llatai in english

llatai - love messenger

the weight of love is on me
i'm deep under the waves
i'm jailed like a mute nightingale
i need the llatais magic
wild nightingale
magic nightingale
bring to me news
of my faithful lover
yes your lover, my beauty
i saw him this morning
he has crossed the sea
he has gone very far
my lover is a venus, my lover is slender
my lover is more beautiful than whitethorn
two red roses and two dark eyes
in the dirt and mud
my lover is the purest and fairest in the county
i'm not praising, i'm telling the truth
when i left rennes
little one at home
if i had known, my beauty
that you would have known me
i would have crossed the sea
you would never have seen me
supple winged nightingale
go to the girl i love
ask the gifted beauty
when shall we marry


daniel sgubor

bluegray cuckoo where have you been for so long
so long without returning you've been mute
you're a fortnight late
you eventually came with your gay song
i raised my wing high to the breeze
intending to be here three weeks sooner
my time to sing is april and may
and half of june as you all know
it was no mistake, don't be foolish
but the north wind that delayed me
if the north wind delayed you
why did you leave here, why were you so foolish
why couldn't you find sanctuary here
in the woods of alltrodyn or gwaralltryn bank
alltrodyn woods are truly ugly
dai penrhiwceule goes there with his gun
should he see me or hear my voice
he'd shoot me, if he could, under my wing
before you leave say where you go
explain the mystery to a friend
no-one will follow you, no-one is so foolish
you'll be welcomed when you return
keep the mystery, then i'll have peace
the greatest folly would be to tell anyone
farewell to you this year, farewell to you all
before i return many will be lost
many young women will be sad
before i return to sing on a branch


pontypridd

my lover is in pontypridd
my intention is in pontypridd
the lovely young woman is in pontypridd
and to go with her before the priest
today i'll spend a shilling
tomorrow i'll spend two shillings
and before the daughter loses her mother
i'll try for three shillings
i've heard many songs
i've seen many intentions
i've seen many beautiful women
but none as beautiful as my lover
my cottage is on the riverbank
i have speckled cattle
i have a farm on the banks of the taf
oh, come to me gwenfron


carol haf - summer carol

the earth is greening
and the trees are growing
the gardens are lush
and the groves are gay
and the buds are handsome
and the leaves on the dales
and the orchards' blossom
so full
if there was recently
a black face on the earth
the birds sang together
all musically
seeing trees leafing
has made them poets
singing as one through our gay land
there wonderfully
the great fruitfull earth
and her treasures are plenty
to sustain her inhabitants
tenderly, daily
if we mankind
in a peacful state
loved with one heart
each other


cariad love

if my lover comes tonight to tap at the window
give him a fitting answer, don't answer cruelly
do you see, mary
the girl isn't home, nor her spirit in the house
a young man from another parish has taken her
if i had the wings of an eagle, i would be better off
to fly to my lover who is in a foreign country
over great tracts of land and seas, i hope he's well
i love the land he walks on from the bottom of my heart
there's mother coming over the white doorstep
something in her apron and a pitcher on her head
the cow in the shed brays for the calf
the calf's the other side playing jim crow
the piglet sits so prettily on the stool
little dafi and i go to aberdare fair
dafi wants a cockrel and i want a hen
little dafi and i going to llanon fair
dafi spends a ha'penny and i buy a stick
little ifan and i go to the sea
ifan lifts a leg and says the water is cold
little ifan and i go to the barber
ifan drops his trousers and shows everyone his arse
sioni bricamoni owns a cow and a calf
a small goat, a pig and a cockrel
the dandy little cockrel crows through the night
he wants to borrow a penny to buy a red waistcoat
the bird is carefree
neither sowing or reaping a grain
without a care in the world
he sings throughout the year
the small birds sing
making love in the groves
why won't the boy with the black button
come and do that with me
i like a song
i like to sleep lightly
i like to go with my lad
to make love in the corner of the grove
i don't care a dime
for any of the boys from gwynfe
there are lads as good as these to be had
between the hill and ystalyfera
it's a good thing, milk and strawberries
it's a good thing, sugar candy
it's a good thing to go after dark
to a pretty room to make love
marged fwyn 'ach ifan has
a big tub and a small tub
one to wash shirts and bedclothes
and the other specifically for porridge
marged fwyn 'ach ifan has
a big clog and a small clog
one to kick the dog from the corner
and the other to kick her husband to hell
marged fwyn 'ach ifan has
a big claw and a small claw
one to pull the dog from the corner
and the other to break peoples bones
marged fwyn 'ach ifan has
a big harp and a small harp
one to play in caernarfon
and the other to keep her husband happy
and she has, apart from a sheepfold,
a big horse and a small horse
one to fetch her husband from the pub
and the other to carry the sack of money
she bides in bala
her breasts like driven snow
send my regards to her
she is marged fwyn 'ach ifan