Taliesin

In times past there lived in Penllyn a man of gentle lineage, namedTegid Voel, and his dwelling was in the midst of the lake Tegid, andhis wife was called Caridwen. And there was born to him of his wifea son named Morvran ab Tegid, and also a daughter named Creirwy, thefairest maiden in the world was she; and they had a brother, the mostill-favoured man in the world, Avagddu. Now Caridwen his motherthought that he was not likely to be admitted among men of noblebirth, by reason of his ugliness, unless he had some exalted meritsor knowledge. For it was in the beginning of Arthur's time and ofthe Round Table.

So she resolved, according to the arts of the books of the Fferyllt,to boil a cauldron of Inspiration and Science for her son, that hisreception might be honourable because of his knowledge of themysteries of the future state of the world.

Then she began to boil the cauldron, which from the beginning of itsboiling might not cease to boil for a year and a day, until threeblessed drops were obtained of the grace of Inspiration.

And she put Gwion Bach the son of Gwreang of Llanfair in Caereinion,in Powys, to stir the cauldron, and a blind man named Morda to kindlethe fire beneath it, and she charged them that they should not sufferit to cease boiling for the space of a year and a day. And sheherself, according to the books of the astronomers, and in planetaryhours, gathered every day of all charm-bearing herbs. And one day,towards the end of the year, as Caridwen was culling plants andmaking incantations, it chanced that three drops of the charmedliquor flew out of the cauldron and fell upon the finger of GwionBach. And by reason of their great heat he put his finger to hismouth, and the instant he put those marvel-working drops into hismouth, he foresaw everything that was to come, and perceived that hischief care must be to guard against the wiles of Caridwen, for vastwas her skill. And in very great fear he fled towards his own land.And the cauldron burst in two, because all the liquor within itexcept the three charm-bearing drops was poisonous, so that thehorses of Gwyddno Garanhir were poisoned by the water of the streaminto which the liquor of the cauldron ran, and the confluence of thatstream was called the Poison of the Horses of Gwyddno from that timeforth.

Thereupon came in Caridwen and saw all the toil of the whole yearlost. And she seized a billet of wood and struck the blind Morda onthe head until one of his eyes fell out upon his cheek. And he said,"Wrongfully hast thou disfigured me, for I am innocent. Thy loss wasnot because of me." "Thou speakest truth," said Caridwen, "it wasGwion Bach who robbed me."

And she went forth after him, running. And he saw her, and changedhimself into a hare and fled. But she changed herself into agreyhound and turned him. And he ran towards a river, and became afish. And she in the form of an otter-bitch chased him under thewater, until he was fain to turn himself into a bird of the air.She, as a hawk, followed him and gave him no rest in the sky. Andjust as she was about to stoop upon him, and he was in fear of death,he espied a heap of winnowed wheat on the floor of a barn, and hedropped among the wheat, and turned himself into one of the grains.Then she transformed herself into a high-crested black hen, and wentto the wheat and scratched it with her feet, and found him out andswallowed him. And, as the story says, she bore him nine months, andwhen she was delivered of him, she could not find it in her heart tokill him, by reason of his beauty. So she wrapped him in a leathernbag, and cast him into the sea to the mercy of God, on the twenty-ninth day of April.

And at that time the weir of Gwyddno was on the strand between Dyviand Aberystwyth, near to his own castle, and the value of an hundredpounds was taken in that weir every May eve. And in those daysGwyddno had an only son named Elphin, the most hapless of youths, andthe most needy. And it grieved his father sore, for he thought thathe was born in an evil hour. And by the advice of his council, hisfather had granted him the drawing of the weir that year, to see ifgood luck would ever befall him, and to give him something wherewithto begin the world.

And the next day when Elphin went to look, there was nothing in theweir. But as he turned back he perceived the leathern bag upon apole of the weir. Then said one of the weir-ward unto Elphin, "Thouwast never unlucky until to-night, and now thou hast destroyed thevirtues of the weir, which always yielded the value of an hundredpounds every May eve, and to-night there is nothing but this leathernskin within it." "How now," said Elphin, "there may be therein thevalue of an hundred pounds." Well, they took up the leathern bag,and he who opened it saw the forehead of the boy, and said to Elphin,"Behold a radiant brow!" [6] "Taliesin be he called," said Elphin.And he lifted the boy in his arms, and lamenting his mischance, heplaced him sorrowfully behind him. And he made his horse amblegently, that before had been trotting, and he carried him as softlyas if he had been sitting in the easiest chair in the world. Andpresently the boy made a Consolation and praise to Elphin, andforetold honour to Elphin; and the Consolation was as you may see:-

"Fair Elphin, cease to lament!Let no one be dissatisfied with his own,To despair will bring no advantage.No man sees what supports him;The prayer of Cynllo will not be in vain;God will not violate his promise.Never in Gwyddno's weirWas there such good luck as this night.Fair Elphin, dry thy cheeks!Being too sad will not avail.Although thou thinkest thou hast no gain,Too much grief will bring thee no good;Nor doubt the miracles of the Almighty:Although I am but little, I am highly gifted.From seas, and from mountains,And from the depths of rivers,God brings wealth to the fortunate man.Elphin of lively qualities,Thy resolution is unmanly;Thou must not be over sorrowful:Better to trust in God than to forbode ill.Weak and small as I am,On the foaming beach of the ocean,In the day of trouble I shall beOf more service to thee than three hundred salmon.Elphin of notable qualities,Be not displeased at thy misfortune;Although reclined thus weak in my bag,There lies a virtue in my tongue.While I continue thy protectorThou hast not much to fear;Remembering the names of the Trinity,None shall be able to harm thee."

And this was the first poem that Taliesin ever sang, being to consoleElphin in his grief for that the produce of the weir was lost, and,what was worse, that all the world would consider that it was throughhis fault and ill-luck. And then Gwyddno Garanhir [7] asked him whathe was, whether man or spirit. Whereupon he sang this tale, andsaid:-

"First, I have been formed a comely person,In the court of Caridwen I have done penance;Though little I was seen, placidly received,I was great on the floor of the place to where I was led;I have been a prized defence, the sweet muse the cause,And by law without speech I have been liberatedBy a smiling black old hag, when irritatedDreadful her claim when pursued:I have fled with vigour, I have fled as a frog,I have fled in the semblance of a crow, scarcely finding rest;I have fled vehemently, I have fled as a chain,I have fled as a roe into an entangled thicket;I have fled as a wolf cub, I have fled as a wolf in a wilderness,I have fled as a thrush of portending language;I have fled as a fox, used to concurrent bounds of quirks;I have fled as a martin, which did not avail;I have fled as a squirrel, that vainly hides,I have fled as a stag's antler, of ruddy course,I have fled as iron in a glowing fire,I have fled as a spear-head, of woe to such as has a wish for it;I have fled as a fierce hull bitterly fighting,I have fled as a bristly boar seen in a ravine,I have fled as a white grain of pure wheat,On the skirt of a hempen sheet entangled,That seemed of the size of a mare's foal,That is filling like a ship on the waters;Into a dark leathern bag I was thrown,And on a boundless sea I was sent adrift;Which was to me an omen of being tenderly nursed,And the Lord God then set me at liberty."

Then came Elphin to the house or court of Gwyddno his father, andTaliesin with him. And Gwyddno asked him if he had had a good haulat the weir, and he told him that he had got that which was betterthan fish. "What was that?" said Gwyddno. "A Bard," answeredElphin. Then said Gwyddno, "Alas, what will he profit thee?" AndTaliesin himself replied and said, "He will profit him more than theweir ever profited thee." Asked Gwyddno, "Art thou able to speak,and thou so little?" And Taliesin answered him, "I am better able tospeak than thou to question me." "Let me hear what thou canst say,"quoth Gwyddno. Then Taliesin sang:-

"In water there is a quality endowed with a blessing;On God it is most just to meditate aright;To God it is proper to supplicate with seriousness,Since no obstacle can there be to obtain a reward from him.Three times have I been born, I know by meditation;It were miserable for a person not to come and obtainAll the sciences of the world, collected together in my breast,For I know what has been, what in future will occur.I will supplicate my Lord that I get refuge in him,A regard I may obtain in his grace;The Son of Mary is my trust, great in him is my delight,For in him is the world continually upholden.God has been to instruct me and to raise my expectation,The true Creator of heaven, who affords me protection;It is rightly intended that the saints should daily pray,For God, the renovator, will bring them to him."

And forthwith Elphin gave his haul to his wife, and she nursed himtenderly and lovingly. Thenceforward Elphin increased in riches moreand more day after day, and in love and favour with the king, andthere abode Taliesin until he was thirteen years old, when Elphin sonof Gwyddno went by a Christmas invitation to his uncle, MaelgwnGwynedd, who some time after this held open court at Christmastide inthe castle of Dyganwy, for all the number of his lords of bothdegrees, both spiritual and temporal, with a vast and thronged hostof knights and squires. And amongst them there arose a discourse anddiscussion. And thus was it said.

"Is there in the whole world a king so great as Maelgwn, or one onwhom Heaven has bestowed so many spiritual gifts as upon him? First,form, and beauty, and meekness, and strength, besides all the powersof the soul!" And together with these they said that Heaven hadgiven one gift that exceeded all the others, which was the beauty,and comeliness, and grace, and wisdom, and modesty of his queen;whose virtues surpassed those of all the ladies and noble maidensthroughout the whole kingdom. And with this they put questions oneto another amongst themselves: Who had braver men? Who had faireror swifter horses or greyhounds? Who had more skilful or wiserbards--than Maelgwn?

Now at that time the bards were in great favour with the exalted ofthe kingdom; and then none performed the office of those who are nowcalled heralds, unless they were learned men, not only expert in theservice of kings and princes, but studious and well versed in thelineage, and arms, and exploits of princes and kings, and indiscussions concerning foreign kingdoms, and the ancient things ofthis kingdom, and chiefly in the annals of the first nobles; and alsowere prepared always with their answers in various languages, Latin,French, Welsh, and English. And together with this they were greatchroniclers, and recorders, and skilful in framing verses, and readyin making englyns in every one of those languages. Now of thesethere were at that feast within the palace of Maelgwn as many asfour-and-twenty, and chief of them all was one named Heinin Vardd.

When they had all made an end of thus praising the king and hisgifts, it befell that Elphin spoke in this wise. "Of a truth nonebut a king may vie with a king; but were he not a king, I would saythat my wife was as virtuous as any lady in the kingdom, and alsothat I have a bard who is more skilful than all the king's bards."In a short space some of his fellows showed the king all theboastings of Elphin; and the king ordered him to be thrown into astrong prison, until he might know the truth as to the virtues of hiswife, and the wisdom of his bard.

Now when Elphin had been put in a tower of the castle, with a thickchain about his feet (it is said that it was a silver chain, becausehe was of royal blood), the king, as the story relates, sent his sonRhun to inquire into the demeanour of Elphin's wife. Now Rhun wasthe most graceless man in the world, and there was neither wife normaiden with whom he had held converse, but was evil spoken of. WhileRhun went in haste towards Elphin's dwelling, being fully minded tobring disgrace upon his wife, Taliesin told his mistress how that theking had placed his master in durance in prison, and how that Rhunwas coming in haste to strive to bring disgrace upon her. Whereforehe caused his mistress to array one of the maids of her kitchen inher apparel; which the noble lady gladly did; and she loaded herhands with the best rings that she and her husband possessed.

In this guise Taliesin caused his mistress to put the maiden to sitat the board in her room at supper, and he made her to seem as hermistress, and the mistress to seem as the maid. And when they werein due time seated at their supper in the manner that has been said,Rhun suddenly arrived at Elphin's dwelling, and was received withjoy, for all the servants knew him plainly; and they brought him inhaste to the room of their mistress, in the semblance of whom themaid rose up from supper and welcomed him gladly. And afterwards shesat down to supper again the second time, and Rhun with her. ThenRhun began jesting with the maid, who still kept the semblance of hermistress. And verily this story shows that the maiden became sointoxicated, that she fell asleep; and the story relates that it wasa powder that Rhun put into the drink, that made her sleep so soundlythat she never felt it when he cut from off her hand her littlefinger, whereupon was the signet ring of Elphin, which he had sent tohis wife as a token, a short time before. And Rhun returned to theking with the finger and the ring as a proof, to show that he had cutit from off her hand, without her awaking from her sleep ofintemperance.

The king rejoiced greatly at these tidings, and he sent for hiscouncillors, to whom he told the whole story from the beginning. Andhe caused Elphin to be brought out of his prison, and he chided himbecause of his boast. And he spake unto Elphin on this wise."Elphin, be it known to thee beyond a doubt that it is but folly fora man to trust in the virtues of his wife further than he can seeher; and that thou mayest be certain of thy wife's vileness, beholdher finger, with thy signet ring upon it, which was cut from her handlast night, while she slept the sleep of intoxication." Then thusspake Elphin. "With thy leave, mighty king, I cannot deny my ring,for it is known of many; but verily I assert strongly that the fingeraround which it is, was never attached to the hand of my wife, for intruth and certainty there are three notable things pertaining to it,none of which ever belonged to any of my wife's fingers. The firstof the three is, that it is certain, by your grace's leave, thatwheresoever my wife is at this present hour, whether sitting, orstanding, or lying down, this ring would never remain upon her thumb,whereas you can plainly see that it was hard to draw it over thejoint of the little finger of the hand whence this was cut; thesecond thing is, that my wife has never let pass one Saturday since Ihave known her without paring her nails before going to bed, and youcan see fully that the nail of this little finger has not been paredfor a month. The third is, truly, that the hand whence this fingercame was kneading rye dough within three days before the finger wascut therefrom, and I can assure your goodness that my wife has neverkneaded rye dough since my wife she has been."

Then the king was mightily wroth with Elphin for so stoutlywithstanding him, respecting the goodness of his wife, wherefore heordered him to his prison a second time, saying that he should not beloosed thence until he had proved the truth of his boast, as wellconcerning the wisdom of his bard as the virtues of his wife.

In the meantime his wife and Taliesin remained joyful at Elphin'sdwelling. And Taliesin showed his mistress how that Elphin was inprison because of them, but he bade her be glad, for that he would goto Maelgwn's court to free his master. Then she asked him in whatmanner he would set him free. And he answered her:-

"A journey will I perform,And to the gate I will come;The hall I will enter,And my song I will sing;My speech I will pronounceTo silence royal bards,In presence of their chief,I will greet to deride,Upon them I will breakAnd Elphin I will free.Should contention arise,In presence of the prince,With summons to the bards,For the sweet flowing song,And wizards' posing loreAnd wisdom of Druids,In the court of the sons of the DistributorSome are who did appearIntent on wily schemes,By craft and tricking means,In pangs of afflictionTo wrong the innocent,Let the fools be silent,As erst in Badon's fight, -With Arthur of liberal onesThe head, with long red blades;Through feats of testy men,And a chief with his foes.Woe be to them, the fools,When revenge comes on them.I Taliesin, chief of bards,With a sapient Druid's words,Will set kind Elphin freeFrom haughty tyrant's bonds.To their fell and chilling cry,By the act of a surprising steed,From the far distant North,There soon shall be an end.Let neither grace nor healthBe to Maelgwn Gwynedd,For this force and this wrong;And be extremes of illsAnd an avenged endTo Rhun and all his race:Short be his course of life,Be all his lands laid waste;And long exile be assignedTo Maelgwn Gwynedd!"

After this he took leave of his mistress, and came at last to theCourt of Maelgwn, who was going to sit in his hall and dine in hisroyal state, as it was the custom in those days for kings and princesto do at every chief feast. And as soon as Taliesin entered thehall, he placed himself in a quiet corner, near the place where thebards and the minstrels were wont to come in doing their service andduty to the king, as is the custom at the high festivals when thebounty is proclaimed. And so, when the bards and the heralds came tocry largess, and to proclaim the power of the king and his strength,at the moment that they passed by the corner wherein he wascrouching, Taliesin pouted out his lips after them, and played"Blerwm, blerwm," with his finger upon his lips. Neither took theymuch notice of him as they went by, but proceeded forward till theycame before the king, unto whom they made their obeisance with theirbodies, as they were wont, without speaking a single word, butpouting out their lips, and making mouths at the king, playing"Blerwm, blerwm," upon their lips with their fingers, as they hadseen the boy do elsewhere. This sight caused the king to wonder andto deem within himself that they were drunk with many liquors.Wherefore he commanded one of his lords, who served at the board, togo to them and desire them to collect their wits, and to considerwhere they stood, and what it was fitting for them to do. And thislord did so gladly. But they ceased not from their folly any morethan before. Whereupon he sent to them a second time, and a third,desiring them to go forth from the hall. At the last the kingordered one of his squires to give a blow to the chief of them namedHeinin Vardd; and the squire took a broom and struck him on the head,so that he fell back in his seat. Then he arose and went on hisknees, and besought leave of the king's grace to show that this theirfault was not through want of knowledge, neither through drunkenness,but by the influence of some spirit that was in the hall. And afterthis Heinin spoke on this wise. "Oh, honourable king, be it known toyour grace, that not from the strength of drink, or of too muchliquor, are we dumb, without power of speech like drunken men, butthrough the influence of a spirit that sits in the corner yonder inthe form of a child." Forthwith the king commanded the squire tofetch him; and he went to the nook where Taliesin sat, and broughthim before the king, who asked him what he was, and whence he came.And he answered the king in verse.

"Primary chief bard am I to Elphin,And my original country is the region of the summer stars;Idno and Heinin called me Merddin,At length every king will call me Taliesin.
I was with my Lord in the highest sphere,On the fall of Lucifer into the depth of hellI have borne a banner before Alexander;I know the names of the stars from north to south;I have been on the galaxy at the throne of the Distributor;I was in Canaan when Absalom was slain;I conveyed the Divine Spirit to the level of the vale of Hebron;I was in the court of Don before the birth of Gwdion.I was instructor to Eli and Enoc;I have been winged by the genius of the splendid crosier;I have been loquacious prior to being gifted with speech;I was at the place of the crucifixion of the merciful Son of God;I have been three periods in the prison of Arianrod;I have been the chief director of the work of the tower of Nimrod;I am a wonder whose origin is not known.I have been in Asia with Noah in the ark,I have seen the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra;I have been in India when Roma was built,I am now come here to the remnant of Troia.
I have been with my Lord in the manger of the ass:I strengthened Moses through the water of Jordan;I have been in the firmament with Mary Magdalene;I have obtained the muse from the cauldron of Caridwen;I have been bard of the harp to Lleon of Lochlin.I have been on the White Hill, in the court of Cynvelyn,For a day and a year in stocks and fetters,I have suffered hunger for the Son of the Virgin,I have been fostered in the land of the Deity,I have been teacher to all intelligences,I am able to instruct the whole universe.I shall be until the day of doom on the face of the earth;And it is not known whether my body is flesh or fish.
   Then I was for nine months   In the womb of the hag Caridwen;   I was originally little Gwion,   And at length I am Taliesin."

And when the king and his nobles had heard the song, they wonderedmuch, for they had never heard the like from a boy so young as he.And when the king knew that he was the bard of Elphin, he badeHeinin, his first and wisest bard, to answer Taliesin and to strivewith him. But when he came, he could do no other but play "blerwm"on his lips; and when he sent for the others of the four-and-twentybards they all did likewise, and could do no other. And Maelgwnasked the boy Taliesin what was his errand, and he answered him insong.

"Puny bards, I am tryingTo secure the prize, if I can;By a gentle prophetic strainI am endeavouring to retrieveThe loss I may have suffered;Complete the attempt I hope,Since Elphin endures troubleIn the fortress of Teganwy,On him may there not be laidToo many chains and fetters;The Chair of the fortress of TeganwyWill I again seek;Strengthened by my muse I am powerful;Mighty on my part is what I seek,For three hundred songs and moreAre combined in the spell I sing.There ought not to stand where I amNeither stone, neither ring;And there ought not to be about meAny bard who may not knowThat Elphin the son of GwyddnoIs in the land of Artro,Secured by thirteen locks,For praising his instructor;And then I Taliesin,Chief of the bards of the west,Shall loosen ElphinOut of a golden fetter."
   *      *      *      *      *
"If you be primary bardsTo the master of sciences,Declare ye mysteriesThat relate to the inhabitants of the world;There is a noxious creature,From the rampart of Satanas,Which has overcome allBetween the deep and the shallow;Equally wide are his jawsAs the mountains of the Alps;Him death will not subdue,Nor hand or blades;There is the load of nine hundred wagonsIn the hair of his two paws;There is in his head an eyeGreen as the limpid sheet of icicle;Three springs ariseIn the nape of his neck;Sea-roughs thereonSwim through it;There was the dissolution of the oxenOf Deivrdonwy the water-gifted.The names of the three springsFrom the midst of the ocean;One generated brineWhich is from the Corina,To replenish the floodOver seas disappearing;The second, without injuryIt will fall on us,When there is rain abroad,Through the whelming sky;The third will appearThrough the mountain veins,Like a flinty banquet,The work of the King of kings,You are blundering bards,In too much solicitude;You cannot celebrateThe kingdom of the Britons;And I am Taliesin,Chief of the bards of the west,Who will loosen ElphinOut of the golden fetter."
   *      *      *      *      *
"Be silent, then, ye unlucky rhyming bards,For you cannot judge between truth and falsehood.If you be primary bards formed by heaven,Tell your king what his fate will be.It is I who am a diviner and a leading bard,And know every passage in the country of your king;I shall liberate Elphin from the belly of the stony tower;And will tell your king what will befall him.A most strange creature will come from the sea marsh of RhianeddAs a punishment of iniquity on Maelgwn Gwynedd;His hair, his teeth, and his eyes being as gold,And this will bring destruction upon Maelgwn Gwynedd."
   *      *      *      *      *
"Discover thou what isThe strong creature from before the flood,Without flesh, without bone,Without vein, without blood,Without head, without feet,It will neither be older nor youngerThan at the beginning;For fear of a denial,There are no rude wantsWith creatures.Great God! how the sea whitensWhen first it comes!Great are its gustsWhen it comes from the south;Great are its evaporationsWhen it strikes on coasts.It is in the field, it is in the wood,Without hand, and without foot,Without signs of old age,Though it be co-aevalWith the five ages or periodsAnd older still,Though they be numberless years.It is also so wideAs the surface of the earth;And it was not born,Nor was it seen.It will cause consternationWherever God willeth.On sea, and on land,It neither sees, nor is seen.Its course is devious,And will not come when desired;On land and on sea,It is indispensable.It is without an equal,It is four-sided;It is not confined,It is incomparable;It comes from four quarters;It will not be advised,It will not be without advice.It commences its journeyAbove the marble rock,It is sonorous, it is dumb,It is mild,It is strong, it is bold,When it glances over the land,It is silent, it is vocal,It is clamorous,It is the most noisyOn the face of the earth.It is good, it is bad,It is extremely injurious.It is concealed,Because sight cannot perceive it.It is noxious, it is beneficial;It is yonder, it is here;It will discompose,But will not repair the injury;It will not suffer for its doings,Seeing it is blameless.It is wet, it is dry,It frequently comes,Proceeding from the heat of the sun,And the coldness of the moon.The moon is less beneficial,Inasmuch as her heat is less.One Being has prepared it,Out of all creatures,By a tremendous blast,To wreak vengeanceOn Maelgwn Gwynedd."

And while he was thus singing his verse near the door, there arose amighty storm of wind, so that the king and all his nobles thoughtthat the castle would fall on their heads. And the king caused themto fetch Elphin in haste from his dungeon, and placed him beforeTaliesin. And it is said, that immediately he sang a verse, so thatthe chains opened from about his feet.

"I adore the Supreme, Lord of all animation, -Him that supports the heavens, Ruler of every extreme,Him that made the water good for all,Him who has bestowed each gift, and blesses it; -May abundance of mead be given Maelgwn of Anglesey, who supplies us,From his foaming meadhorns, with the choicest pure liquor.Since bees collect, and do not enjoy,We have sparkling distilled mead, which is universally praised.The multitude of creatures which the earth nourishesGod made for man, with a view to enrich him; -Some are violent, some are mute, he enjoys them,Some are wild, some are tame; the Lord makes them; -Part of their produce becomes clothing;For food and beverage till doom will they continue.I entreat the Supreme, Sovereign of the region of peace,To liberate Elphin from banishment,The man who gave me wine, and ale, and mead,With large princely steeds, of beautiful appearance;May he yet give me; and at the end,May God of his good will grant me, in honour,A succession of numberless ages, in the retreat of tranquillity.Elphin, knight of mead, late be thy dissolution!"

And afterwards he sang the ode which is called "The Excellence of theBards."

"What was the first manMade by the God of heaven;What the fairest flattering speechThat was prepared by leuav;What meat, what drink,What roof his shelter;What the first impressionOf his primary thinking;What became his clothing;Who carried on a disguise,Owing to the wilds of the country,In the beginning?Wherefore should a stone be hard;Why should a thorn be sharp-pointed?Who is hard like a flint;Who is salt like brine;Who sweet like honey;Who rides on the gale;Why ridged should be the nose;Why should a wheel be round;Why should the tongue be gifted with speechRather than another member?If thy bards, Heinin, be competent,Let them reply to me, Taliesin."

And after that he sang the address which is called "The Reproof ofthe Bards."

"If thou art a bard completely imbuedWith genius not to be controlled,Be thou not untractableWithin the court of thy king;Until thy rigmarole shall be known,Be thou silent, Heinin,As to the name of thy verse,And the name of thy vaunting;And as to the name of thy grandsirePrior to his being baptized.And the name of the sphere,And the name of the element,And the name of thy language,And the name of thy region.Avaunt, ye bards above,Avaunt, ye bards below!My beloved is below,In the fetter of AriansodIt is certain you know notHow to understand the song I utter,Nor clearly how to discriminateBetween the truth and what is false;Puny bards, crows of the district,Why do you not take to flight?A bard that will not silence me,Silence may he not obtain,Till he goes to be coveredUnder gravel and pebbles;Such as shall listen to me,May God listen to him."

Then sang he the piece called "The Spite of the Bards."

"Minstrels persevere in their false custom,Immoral ditties are their delight;Vain and tasteless praise they recite;Falsehood at all times do they utter;The innocent persons they ridicule;Married women they destroy,Innocent virgins of Mary they corrupt;As they pass their lives away in vanity,Poor innocent persons they ridicule;At night they get drunk, they sleep the day;In idleness without work they feed themselves;The Church they hate, and the tavern they frequent;With thieves and perjured fellows they associate;At courts they inquire after feasts;Every senseless word they bring forward;Every deadly sin they praise;Every vile course of life they lead;Through every village, town, and country they stroll;Concerning the gripe of death they think not;Neither lodging nor charity do they give;Indulging in victuals to excess.Psalms or prayers they do not use,Tithes or offerings to God they do not pay,On holidays or Sundays they do not worship;Vigils or festivals they do not heed.The birds do fly, the fish do swim,The bees collect honey, worms do crawl,Every thing travails to obtain its food,Except minstrels and lazy useless thieves.
I deride neither song nor minstrelsy,For they are given by God to lighten thought;But him who abuses them,For blaspheming Jesus and his service."

Taliesin having set his master free from prison, and having protectedthe innocence of his wife, and silenced the Bards, so that not one ofthem dared to say a word, now brought Elphin's wife before them, andshowed that she had not one finger wanting. Right glad was Elphin,right glad was Taliesin.

Then he bade Elphin wager the king, that he had a horse both betterand swifter than the king's horses. And this Elphin did, and theday, and the time, and the place were fixed, and the place was thatwhich at this day is called Morva Rhiannedd: and thither the kingwent with all his people, and four-and-twenty of the swiftest horseshe possessed. And after a long process the course was marked, andthe horses were placed for running. Then came Taliesin with four-and-twenty twigs of holly, which he had burnt black, and he causedthe youth who was to ride his master's horse to place them in hisbelt, and he gave him orders to let all the king's horses get beforehim, and as he should overtake one horse after the other, to take oneof the twigs and strike the horse with it over the crupper, and thenlet that twig fall; and after that to take another twig, and do inlike manner to every one of the horses, as he should overtake them,enjoining the horseman strictly to watch when his own horse shouldstumble, and to throw down his cap on the spot. All these things didthe youth fulfil, giving a blow to every one of the king's horses,and throwing down his cap on the spot where his horse stumbled. Andto this spot Taliesin brought his master after his horse had won therace. And he caused Elphin to put workmen to dig a hole there; andwhen they had dug the ground deep enough, they found a large cauldronfull of gold. And then said Taliesin, "Elphin, behold a payment andreward unto thee, for having taken me out of the weir, and for havingreared me from that time until now." And on this spot stands a poolof water, which is to this time called Pwllbair.

After all this, the king caused Taliesin to be brought before him,and he asked him to recite concerning the creation of man from thebeginning; and thereupon he made the poem which is now called "One ofthe Four Pillars of Song."

"The Almighty made,Down the Hebron vale,With his plastic hands,   Adam's fair form:
And five hundred years,Void of any help,There he remained and lay   Without a soul.
He again did form,In calm paradise,From a left-side rib,   Bliss-throbbing Eve.
Seven hours they wereThe orchard keeping,Till Satan brought strife,   With wiles from hell.
Thence were they driven,Cold and shivering,To gain their living,   Into this world.
To bring forth with painTheir sons and daughters,To have possession   Of Asia's land.
Twice five, ten and eight,She was self-bearing,The mixed burden   Of man-woman.
And once, not hidden,She brought forth Abel,And Cain the forlorn,   The homicide.
To him and his mateWas given a spade,To break up the soil,   Thus to get bread.
The wheat pure and white,Summer tilth to sow,Every man to feed,   Till great yule feast.
An angelic handFrom the high Father,Brought seed for growing   That Eve might sow;
But she then did hideOf the gift a tenth,And all did not sow   Of what was dug.
Black rye then was found,And not pure wheat grain,To show the mischief   Thus of thieving.
For this thievish act,It is requisite,That all men should pay   Tithe unto God.
Of the ruddy wine,Planted on sunny days,And on new-moon nights;   And the white wine.
The wheat rich in grainAnd red flowing wineChrist's pure body make,   Son of Alpha.
The wafer is flesh,The wine is spilt blood,The Trinity's words   Sanctify them.
The concealed booksFrom Emmanuel's handWere brought by Raphael   As Adam's gift,
When in his old age,To his chin immersedIn Jordan's water,   Keeping a fast,
Moses did obtainIn Jordan's water,The aid of the three   Most special rods.
Solomon did obtainIn Babel's tower,All the sciences   In Asia land.
So did I obtain,In my bardic books,All the sciences   Of Europe and Africa.
Their course, their bearing,Their permitted way,And their fate I know,   Unto the end.
Oh! what misery,Through extreme of woe,Prophecy will show   On Troia's race!
A coiling serpentProud and merciless,On her golden wings,   From Germany.
She will overrunEngland and Scotland,From Lychlyn sea-shore   To the Severn.
Then will the BrythonBe as prisoners,By strangers swayed,   From Saxony.
Their Lord they will praise,Their speech they will keep,Their land they will lose,   Except wild Walia.
Till some change shall come,After long penance,When equally rife   The two crimes come.
Britons then shall haveTheir land and their crown,And the stranger swarm   Shall disappear.
All the angel's words,As to peace and war,Will be fulfilled   To Britain's race."

He further told the king various prophecies of things that should bein the world, in songs, as follows.

[6] Taliesin.

[7] The mention of Gwyddno Garanhir instead of Elphin ab Gwyddno inthis place is evidently an error of some transcriber of the MS.

THE END.

       *      *      *      *      *      *      *       *       *       *       *       *