt, a diddaned cael gafael ar gwr tipyn o epistol. Bendith Duw a ffyno iwch', am fenthyg y Delyn Ledr; na thybiwch y byddaf mor greulawn anghristnogol a'i chadw yn hir rhag eich nychu o hiraeth. Och fi! onid gwych fyddai cael tipyn ychwaneg o'r Barddoniaeth yna? Ni flinwn i byth bythoedd arno. Ac os gyrrwch yma rai eraill yn gyfan mi a'u copiaf (os mynwch) yn y llyfr gyd a'u brodyr yn y llaw oreu a fedrwyf. Ond dywedwch a ddywetoch, ni wnewch byth i mi hoffi eich car D. ap Gwilym yn fwy na'r hen gyrff. Er hyny i gyd ni ddywedais i erioed (fel yr y'ch yn haeru) fod Gwalchmai wedi gwneuthur i mi ffieiddio ar Ddeian; ond ar Gywyddau, pwy bynag a'u gwnelsynt. Anacreon amongst the Greeks, and Ovid amongst the Latins give some people (of particular complexions) the most exquisite pleasure and delight. I don't condemn those people's taste; but give me Homer and Virgil, and in my poor opinion so much does Gwalchmai excel D. ap Gwilym and his class as Homer does Anacreon. But every man to his own taste, I claim no sovereignty over any one's judgement, but would be glad to have the liberty to judge for myself. Dyna ben am hyny. Ai ê, Cymro oedd Emrys Phylib? fe allai mai ê. Ond mi a adwaenwn frawd iddo oedd yn werthwr llyfrau yn Nghroesoswallt, na's mynasai er dim ei gyfri'n Gymro. Pa ddelw bynag, ni wnaeth yr hen Ddeon mo'r llawer o gamwri ag ef. He did but expose and ridicule the infantine style for fear it should get in vogue as the taste of the age, and that we should have Iliads written in it, which is no more than I would have done, had I lived in D. ap Iemwnt's time, pan gaethiwodd y Braidd Gyfwrdd, ac y dychymygawdd Orchest y Beirdd. I own with you, that the Distress'd Mother (my favourite Tragedy) &c. are in esteem to this day, and that deservedly, and will venture further to say they will continue so while the English Language is esteemed; but as to the preference given him to Pope by Mr. Addison, I can by no means agree with you, that being altogether a genteel sneer and satire upon his pastorals. Can you read Mr. Ph——s' pastorals especially where he quotes a passage with a "How agreeable to nature, &c." without discovering the sneer? For my part, when I compare the passage commended with the commendation, methinks I see before my eyes the wry face and the grin. And if he had pleas'd he might have said as much of Mr. Pope's; for in truth I could heartily wish that neither of them had ever attempted pastoral, their geniuses being much better adapted to greater things. They should have left pastoral to Gentle Gay, who (nothwithstanding all his fustian as it is called) is the only Englishman that deserves the name of a pastoral writer. Nid yw yr Hwyntwyr (chwedl chithau) onid hanner Cymry, gan eu bod gan mwyaf, yn hanfodi o had pobl Fflandrys a Normandi, a rhyfedd yw allu o naddynt gadw maint yn y byd o'r hên iaith, ac o'r achos hwnnw yn bendifaddeu mi fynwn iddynt adael ymgeleddu'r iaith i'r sawl a fedrant yn oreu wneuthur hynny, sef pobl Wynedd; ac os ewyllysiant ddangos. eu serch i'r iaith cymerant arnynt ran fawr o'r gost, ond na feiddiant roddi na llaw na throed yn y gwaith, rhag ei ddiwyno Allediaith ffiaidd. Ettwaith, lle bai'n y Deheudir ddyn a chanddo ddawn (neu a dybiai fod ganddo) ddawn Awenyddiaeth, bid rydd i hwnw (o'm rhan i) ganu ei wala, oblegid odid i ddyn awenyddgar gyfeiliorni'n gywilyddus; a diau fod gwaed Cymroaidd yn drechaf yn mhob un o'r cyfryw, o ethryb mai dawn arbenig ein cenedl ni yw Awen, megys y mae dawn yr eil—drem (i.e. second sight) yn perthyn i fyneich ucheldir yr Alban. Ac oddiwrth y cyffredin hynafiaid, y Derwyddon, yr hanyw pob un o'r ddeuddawn. Y Derwyddon, yn ddiddadl, oedd hynafiaid ein cenedl ni, ond pa un a'i hanfod o honom o waed Troia ni's gwn; anhawdd yw genyf goelio hynny, hyd oni welwyf ychwaneg o eglurdeb nag a welais eto. Diau gennyf nad yw'n anrhydedd na pharch i neb hanfod o'r fath wibiaid a chrwydriaid; eto bid i'r gwir gael ei le, ped faem oll yn feibion i Sion Moi, neu Loli Gydau Duon, na ato Duw i ni wadu ein rhieni. But when you say, "Dyweded Camder a fyno, ni buasai'n henafiaid byth yn dyfeisio'r fath chwedl heb na lliw na llun, &c." I can't forbear smiling (I beg pardon for being so rude,) if we have no better proof of our Trojan extraction than the bare veracity of our ancestors, I fear we may drop the argument, for I'm afraid, if we say our forefathers neither could or would fib upon occasion, we may be reckon'd very great fibbers ourselves.. Yet I can't see what they could propose to themselves by inventing such a thumper, unless it were to ingratiate themselves with the Romans by laying claim to the same common ancestors, and indeed that was temptation enough of conscience. But admitting the story of Brutus to be true, and allowing Geoffrey of Monnmouth all the authority of authenticity he can desire and every other advantage, but infallibility, and I care not much if he had that too, yet it were absurd and even ridiculous to imagine the main bulk of one nation to be his descendants. What would you say were I to affirm that the good people of England were all descended from William the Conquerer, or that they are all Hanoverians because his present Majesty is one? Brutus was hero (and was king, if you please) but still he and I are nothing akin.
Oedd, oedd, yr hen Dr. Davies o Fallwyd yn deall yr iaith Gymraeg yn bur dda, heb law llaweroedd o ieithoedd eraill. Ac nid eisiau deall a wnaeth iddo adael allan o'i Eirlyfr gymmaint o eiriau ; ond brys a blys ei weled wedi dyfod i ben cyn ei farw. Mae'n ddigon er peri i galon o gallestr wylo'n hidl ddagrau wrth weled fal yr oedd yr hen gorff druan yn cwyno yn ei Ragymadrodd rhag byrred yw hoedl dŷn! ac yn mynegi pa sawl cynnyg a roesai lawer o wyr dysgedig ar wneuthur Geirlyfr Cymraeg, ond fod Duw wedi tori edau'r einioes cyn i'r un o honynt, oddigerth un, gael amser i gwblhau ei waith. Ac yntef ei hun yn ennyd fawr o oedran, gwell oedd ganddo yrru ei lyfr i'r byd heb ei gwbl orphen, na'i adael megys erthyl ar ei ol, yn nwylaw rhyw rai, agatfydd, na adawsent byth iddo weled goleu haul. A diamau mai diolchgar y dylem oll fod iddo, a mi yn anad neb, oblegid efe a ddysgodd i mi fy Nghymraeg, neu o'r lleiaf, a'm cadwodd rhag ei cholli yn nhir estron genedl.
Nac ydyw Marwnad Owen Gwynedd o waith Cynddelw ddim yn y llyfr yma, fel y gellwch weled wrth y Fynegai Nid wyf yn meddwl fod y darn a yrrasoch ohoni yma chwaith yn anhawdd ei ddirnad. It is a very pretty passage sure enough, and 'tis a pity if it is imperfect in your book. I'm almost certain that most of these Odes have been corrnpted by the ignorance or carelessness of transcribers, which has been the common fate of all authors before the invention of printing, and which at present can no otherwise be remedied than by the comparing of various readings, and fixing on that which carries in it the best sense, and is most agreeable to the context. I read this piece as follows in the modern orthography.
Gwyrdd heli Teifi tewychai;
The green water of Tivi grew thick.
Gwaedlanw gwyr a llyr a'i llenwai;
Being filled with the streaming blood of men.
Gwyach rudd gorfudd goralwai;
The brown Diver[1] called it the greatest happiness.
Ar doniar gwyar gonofiai;
And waded o'er planks of clotted blood.
Gwyddfeirch tòn torent yn ertai;
The wild sea horses were broken at low water.
Gwychr ei naws fel traws a'i treisiai;
The stout hearted (i.e. O.G.) like a tyrant seiz'd or oppress'd 'em.
Gwyddfaau Eingl ynghladd a'u trychai;
Heaps of English buried (in the sand, wreck'd 'em.
Gwydd-gwn coed collwyd a'u porthai;
The wild dogs of the woods lost their provider.
Gwyddwal dyfnwal dyfnasai fy medd;
The deep thickets were wont (viz.) to find 'em meat.
Fy modd, fy meddiant a gaffai;
And wanted neither my consent or assistance.
If that be not meaning of it, I don't know what it means, or whether it has any meaning at all; as I never had the honour of Mr. Wily Wawch's acquaintance, I can't tell whether he and gwyach be the same or not. Ai rhudd yw lliw Wil y Wawch? Os ê, mi dybiwn mai yr un peth yw Wil y Wawch a Wil y Wyach ond ei fod heb ei fedyddiaw yn Wil yn amser Cynddelw. But as to your observation, "nid hwyrach nad am gig y dug yr hen fardd o i mewn, &c." It is very just. It would have given you a very odd idea if he had introduced a parcel of ducks as picking out the eyes of the slain on the field of battle, instead of crows and ravens; but as queer as that would have been, we are very sure that ducks (both wild and tame) will greedily devour both blood and guts, &c. when they meet with 'em in the water, gobbets of clotted blood, pieces of lights and livers, milts, &c., being our usual way of baiting wild ducks on the River Severn. And why might not Wil Wawch delight in such things as well as they, tho' he should not care to eat raw flesh. Gyrrwch y delyn gynta' galloch, da chwithau, yr wyf ar y drain am ei gweled hi. Dyma fi wedi cael llythyr o Allt Fadawg yn ddiweddar; mae yno bawb yn iach, ond bod y Llew yn drafferthus; mi gaf glywed etto'n fuan. Iê, llongau yw gwyddfeirch tòn, a Saison yw Eingl; ond oddiwrth y gair ongl, am eu bod gynt yn byw mewn ongl, i.e congl o'r deyrnas fel y mynnai'r Dr. Davies. The plural ongl would be yngl or onglau as from corph, cyrph, from môr, myr, &c. But the plural of Angl is Eingl, as from arf, eirf, carr, ceir, &c.; and who knows not that they formerly called themselves Angles, which in the singular number is Angle, or in our orthography Angl. Wele Duw a'm helpo, dyma fi yn myn'd i'm rhwymo fy hun i aros yn mysg yr Eingl tra b'wyf byw ysgatfydd. Mae'r Esgob Caer yn dyfod i gadw ei ymolygiad cynthefin yn Nerpwl yr 22 o'r mis yma, sef Gorphenaf, ac yno fe gyst i mi ymddangos a thalu'r mawr-bris am Leisians, a da os dihangaf heb gymmeryd dwy, un am y Guradiaeth a'r llall am yr Ysgol. Nid wyf yn amau na wna yr Esgob eithaf cnafeidd-dra â mi, oblegid na all yr un ohonynt aros gweled dŷn yn dyfod o'r naill esgobaeth i'r llall. Ond gwnaed a fyno yr wyf fi'n barod, a saeth (debygaf) gennyf i bob nod, oddigerth nod y bocced lydan hono sŷ wrth ei glôs ef, a saeth i hono hefyd os happia. You make a query whether fferis should be written offeris? No, say I, for it comes from the Latin word ferrum, iron or steel; but whether it be an English word or a Welsh one I can't tell; for they have no other name for it in this county or that of Chester but ferris or ferice, and I have not heard it so call'd in any part of England or Wales but in Anglesey. When I heard 'em here talk of ferris, I expected to have heard of yster bwch too, but never did. We have here many other words that are familiar to Anglesey folks, but unknown to all the rest of England and Wales, except they are used in the North of England; and I shrewdly suspect they are, and were originally borrow'd of the Scots. Gonofio is not to duck or dive, but the same as llednofio, i.e, rhwng cerdded a nofiaw, to wade or snudge, oblegid mai gwaith anhawdd yw nofiaw mewn gwaed. I wish with all my heart that the Dictionaries of the Tri-brawd should be compared and printed; as for me, I've not had mine long enough to do any wonders with it, yet I've some good words, and some good number of them. If I was a man of fortune, I would with all my heart bestow any labour in preparing Mr. L. Morris's for the press, or any thing else that would contribute to the making it public. But I've not time to do any thing but preaching, &c. for a livelihood. Wele rhaid cadw noswyl bellach. Byddwch wych, ac annherchwch Mr. Ellis. Wyf yr eiddoch (rhyngoch) yn ddiran,
O.S.—Chwi welwch fy mod wedi bod wythnos gyfan yn disgwyl am y Delyn Ledr, ac etto heb hanes o honi. Mae'n debyg na feiddia'r llongau ddangos eu pigau gan y gwynt uchel yma. Dyma'r Llew wrth ffawd wedi gyrru i mi ddau ffrencyn.
Nodiadau
[golygu]- ↑ "The bloodstained grebe called aloud for a glut of food; on a swelling wave of gore she swam with toil."