556 Welsh Studies

EARLY AND MEDIEVAL LITERATURE By Jane Cartwright, Department of Welsh, University of Wales, Lampeter

J. T. Koch, ‘The place of Y Gododdin in the history of Scotland’, ICCS, 10:199–210, draws upon his historical and linguistic study of the Book of Aneirin to discuss six interpretations of the relationship between the Gododdin and the socio-political history of Northern Britain in the 6th and 7th centuries. G. R. Isaac, ‘Readings in the history and transmission of the Gododdin’, CMCS, 37:55–78, criticizes Koch’s theory of the Gododdin’s textual history and proposes that there was a greater mixing of lines of transmission with an increased number of copies and recensions being proposed for the 12th c. and 13th c. and earlier. Id., ‘Trawsganu Kynan Garwyn mab Brochuael:a tenth-century political poem’, ZCP, 51:173–85, argues that Trawsganu Kynan Garwyn is not a 6th c. composition and provides a new edition and English translation of the poem. A. Breeze, ‘Armes Prydein, Hywel Dda, and the reign of Edmund of Wessex’, EC, 33:209–22, maintains that Armes Prydein presents a political alternative to the policies of Hywel Dda and suggests 940 as the date of composition. R. M. Jones, ‘Ffurf y cywydd a’r englyn’, YB, 25 :16–40, provides a useful summary of the history and development of Welsh metrics from the Cynfeirdd to the 14th c., focusing in detail on the cywydd and the englyn. A. E. Lea, ‘The nightingale in medieval Latin lyrics and the GorhoVedd by Gwalchmai ap Meilyr’, ZCP, 51:160–69, notes that there is a marked similarity between the presentation of the nightin- gale in medieval Latin love poetry and Gwalchmai ap Meilyr’s GorhoVedd. She suggests that Latin poetry may have influenced the work of the early Gogynfeirdd, rather than poetry from Provence. N. A. Jones, ‘The Mynydd Carn ‘‘prophecy’’: a reassessment’, CMCS, 38:73–92, provides a thorough review of previous interpretations of an awdl gywydd relating the Mynydd Carn prophecy which may have been erroneously attributed to Meilyr Brydydd. She suggests several fresh interpretations including the thesis that it contains a combina- tion of post eventum prophecy and elegy. Id., ‘Canu gofyn a diolch Beirdd y Tywysogion’, Dwned, 5:23–33, discusses the few extant examples of poems thanking royal patrons for gifts. The majority are concise englynion offering thanks for gifts which do not appear to have been formally requested by the poets. Id., ‘Y canu mawl i deulu brenhinol Powys yn y ddeuddegfed ganrif: arolwg’, LlC, 22 :25–41, surveys formal praise poetry composed for the royal house of Powys in the 12th c., most of which was produced during the reign of Madog ap Maredudd. Medieval Powys is also the subject of A. D. Carr, ‘Powys: y cefndir hanesyddol yng nghyfnod Beirdd y Tywysogion’, Early and Medieval Literature 557 LlC, 22:12–24, whose historical analysis of the period is relevant to an appreciation of the work of Beirdd y Tywysogion. N. A. Jones, ‘Hela’r wyach’, notes that references to a bird called ‘gwyach’ in the poetry of Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr refer to a vicious bird of prey and not the gentle grebe. A. Breeze, ‘The battle of Brunanburgh and Welsh tradition’, Neophilogus, 83:479–82, interprets references to ‘kattybryd- awt’ in medieval poetry as the battle of Brunanburgh. Id., ‘Sidney’s Apology For Poetry and the Welsh bards’, NQ,: 244:198–99, refers to the tradition that Ysgolan burnt Welsh books. T. Hallam, ‘Croesholi tystiolaeth y llyfrau cyfraith: pencerdd a bardd teulu’, LlC, 22:1–11, discusses references to the pencerdd and bardd teulu in the different versions of the Welsh law texts. Several editions of poetry associated with Beirdd yr Uchelwyr have appeared this year, including a further two volumes in the important UWCASWC series, Cyfres Beirdd yr Uchelwyr. Gwaith Casnodyn, ed. R. Iestyn Daniel, Aberystwyth, UWCASWC, xvii+193 pp., provides new editions of twelve poems attributed to Casnodyn, a poet from Cilfa´i near Swansea who flourished in the first half of the 14th c. and wrote in the style of the Gogynfeirdd. Modern Welsh translations of the poems are provided. Gwaith Sioˆn ap Hywel ap Llywelyn Fychan, ed. A. Cynfael Lake, Aberystwyth, UWCASWC, xvii+214 pp., edits the work of Sioˆn ap Hywel, an amateur poet from Holywell in Flintshire who flourished in the first half of the 16th c. His work includes formal praise poems, love poetry and religious verse, as well as englynion and couplets which form part of a bardic contention with Tudur Aled and other well-known poets. Both volumes include an introductory section on the poets’ careers and brief notes. D. Johnston and A. Parry Owen, ‘Tri darn o farddoniaeth yn Llawysgrif Peniarth 10’, Dwned, 5:35–45, edit and discuss three sections of poetry found in Aber- ystwyth, National Library of Wales, MS Peniarth 10, including a particularly fine example of an early cywydd serch which they cautiously suggest could be the love poem to Lleucu Llwyd that Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen refers to in his awdl gyVes. D. J. Bowen, ‘Tri chywydd gan Hywel ap Dafydd ab Ieuan ap Rhys’, Dwned, 5:71–88, edits three praise poems by Hywel Dafi ( fl. 1450–80): two to Gwilym ap Hywel of Argoed and one to Morgan ap Rhys, the vicar of Merthyr Cynog. All three poems celebrate the erection of medieval halls and provide important historical evidence relating to medieval architec- ture in Wales. R. W. Evans, ‘Englynion brud’, LlC, 22:131–35, categorizes vaticinatory englynion and provides editions of a selection of poems from each category. C. A. Charnell-White, ‘Alis, Catrin a Gwen: tair prydyddes o’r unfed ganrif ar bymtheg. Tair chwaer?’, Dwned, 5:89–104, provides important new research on three 16th-c. female poets. Although Alis, Catrin and Gwen are listed as sisters in