Cestyll Cymru

Chwi Gaerau mawryddig a welaf

Cestyll Cymru
Chwi Gaerau mawryddig a welaf
  Ar fryniau fy ngwlad yma a thraw,
I'm meddwl, pan arnoch y sylwaf,
  Rhyw ryfedd gynhyrfiad a ddaw:
Yn nodded cadarnaf bu'ch ochrau
  Rhag ymgyrch gelynion di rif,
A wnaethant, yn amser ein tadau,
  Yr ardal o gochwaed yn llif.

O'ch amgylch bu meirch yn gweryru,
  A gwel'soch yr arfau o ddur
Trwy'r bröydd yn hyll luchedenu,
  A nodau dychrynllyd trwy'r tir;
Hardd ffrwythau y maesydd toreithiog
  Yn cwympo'n wywedig i lawr,
Tra chegau cwn rhyfel cynddeiriog
  Yn uwch-uwch oer-leisio bob awr.

Mae gweled eich llun adfeiliedig
  Yn hyfryd, i'n gosod ar go',
Fod dyddiau y distryw adwythig
  Er's talm, er mor ffyrnig, ar ffo:
Wrth osod, ym mynwes y ddaear
  Ffrwythlondeg, ireidd-deg, yr ŷd,
Yr hwsmon a deimla'n wir goelgar
  Ca'i fedi, heb fraw, yn ei bryd.

Wrth weled y defaid yn llechu
  Yn dawel dan gysgod y fan
Lle gynt y bu dynion yn gwaedu
  Yn filoedd â'u hagwedd yn wan, -
Y lle bu tyn wthio picellau
  Yn noddfa i'r oenyn a'i fam, -
Wrth weled tawelwch ein dyddiau
  Fy nghalon rwydd lawen rydd lam.

Chwi Gaerau, a wel'soch y cigfrain,
  A'r gwangcus eryrod ynghŷd
O'ch amgylch yn porthi eu hunain
  Ar waelgyrph y meirw oer mud,
Mor hoff ich' yw clywed yr awrhon
  O'ch deutu chwi'r bugail yn fwyn
Yn tiwnio ei bibgoed feluslon,
  Tra arnoch yn chwareu mae'r ŵyn.

Pan ar eich ymylau'r eisteddaf
  I ganfod hyfrydwch y fro,
Try'm meddwl yn ddwys, pan ystyriaf
  Mai tawel mewn graian a gro
Yw'r milwyr gwrolion fu'n codi
  Eich muriau, â'u mynwes yn dwym,
Gan weyd, "Ein calonnau gânt golli
  Eu gwaed cyn ein rhoddi ni'n rhwym."

Wrth gyfrif mor bur oedd eu bwriad
  Y deigryn a red dros fy ngrudd, -
Ond cadwodd Rhagluniaeth ei llygad
  Ar Gymru, a gwawriodd ail ddydd;
Byw'r ydym dan dirion lywodraeth, -
  Byw beunydd mewn hedd a mwyn haf,
Ag arnom yn gwenu'n ehelaeth
  Fendithion anwylion ein Naf.

Daniel Evans (Daniel Ddu o Geredigion) 1792-1846
Gwinllan y Bardd 1831, 1872.

[Mesur: 9898D]

The Castles of Wales
Ye majestic Fortresses I see
  On the hills of my country here and there,
To my thought, when of you take note,
  Some amazing excitement does come:
A most firm refuge was your sides
  Against the assault of innumerable enemies,
Which made, in the time of our fathers,
  The region of red-blood a stream.

Around thee were mares whinneying
  And ye saw the weapons of steel
Through the vales menacingly glinting,
  And horrendous notes throughout the land;
Beautiful fruits of the fertile fields
  Falling withered down,
While the mouths of irate the dogs of war
  Louder and louder shriek every hour.

Seeing your ruined form is
  Delightful, to put us in memory,
That the days of the devastating destruction
  Some time ago, although so furious, are fled:
By setting, in the bosom of the earth
  The fruitfulness, the freshness, the wheat,
The yeoman who feels truly credulous
  Will get a harvest, without anxiety, in its time.

While seeing the sheep sheltering
  Quietly under the shade of the place
Where once men were bleeding
  In thousands with their aspect pale, -
The place where there was the push and pull of pikes
  A refuge for the lamb and its mother, -
While seeing the quietness of our days
  My cheerful, ready heart will give a leap.

Ye Fortresses, which saw the carrion crow,
  And the predatory eagles together
Around thee feeding themselves
  On the corpses of the cold, mute dead,
How lovely for thee now
  About thee the shepherd soothingly
Tuning his sweet flute,
  While upon thee playing are the lambs.

When on your sides I sit
  To discover the delight of the vale,
My thought turns intently, when I consider
  That quiet in gravel and shingle
Ar the brave soldiers who once were raising
  Your walls, with their bosoms warm,
While saying, "Our hearts will get to shed
  Their blood before  letting ourseves be bound."

By an account so pure was their purpose
  The tears that run across my cheek, -
But Providence kept their eye
  On Wales, and another day dawned;
Live we do under a tender government, -
  Live daily in peace and a gentle summer,
And upon us smiling broadly
  The beloved blessings of our Lord.

tr. 2015 Richard B Gillion


The middle column is a literal translation of the Welsh (corrections welcome). A Welsh translation is identified by the abbreviation 'cyf.', an English translation by 'tr.'

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