Mae sain unigryw Plethyn, sy'n adleisio'r traddodiad o ganu harmoni yn null y Plygain, a'r gân 'Seidr Ddoe' gan Linda Griffiths a Myrddin ap Dafydd yn creu darlun cyflawn o hafau hir a chynhaeafu gwair ym Meifod, Sir Drefaldwyn.
This group is an important part of WHY YOU SHOULD LEARN WELSH !! Caught my interest because it sounds like the very best of old-style American country songs. It's about the fellowship of working to bring in the hay, and I had just finished doing that very thing with family in Arkansas, when I started figuring out what this song says. OMG this is song is GREAT !! ... don'toff If I ever get a chance to visit Wales (pretty iffy since I live in Texas) I am going to try to see specifically the area around Meifod. Hopefully in summer. country churches.
Ma’r llinell *“Tan y castan mae ‘na gysgod, Yn y cysgod casgen glên: Yfed seidir yn y gweirdir Mae’r ochneidio’n troi yn wên; O am haf fel hafau Meifod, Seidir ddoe yn troi’n siampên.”* yn wefreiddiol o fythgofiadwy. Mae’n dod â dagrau i’r llygaid.
For those of us who don't know Welsh, here the English translation: The sun tides high o'er Rhos y Glasgoed's moorland While July's days are mowed down with the hay The far-off balers are like summer bees a-humming While Common Morigold in borders make display An old man rakes straw-hatted by the hedgerows The small boys tease their dogs all afternoon The young men lift the heavy bales on trailers Hoping the thunder will not rumble quite so soon 'Neath the chestnut tree there's shadow 'Neath the shadow a barrel plain Sat beside it we drink cider And our sighs are smiles again Oh! for Meifod's summer sunshine Yesterday's cider now champagne The sun sets low in the blue haze of Pentyrch Farm workers tired are homeward bound The day's last load is so sweet-smelling It wafts its perfume all around At table there is conversation The young maid's leg is pulled, it's just for fun At Pen y Bryn the cattle laze contented As swallows twitter warmly of the sun The love-struck moon rides very high and yellow The night is warm, its light a well-earned prize I look for clover midst the dried-up grasses And search for words in your dark but glistening eyes Like an apple sweet the breeze o'er Mathrafal's meadow While the night's silk gown slips loose and hides the rough The flowers astride the hedges sweetly whisper Complaining that the summer isn't long enough
+Simon_W PS.: The singer looks a little like Hillary Clinton doesn't she? PPS.: I've recently tried some strong, oak vat aged cider from Somerset, delicious! Better than bloody Champagne...
+Simon_W At any rate, it's great you Welsh people stick to your language. A bravo from Switzerland (a formerly Celtic country succumbed to Roman and Germanic influence).
There are lyrics and a vocabulary here: www.mudcat.org/detail_pf.cfm?messages__Message_ID=3601506 I've included the full text below The Mudcat Café TM Thread #66304 Message #3601506 Posted By: GUEST,Gwyddno 14-Feb-14 - 02:02 PM Thread Name: Welsh language folk music Subject: RE: Welsh language folk music Re Seidr Ddoe: Here are the words as I understand them. I've added a few notes at the end which I hope will help explain some of the less common words and some of the terminology of haymaking. Seidr Ddoe - Plethyn Mae'r haul yn uchel uwchben Rhos y Glasgoed Peiriannau'n lladd Gorffennaf yn y gwair Y bêlyrs pell fel gwenyn haf yn mela A'r border bach yn llawn o felyn Mair Hen ŵr het wellt a'i gribyn gyda'r gwrychoedd A'r cogie bach yn chwarae gyda'r cŵn A hogie'r picweirch wrth godi'r bêls i'r trelar Yn gochel tynnu t'ranne gyda'u sŵn Mae'r haul yn is a'r tawch yn las ar Bentyrch A theulu'r tir yn dirwyn tua thre' Fe ddaw'r llwyth ola' adre am y diwrnod A hogle'r hel sydd heno lond y lle Mae'n tynnu at y bwr' a'r sgwrs yn 'mystyn Mae tynnu coes y lodes rydd help llaw Ar ben y bryn mae'r buchod yn diogi a'r wennol ddweud na ddaw hi byth yn law Cytgan Tan y castan mae 'na gysgod, yn y cysgod casgen glên Yfed seidr yn y gweirdir, mae'r ochneidio'n troi yn wên O am ha' fel hafau Meifod, seidr ddoe yn troi'n siampên Offerynnol / Instrumental Cytgan Mae'r lleuad garu wedi codi'n belen A'r nos sy'n gynnes dan ei golau hi Chwilio am y meillion yn y gweiriau A chwilio geiriau yn dy lygaid di Melys fel afal yw awel Dôl Mathrafal A choban nos fel sidan ar y tir Ond clychau'r bugail sydd ar hyd y clodddie yn canu nad yw'r haf yn ddigon hir Cytgan ====================================================================== Nodiadau Rhos y Glasgoed = topographical feature Peiriannau'n lladd Gorffennaf - lladd gwair = to cut hay Bêlyrs = balers (the old-fashioned, "square" bales that can be moved by hand, not the round big bales) Cribyn = (hay) rake Cloddie
