Middle Welsh?

[Blackbird]

Does anyone here have a good understanding of Middle/Early Welsh?

I'm presently learning Preiddeu Annwn, which is a fascinating bit of lore. Even though I do not have a perfect understanding of its language, (and I don't expect my audience to have any...) there is a great deal of understanding which comes through from the rhythm, the shape of the words, the pattern of rhyme.

Basically, each verse has an end rhyme, along with a great deal of alliteration throughout. The end rhyme is set according to the fortress being described in each verse - though that's a bit chicken and egg, granted.

My problem is with the following verse:

Ny obrynafi lawyr llen llywyadur
tra chaer wydyr ny welsynt wrhyt arthur.
Tri vgeint canhwr aseui ar y mur.
oed anhawd ymadrawd aegwylyadur
tri lloneit prytwen yd aeth gan arthur.
namyn seith ny dyrreith ogaer golud.

As you see, the entire verse has an end rhyme, aside from the name of the fortress - Caer Golud. The translation of this is only tentative, and seems nonsensical. The closest literal meaning seems to be 'guts', yet it is often interpreted as 'hindrance'. This makes me wonder if there is any chance that Golud is a mistake? Would there be a word 'Golur'? This would bring the fortress into line with the rhyme of the verse.

Any advice - or any general discussion of the poem would be welcome ;D

[siaron]

Annwyl Blackbird,

I don't know if this will help, but this is a good overview of Middle Welsh online:

canol.home.att.net/contents.html

Unfortunately, I can't find a good dictionary of Middle Welsh. What you might try is Cornish, since it is in many ways closer to Middle Welsh than it (i.e. Middle Welsh) is to Modern Welsh.

Aslo, remember the mutations. Golud? or Colud? Just a thought....

[branynos]

I don't know about middle Welsh but golud is an old word for persistent and can also mean wealth in modern Welsh. Those definitions are from Y Geriadur Mawr. I assume you mutated coludd to get 'guts'?

[Blackbird]

Thanks, both of you!

I'm afraid that I can't claim to have translated anything - I'm using the translation, notes and handy sound files from Sarah Higley - www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/annwn.htm .

She says:

This word breaks the rhyme with -ur. The question here is whether it is golud or colud. Goludd, "hindrance," "impediment," gives good sense in the context of this stanza about a glass castle and an incommunicative sentinel. Loomis translates "frustration" (p. 167). But the pattern in these epithets with kaer shows lenition of the second element, so it's possible that this is coludd, "guts," "bowels." Loomis is dead set against "bowels" as an interpretation; perfedd is a synonym meaning both "entrails" and "middle of" (perfedd nos, "dead of night" GM), and he tentatively suggests as a secondary meaning "Fortress in the Middle of the Earth." Haycock: "impediment"; Koch: "concealed fort."

From listening to the sound files, it seems that -d is equivalent to -dd.

[Blackbird]

Another request for Middle Welsh stuff - does anyone have the original version of Cad Goddeu? If so, let me know quick, I am in the throes of something... ;D

[Brochfael]

Sorry I've only got the Robin Williamson translation

[Blackbird]

I think I've found some people who will be able to help - for future reference and for anyone else interested, there is a Yahoo group full of expert linguists called Brittonica:

groups.yahoo.com/group/brittonica