ENGLYN AR DDYDD CALAN, 1746, dydd genedigaeth y Bardd. Bawaidd fu hyn o'm bywyd ; AD APOLLINEM ET MUSAS.1 O SMINTHEU, pater esuritionum, Nugas tolle tuas ineptiasque ; Vosque ite O procul hinc, novem sorores, Vobis non opus est mihi, Camænæ, Indignatio quem facit poetam. Longum, Pierides malæ, valete ; force, And wage a war unwearied with the world." It is difficult, at this distance. Henceforth I fear not, but defy its of time, to say whether the poet alludes to some particular instance of ill-fortune in his chequered life, or to the whole of its previous course. The probability is, that he refers either to the loss of the curacy of his native place, Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf, or to his being compelled to leave the Principality altogether, and to accept an English curacy-that of Os westry. The following translation is from the Caernarvon Herald of September 17, 1853, and well expresses the force of the origi nal: "Adverse and bitter winds have marred my course Through life, and hard the hurricane has hurled; 1 The date of this poem is un. certain. As there is some probability that it was written during Goronwy's residence at the University, it is inserted here among his earlier productions. A remark, however, towards its close would lead us to infer that the poet penned it after some fresh instance of disappointment. Despite his genius and attainments in classic lore, the wooing of the Muse rendered him no assistance in the battle of life Disappointed, if not weary, he sings his last farewell to "Phoebus and the tuneful Nine", inspired, as he says, with a feeling of indignation. Euterpe meretrix, Thalia macha, Hunc vidi miserum,3 indignum, dolentem, 2 The play on the words "fama" and "fames" in this line has considerable point. However foreign such a verbal antithesis may be to the Latinity of the Augustan age -though we acknowledge its abundant use by writers of a later date, and especially by the talented epigrammatist, John Owen, a native of Caernarvonshire-it admir ably contrasts the dead with the living poet. It has something in its sound, too, of the nature of cynghanedd. 3 So Ovid in his poetical autobiography says, in allusion to Homer : Sæpe pater dixit, "Studium quid inutile tentas ? Mæonides nullas ipse reliquit opes." Ægre, nec saturum offulis caninis. YMDDIDDAN Rhwng y Bardd a'i Awen pan ar ddechreu llythyr at Wiliam Elias o Blas y Glyn, Llanfwrog, ym Mon., Tachwedd 30, 1751. GORONWY. Dos, fy nghân, at fardd anwyl; AWEN. Os i Fon y'm danfoni, Pair anghlod i'th dafod di; Bu gyfarwydd dderwyddon, Gwŷr hyddysg, ym mysg gwŷr Mon. Cadd doethion ym Mon eu maeth; Ar ddoethion a beirddion byd. Un terrig yw; nid hwyrach, Gwn y chwardd am ben bardd bach. GORONWY. O Gymru lân yr hanwyf, Na cham ran, a Chymro wyf; A dinam yw fy mamiaith; Nid gwledig, na chwithig chwaith. Bellach dos ac ymosod, Arch dwys; atto f' annerch dod; A gwel na chynnyg Wiliam The remainder of the letter will be found under the date of November 30th, 1751, in the "Life and Correspondence". |