Llythyrau Goronwy Owen/Llythyr 37
| ← Llythyr 36 | Llythyrau Goronwy Owen golygwyd gan John Morris-Jones |
Llythyr 38 |
𝔏𝔩𝔶𝔱𝔥𝔶𝔯 37.
At WILLIAM MORRIS.
DEAR SIR,
YOUR favour of the 21st I received by Mr. Mosson, whom I had the pleasure to see at Walton, if it could be a pleasure to see a person where you can't pretend to give him a suitable entertainment. As to your Vaughans, and they might, upon a pinch, take up with a dish of Cywyddau, or any other literary collation, and think it no disagreeable repast for the time; but I am not qualified to draw a bill of fare for an English palate. It was on last Wednesday I saw Mr. Mosson, and he told me he should not set out from Liverpool before Sunday, and now, Sunday being past, I don't know whether I can send this by him or no. If not, it must come by Post, for I have not a frank to swear by.
Wele, wele, mi welaf nad oes dim siawns am ddyfod i Gymru; nid oes mo'r help; there is no crying after shed milk; I never was so sanguine as to promise myself any success, and therefore can have no disappointment. Yr ydwyf yn gwbl foddlon i'm tynghedfen, doed a ddêl, a gwell o lawer i mi na feddyliwyf byth am Gymru; ond rhoi fy llwyr egni i ollwng y Gymraeg dros gof, fel y mae y rhan fwyaf o'm cydwladwyr hyd Loegr yn ceisio gwneuthur, hyd onid yw 'swil ganddynt glywed son am Gymru, a Chymry, a Chymraeg. Etto, fal y dywed y philosophydd paganaidd, (pan oedd yn methu dygymmod â Christnogaeth, o herwydd ei symlrwydd a'i hawsdra, ac annysgeidiaeth yr athrawon,) Sit anima mea cum philosophis, h.y. Bid fy enaid i gyda'r philosophyddion, felly, "Bid fy ngorff innau gyda'r Cymry,' ie, a'm rhandir, a'm coelbren, a'm hetifeddiaeth yn y byd yma, os gwel Duw'n dda. Pe medrwn unwaith gael y goreu arnaf fy hun, a threchu'r naturiol hoffder sydd gennyf i'm iaith a'm gwlad, dyn a fyddwn. Ond beth dâl siarad? A fo da gan Dduw ys dir? Ai ê, crefft go ddiystyr yw'r eiddo'r seiri cerrig yn eich tyb chwi ? Gadewch iddi. I do verily believe that (as it is now practis'd) it has lost a great deal of its primitive beauty, but still I don't think it quite so insignificnt as your friend represented it. Whoever your friend was, I wish he had been more his own friend, if he was a real Mason of any degree above an apprentice. Gwae a lygro ei gydwybod heb ennill dim. But as to associating with those you don't like, that neither is, nor can be any objection of the craft; for surely, to shake hands and give a Howd'y, are but acts of common civility, and may be done to any acquaintance, Mason or no Mason, and to any more the craft does not bind you. But you'll say, you sit in the same room on lodge nights; true, and so do you and many a wicked vile fellow every Sunday; and yet, whatever these do out of doors, you are not afraid to be tainted by their presence at that place, and the reason is, because they are not there at liberty to play any of their dog-tricks. We are here (as to nation) Welsh, English, Irish, Scots, and Manks; and (as to religion) Protestants and Papists, and (as to politics) high and low fliers, but all Georgites (within doors at least,) and yet, so far are we from national reflections, that the only appellation is brother, and, as I have the honour to be Chaplain, I can assure you our form of prayer (which is in English, as being the common language) is such as no Christian would refuse to join in, of what persuasion soever he should be. And as to politics, our whole contention consists in this, viz., who shall be the best man, the best subject, and the best Mason. In short, if there is ever a brother that is not as good as we could wish him, I am sure, he could not have been better, but worse without Masonry. But don't think I intend this as an apology for the craft. No, no, as it is a mystery it can't be apologised for to those that are strangers to it, and to those who know it, it needs no apology. A dyna ben am hyny o ymgommio.
Ffei o honaw! Ni thal Elisa Gowper i ganu iddo, ac onid ê, pa ddelw bynnag, moeswch yma'r Englynion. Ie, sach gwlan ydyw Elis yn ddiamau; nid oes dim a eill gyrraedd ei groen ef oddigerth haiarn poeth.
Ni waeth amcan merch i bwy Hywel oedd Nest, 'rwy'n tybied nad oedd gan Hywel ab Owen Fardd ddim plant ond bastardiaid fel fo ei hun, oblegyd nad oedd ond iefanc pan ga'dd ei ladd gan ei frawd Dafydd. Ond rhyfedd i Hywel, ac yntau yn fab i Wyddeles, fod cystal bardd. Ni chlybum ermoed sôn am ddim o waith Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, er ei fod yn Gymro cynhwynol o dad a mam. Diddan o gorphyn ydoedd Hywel druan, yr achlod i Ddafydd ei ladd! Yr wyf fi yn lled ammau y byddai Hywel ambell waith mewn Awdyl yn taro i mewn air neu ddau o iaith ei fam, ac mai dyma'r achos fod ei iaith o'n dywyllach na iaith y beirdd eraill, er ei fod yn dra ail yn byw yn nghanol Môn. But to this you put a quære, beth arall ond Gwyddeleg yw asswsiwn, &c. But perhaps the transcribers wrong him; but then how come they to do justice to Taliesin, Llywarch Hen, and others, long before his time? However if our language was not copious enough of itself, Hywel had the best right of any to enrich it, being a very good poet, and well versed in the British language, and another considerable branch of the same stock, viz. the Irish. And borrowing from the Irish is in a manner no more than Holi Tir o ddadanudd. It is, in reality, but reviving and recalling a British word, that had grown obsolete, into use again. And that surely is much more natural than borrowing from any exotic language that is not of the same original, as we now too frequently do of the English, French, &c.
Na ddo, ni ddaeth Bob Owen i'r cyrrau yma etto, am a wn i; Duw o'r nef a'i dycco yn ddihangol, mae fy nghalon yn gofidio drosto bob munud, gan arwed yr hin, i'r mordwywr bychan. Fe fu gefnder i mi yma'n ddiweddar o Barth a Mynydd Bodafon, ac yn ol yr hanes a ge's gan hwnnw, nid yw Bob gyffelyb i wneuthur Cymraeg Môn fawr brinach er a ddycco yma o honi. He tells me they are very fond of learning English of him, &c; so never trouble their heads about teaching him Welsh. He said he would take him home with him for a week or a fortnight to my aunt's Agnes Gronw; if so, I'm sure he will be very much made of, and shall have plenty of Welsh, while he has time to stay. God. send him a fair wind, and good passage. I don't care how soon I see my little baby. Er mwyn dyn, gadewch gael ystori y Maen gyd a'r efengyl yn gyfan o'i phen. Mae'n debyg mai ci brathog oedd y ci, a'r Monach yn rhoi prawf ar wyrthiau'r efengyl i'w wastrodedd o. Ond pwy oedd y dyn a feddyliodd am wyrthiau'r maen?
Garddwriaeth meddwch yw'r genuine exercise; f'allai mai ê. Gwyn eich byd chwi sy'n perchen gardd; nid oes genyf fi ddim o'r gwaith hwnw i'w wneuthur yma ysywaeth! Ond ni chlywais i son fod Selyf yn ymhel à rhaw bål erioed, ac os gorfu Adda ryforio, nid oes genyf nemawr o gŵyn iddo,-ei fai ei hun oedd.
Ai ê? prinion iawn ydyw'r ffrancod yna? Garw o'r newyn am danynt sydd yma hefyd. Mi yrrais ryw fath ar negeseuwr llesg i Lundain i ymofyn am rai yn ddiweddar; mi a'i gyrrais â chwedl parod ganddo, ac a erchais iddo ddywedyd ei neges. fel hyn.[1] Och fi! Pa fodd yr aeth Llanrhaiadr nesaf i Ddinbych heibio heb wybod i neb? Y rhent oreu yn Esgobawt Bangor. Dyma'r Aldramon yn d'wedyd ei bod yn ddigon o hyd yn wâg, a bod Mr. J. Ellis o Fangor wedi ei gwrthod hi. Mae hi yn 150 per annum medd o. Gwych a fasai gael gafael arni hi." Pa sut y disgwyliwch gael Odlau (meddwch) tra bo'ch i'm naca o Gywydd?" Wele, dyma Gywydd i chwi o ryw fath, ac os ysgrifenwch yma'n brysur, chwi a gewch Awdyl. Pa beth a fynnech gael? A'i tybaid y gyrr y gŵr o'r Gors rai ffrancod i mi? Dyma fi yn myn'd i ddechreu Cywydd y Castell Coch; e fydd hwnw'n barod cyn y Nadolig, os byddaf byw ac iach.
Iê, dywedyd y mae Gwalchmai, na welir neb yn debyg i Fadawg ab Meredydd yn y byd hwn, hyd oni ddel Cynan a Chadwaladr yn fyw drachefn, h.y. hyd ddydd brawd, and that (with regard to the qualities he commends him for) is, to all intents and purposes never. Pray give your opinion of what I say of Hywel ab Owen and his language.—Dyma fi yn ymroi i yrru hwn gyda'r post; rhowch chwithau'r gost ar gefn Glyw Prydain, os oes modd, y mae'n ddigon abl i dalu. Ai ê, prydyddiaeth esmwyth a chwennychai Mr. Ellis? As much as to say my numbers don't glide smoothly enough. Os ynteu y peth a all plentyn ei amgyffred sydd esmwyth, gwell i mi wneuthur ambell Ddyri, ond gan gofio, onid yw Llyfr y Vicar a'r Cerddlyfr yn ddigon helaeth yn eich plith? Etto ni ddeall plentyn deuddeg oed un penill o ddim hyd yn un o'r ddau. This is talking to no purpose, I never wrote any thing (designedly) for children, no, nor fools, nor old women, and while my brains are sound, never shall. Gwaed llosgwrn y gath! Ai nid oes gan fardd ddim i'w wneuthur ond clytio mân Ddyrïau duwiol i hoglanciau a llancesi i'w dysgu, i ysgafnhau baich yr Offeiriaid? A phe bai un gan ffoled a gwneuthur hynny, odid y ceid gan y llanciau tywod, a'r merched nyddu fod mor fwyn a chymmeryd y rheiny yn gyfnewid, yn lle eu hen ddyrïau anwylion a ddysgasent er's llawer blwyddyn, "A'i hela hi a'i thynu, a'i dyblu hi a'i dodi," &c., a "Hai lw lian faban fab, yr ydwy'n feichiog fawr ar fab," &c. Whatever I wrote was designed for men, and for men of sense and ingenuity, such as love their country and language, and can relish pithy and nervous Welsh. As for those squeamish stomachs that can digest nothing without English sauce, I would direct them to Wil Goch y Sign, or Evan Ellis, where, for the value of a single penny, they may be supplied with the gibberish á la mode of the best and most eminent rhyme jaggers of the age. As to my preferring hard words to market Welsh, you must know, Sir, that there is a design in it, and a deep one too. And if you'll but speak me
You know, Sir, if there was fair, I will let you into the plot. a man that had a poetical genius, and would ever so fain learn good Welsh, and use significant words, it is but a very dry study to turn over the leaves of a Dictionary to hunt for 'em, and I question whether Elisa Gowper could afford time to do it, or if he could, whether he or one out of a hundred besides, has ever a Dictionary. But give him Cywydd y Farn, or any other of mine, and he'll be tempted to read it, if it were but in order to criticize, and in reading, his sense (if he has any) will tell him the meaning of the difficult words, or (if he has none) the notes will, and so those words will be riveted in his memory. And then, when he understands them, he'll take a pride in using 'em in a Dyri, from thence he'll chop 'em out (every now and then) in common speech, and then write them, and so they'll insensibly, creep into the knowledge of others, and so stand a fair chance of becoming common in a century or two, or perhaps sooner, and then we shall shortly have good Welsh, if not good poetry. This is far from being unlikely, for as mine is the work of a modern, none will think it impossible to imitate it. I am Sir, &c., Farewell,
Nodiadau
[golygu]- ↑ Gweler y "Cywydd i ofyn Ffrancod," Bardd. Gor., arg. Lerpwl, tud. 95.