h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Upon the shore, I sit and feel,
The cool breeze upon my brow.
Where Land meets Sea,
And both greet the Sky,
I listen as the spirits dance,
To the songs of my ancestors.

Here the moon-driven sea,
Laps against her mothers feet,
And I sit nestled in her lap,
As pebbles that once were mountains,
Whisper to me of ancient heroes,
Of princes and the lost Cantrefs.

Where Bran watched the fleet,
Of proud Ireland’s King come,
To woo fair Branwen on the shores
Of Dyffren Ardudwy,
Where he gave her to Matholwch,
And sealed his own doom.

Where the last Prince of the free,
Gathered his men, a golden battle host,
To throw down the dark fortress,
Of the Saesneg lords.
Where for a bright moment,
We stood as men beneath this sky.

Here we began a song of hope,
To the heroes of Harlech,
That would carry proud cymric warriors,
Through dark nights under African skies,
And bring Evans 152 back to his farm,
On the slopes of Cader Idris.

Here, on this shore, the songs go on,
Of Gruffydd, and Evans,
Jones and Glyndwr.
The ancestors stretch back behind me,
Into the golden mists of memory,
And I listen, that I might sing for my children.

Blessings,
Matholwch /|\

Awesome, Matholwch.
Two questions - I get the impression it's an elegy for some one specific. Am I right?
(2)Saesneg - is that the equiavlent in meaning and similar origin/pronunciation to the Scottish 'Sassenach'?

Hi Della

Question One: Yes its an elegy to the Mawddach, a spirit of the land that I have come to respect and love.

Question Two: 'Saesneg' is, as you have correctly interpreted, the Welsh version of the Gael term 'Sassenach'. Both are corruptions of the word 'Saxon', and are used to this day to refer to those who live in England.

Yay, I saw the connection! In my linguistics course, we have to present a seminar on an unfamiliar language. I am thinking of doing Welsh. What do you think?

Try Bantu...

- Jordan

Hi Della .

Welsh is a great idea, especially as due to the revival there are so many great resources now available, including Welsh Radio and TV Channels.

You may want to buy a bib though. Most beginners find it difficult at first not to dribble whilst pronouncing words such as Llantrisant. I can't see why, but they spit all over the place .

Ignore that recidivist Jordan, I'll sort him out later.....

Blessings,
Matholwch /|\.

Of which crime am I repeatedly responsible?

- Jordan

Wasn't Mathowch mean to Dyffren? Matholwch, how could you? Bad man! I'll be waiting in the next flour sack for you...

- Jordan

Llantrisant... Matholwch, could you convey (without the phonetic alphabet?) how the Ll is pronounced? There is a Chilean woman doing my linguistics course called Lladira (in Spanish,ll is J.)
Jordan - Bantu,an original idea! Thanks.

Excellent!

How about...

(I can't spell it properly, but here goes...)

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogogerichwyrndrobwllantysiliogogogoch

...?

So, how do you spell it and how do you say it?

I could look it up, but that would be cheating...

- Jordan

Hi Della .

'Ll'? Difficult to do it phonetically, let's see, aha, got it!

Say 'Wealth'. Now just say the 'lth' bit, and take a little bit off the 'l'. In the South they pronounce it more like 'thl', whereas in the North we try to integrate the 'l' sound actually into the 'th'.

We also have others of course such as 'dd', which is pronounced 'th' as in 'the', but a bit like Marlene Dietrich would have. And our mutating letters....some of the beginning letters of adjective and adverbs can mutate depending on the context. Thus 'bach' can become 'fach'.

Then there's the fact that (or is that 'bact ddat'?) 'u' is pronounced 'i' as in 'is' and so is 'y', 'w' as 'u', and we have no 'x' or 'j' (despite Jones being our most popular surname).

Blessings,
Matholwch /|\.

Cymraeg-aphobia Jordan.

Guilty as charged. Your sentence is to be a Redcoat at Butlins in Pwllelli for the summer season.

Blessings,
Matholwch /|\.

Ah Justin .

Your grasp of the Mabinogion is light. Matholwch approached Bran the Blessed for the hand of his sister Branwen. During the wooing the jealous Efnisien mutilated and destroyed the value of gifts that Bran offered as part of ther marriage price, dishonouring Matholwch.

Matholwch took Branwen to wife and went back to his Kingdom (Ireland). There his friends and advisers worked upon Matholwch's dishonour and shame and encouraged him to be mean to Branwen, using her as a common servant. It led to a sad war between the two kingdoms, all for honour.

I carry the name Matholwch to remind me of my own failing, over-weening pride and arrogance, and help me advance upon my chosen path.

Blessings,
Matholwch /|\.

Hi Jordan .

You can spell it, but not pronounce it huh? Well that is as it should be. It is not for me to share the secrets of the Cymraeg with you Saesnegs .

If you ask around Warwick Uni, you may find a Welsh Society. They are the glum ones in the red shirts watching the six nations.

Blessings,
Matholwch /|\.

I can pronounce this! I had to learn it once.

Ll is like an l and an s at the same time: this is the hardest bit.

llan-fair-pwitherine-guth-gor-gare-eth-quin-jer-bul-llan-ter-silia-gorh-gorh-gorh

Now Math is going to comment on my appalling pronunciation

Thanks, Matholwch. (Tonight, I'll be found in the bathroom, when a printed page of your rules clutched tightly in my hot little hand, practising pronouncing Welsh, spitting all over the bathroom mirror...)

Great, fwt! I have a postcard with that on my living room wall, sent by my friend Tom, when he was on holiday in Welsh Wales look-you...

I'm not Cwyemrthfsdythfllditythinophobic!

Really, I love Wales! It's just the poor who don't.

- Jordan