III. CYWYDD I'R DRINDOD.1 Duw, Ior2 y duwiau eraill, Dofydd a Llywydd y llaill; Dawn3 llawn-Duw yw 'n llawenydd Duw a weddïwn bob dydd. Dawn yw gweddïo Duw Naf, Duw byth, nis diobeithiaf! Heb Dduw ym' dysg, heb ddim dawn; Mwyaf yw pwys fy mywyd, Ar Dduw byth, nag ar dda 'r byd. This poem is given as transcribed by Rhys Jones, of Tyddyn Mawr, Meirion, in his celebrated work, Gorchestion Beirdd Cymru. We have taken the liberty, however, of amending the text, where we found it manifestly incorrect. Rhys Jones was a poet and a no mean scholar; we consequently defer to his judgment on many points; but his book was printed in London, and bears evident marks of having passed through an English compositor's hands. 2 Ior, 'Lord', 'Prince'. * Dawn. In the third line this term is used in its first intention, signifying, 'a gift', 'a present'; but in the fifth, it means a gift by way of ability to accomplish any mental function with effect'; Rhodd yw, rhai addewynt, Pwy a oedd Dduw? pwy a ddaw? Nid oes fry, yn eu dwys frawd, Greawdr. The orthography of this term, whether it be that of the Bard or of his Editor, is much to be preferred to that of Greawdwr -the affix gŵr not being applicable to the Godhead. 3 Grundwal, 'ground - wall', 'foundation'. Iolo Goch is not solitary in the use of the word. Lewis Glyn Cothi writes: "Daw o rwndwal Iorwerth Drwyndwn;" and Dr. John Davies also has, "Grwndwal pob iaith”, 'the basis of every language'. The bards, both of this and the two succceding centuries, often introduce Cymricised forms of English words. This has been avoided in the last and present centuries. 9 Whatever were the errors into which the Roman Catholic Church had fallen, it ever held fast the doctrine of the Trinity. The explicit declarations the poet here makes are second only to those of the Athanasian Creed. So in volved is this doctrine with that of the atonement, that we hail its presence with satisfaction in any Church, however erroneous in other matters. Tadwys,-from tad and guys. The abstract is here used for the concrete fatherhood' for 'father' -a not unusual mode of diction among the poets. 2 Undôn, one in utterance'. Trindawd yr Unduw ydynt; Un gadernyd, un fryd fry ; Un fraint, un feddiant, un frys, Un dôn, un wath, da 'n un wedd, Y ganed Mab o gnawd Mair; Nid o natur dyn yttoedd, Eithr o Dduw medd Athrodd oedd ; A'r Ysbryd Glân buan, byw. O allu Duw oll y doeth;8 s Doeth for daeth. to its former Editor. Rhys Jones • Yn ein mysg, 'Immanuel, God was a careful transcriber, as is with us'. This poem has, comparatively, few difficulties. We are inclined to ascribe this in a great measure manifest from the text he has here given of this poem of Iolo Goch. We shall see more of this care in the poem that follows. IV. CYWYDD I'R BYD. YR un bai ar ein bywyd Nid mwyn, mi a wn nad mau; Heb rodd, a bootless or unavailing gift'. Trem faur, lofty look', 'the look of pride'. • Trwm ei fod, 'burdensome his existence'. Many of the poet's lines are "dark sayings"; and we must attribute to the exigencies of cynghanedd much of the difficulty that attends their wording. Iolo Goch, however, is not so wedded to the former as on all occasions to sacrifice sense to it. In the poem before us he violates the bardic rules by twyll odl. Naw pwys ryfel. In the spiritual |