A short article in Welsh from 1896 with an English
translation in which a Welsh settler gives an account of his arrival in Racine,
Wisconsin in the year 1849. "After resting a day or two we became keen to
go to
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Gwefan Cymru-Catalonia Beginning
Life in a New Country - translation of an article written in 1896 by a Welsh
pioneer who arrived in |
(delw
7375) |
1276k - Y tudalen hwn yn Gymraeg yn unig
TWO PARTS - (1) TEXT
AND TRANSLATION; (2) grammatical notes
PART 1: THE TEXT
We have split it
into fifteen sections.
Grey
letters - the article
with the original orthography, as it appeared in 1896
Bold black letters - modern orthography, which is slightly different in
a few words
Blue letters - the English translation
PART 2: GRAMMATICAL
NOTES
The article (or at least, eight out of fifteen sections) is examined word by
word
(1)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Dechreu Byw Mewn Gwlad Newydd
Gan E. E. Jones,
Y Teulu, Tachwedd 28 1896.
O'r Drych .
(MODERN SPELLING) Dechrau Byw
Mewn Gwlad Newydd
Gan E. E. Jones,
Y Teulu, Tachwedd 28 1896. O'r
Drych
Beginning Life in a New Country. By E. E. Jones,
(Note: The article was reprinted in
__________________________________
(2)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Yr wyf lawer gwaith wedi meddwl
rhoddi ychydig o hanes dechreu byw mewn gwlad newydd, sef yn
(MODERN SPELLING) Yr wyf lawer gwaith wedi meddwl rhoddi ychydig o hanes
dechrau byw mewn gwlad newydd, sef yn
I've often
thought of giving a brief account of beginning life in a new country, namely in
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(3)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Ar ol gorphwys diwrnod neu ddau
daethom yn awyddus i fyned i
(MODERN SPELLING) Ar ol gorffwys diwrnod neu ddau daethom yn
awyddus i fyned i Caledonia, i edrych am deulu H. Roberts o Dalaith New York,
ac i edrych allan am fferm; ond yr unig ffordd i deithio y pryd hwnnw ydoedd
cyflogi gwedd neu gerdded yno. Nid oedd gennym arian i logi cerbyd, ac felly ar
ein traed y cychwynnais i a'm brawd. Erbyn cyrraedd
After resting a day or two we became keen to go to
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(4)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Ar ol gorphwys noson yn
(MODERN SPELLING) Ar ôl gorffwys noson yn Portage, aethom ymlaen bellter o
bum milltir nes cyrraedd Caledonia, lle yr oedd ychydig o Gymry eisoes wedi
prynu tir; a phan ddeallodd y cyfryw fod arnaf finnau eisiau tyddyn, dyna lle
yr oeddynt yn dangos ac yn denu nes y llwyddasant.
After resting
a night in
__________________________________
(5)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Yr oedd genyf 'land warrant', a
chefais 160 o erwau o dir y llywodraeth, a phrynais 80 o erwau am $1.25 yr erw,
nes oedd genyf fferm fawr o dir gwyllt; ond yr oedd yn costio agos i $20 yr erw
am grybio ac aredig. Dyna olwg am ddigon o waith onide?
(MODERN SPELLING) Yr oedd gennyf 'land warrant', a chefais 160 o erwau o
dir y llywodraeth, a phrynais 80 o erwau am $1.25 yr erw, nes oedd gennyf fferm
fawr o dir gwyllt; ond yr oedd yn costio agos i $20 yr erw am grybio ac aredig.
Dyna olwg am ddigon o waith onide?
I had a land
warrant, and I got 160 acres of government land, and I bought 80 acres for
$1.25 an acre, until I had a big farm with uncleared land, but it was costing
me nearly $20 an acre to grub and plough. What a prospect for plenty of work,
eh?
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(6)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Wel, y peth nesaf oedd cael y
wraig a'r baban ar y fferm; ac nid oedd dim i'w wneyd ond ei throedio hi yn ol
i
(MODERN SPELLING) Wel, y peth
nesaf oedd cael y wraig a'r baban ar y fferm; ac nid oedd dim i'w wneyd ond ei
throedio hi yn ôl i Racine, a llogi gwedd yno i'w cludo i Caledonia, lle y cyraeddasom
erbyn canol Gorffennaf. Nid oedd gennyf yn fy meddiant ond tua $5.00, ac heb un
math o dy i roddi fy nheulu bach ynddo. Yn ein cyfyngder cawsom addewid gan H.
Roberts o ystabl log i fyw, nes gallem gael digon o amser i godi ty log. Hefyd
cawsom addewid i lusgo y logiau at eu gilydd, pan fuasent yn barod
Well, the next
thing was to get the wife and the baby on the farm, and there was nothing for
it but to go back to Racine on foot, and to hire an ox cart to carry them to
Caledonia, where we arrived towards mid-July. All I had to my name was $5, and
no house of any kind to put my family in. In our hour of need we werre promised
a log stable to live in by H. Roberts, so we could have enough time to build a
log house. Also we had a promise to haul the logs together, when they were
ready
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(7)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Y peth nesaf oedd edrych am le
cyfaddas i godi ty. Yr oedd yno dri o fân fryniau, a thorais seler ar ben un
ohonynt, fel y gallem fod yng ngolwg y ffordd, ond methodd yr ychain dynu y
logiau i ben y bryn, felly yr oedd yn rhaid tori seler wrth waelod y bryn.
(MODERN SPELLING) Y peth nesaf oedd edrych am le cyfaddas i godi ty. Yr
oedd yno dri o fân fryniau, a thorrais seler ar ben un ohonynt, fel y gallem
fod yng ngolwg y ffordd, ond methodd yr ychain dynnu y logiau i ben y bryn,
felly yr oedd yn rhaid torri seler wrth waelod y bryn
The next thing
was to look for a suitable place for building a house. There were three small
hills, and I dug a cellar on top of one of them, so that we could be in view of
the road, but the oxen failed to draw the logs to the top of the hill, so I had
to dig a cellar at the bottom of the hill
__________________________________
(8)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Yna yr oedd yn rhaid cael
cynnorthwy deg neu ddwsin o ddynion cryfion i godi y logiau, yr hyn gafwyd; ac
yna prynais goed i wneyd llawr a llofft a tho gyda $150, a fenthycais gan fy
mrawd ar log am chwe mlynedd. Nid oedd dim arall i'w wneyd ond benthyca gan fod
yn anmhosibl cael gwaith yn nes na 30 milldir, ac nid oedd modd gadael fy
nheulu bach i gymeryd eu siawns mewn gwlad newydd. Fel hyn gorphenais y ty fy
(MODERN SPELLING) Yna yr oedd yn rhaid cael cynorthwy deg neu ddwsin o
ddynion cryfion i godi y logiau, yr hyn gafwyd; ac yna prynais goed i wneud
llawr â llofft â tho gyda $150, a fenthycais gan fy mrawd ar log am chwe
mlynedd. Nid oedd dim arall i'w wneud ond benthyca gan fod yn amhosibl cael gwaith
yn nes na 30 milltir, ac nid oedd modd gadael fy nheulu bach i gymeryd eu
siawns mewn gwlad newydd. Fel hyn gorffennais y ty fy hunan, gan fod gennyf
ychydig o arfau saer wedi eu prynu cyn cychwyn
Then I had to
get the help of ten or twelve strong men to lift the logs, and this was
obtained; and then I bought wood to make a ground floor and an upstairs floor
and a roof for $150, which I borrowed at interest from my brother for six
years. There was no alternative but to borrow since it was impossible to find
work within 30 miles, and there was no way I could leave my family to their
luck in a new country. In this way I finished the house myself, since I had a
few carpenter's tools which I had bought before setting out
__________________________________
(9)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Wedi gorphen y ty log prynais
fuwch dda a phâr o ychain tair oed, wedi eu tori at waith; ac yr oedd genyf
ychydig o arian yn weddill at fyw y flwyddyn gyntaf. Tra yn aros yn yr ystabl
daeth "copper head" fawr rhwng y logiau i lawr at y baban i'r gwely,
ond cipiodd y fam ei baban heb dderbyn niwed. Bu yr ychydig arfau a brynais o
werth mawr hefyd i wneud dodrefn goreu y gallwn.
(MODERN SPELLING) Wedi
gorffen y ty log prynais fuwch dda a phâr o ychain tair oed, wedi eu torri at
waith; ac yr oedd gennyf ychydig o arian yn weddill at fyw y flwyddyn gyntaf.
Tra yn aros yn yr ystabl daeth "copper head" fawr rhwng y logiau i
lawr at y baban i'r gwely, ond cipiodd y fam ei baban heb dderbyn niwed. Bu yr
ychydig arfau a brynais o werth mawr hefyd i wneud dodrefn goreu y gallwn.
After finishing the log house I bought a good house
and a pair of three-year-old oxen, broken in for working, and I had a bit of
money over for living on in the first years. While staying in the stable a big
'copper head' between the logs down to the baby in the bed, but the mother
snatched up her baby without it being harmed. The few tools I'd bought were a
great help too to make furniture as best I could
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(10)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Cymerais goed a gwnes brenau
gwely, gan ddefnyddio cortyn yn waelod iddo; yna lluniais fwrdd plaen gyda
phlanciau, a hanner dwsin o gadeiriau a chadair siglo. Yr oedd genym stove a
llestri yn bur dda, ac hefyd ddilladau. Erbyn Hydref 1849, yr oedd genym dair
erw o dir wedi ei aredig; a rhwng pob peth daethom i deimlo yn weddol hapus, er
fod eisieu llawer o bethau ereill i fod yn gysurus, megys gwagen, aradr, ac ôg.
(MODERN SPELLING) Cymerais goed a
gwnes brennau gwely, gan ddefnyddio cortyn yn waelod iddo; yna lluniais fwrdd
plaen gyda phlanciau, a hanner dwsin o gadeiriau a chadair siglo. Yr oedd
gennym stove a llestri yn bur dda, ac hefyd ddilladau. Erbyn Hydref 1849, yr
oedd gennym dair erw o dir wedi ei aredig; a rhwng pob peth daethom i deimlo yn
weddol hapus, er fod eisiau llawer o bethau eraill i fod yn gysurus, megis
gwagen, aradr, ac og.
I took some
wood and made a bedstead, using cord for the base; then I fashioned a plain
table with planks, and half a dozen chairs and a rocking chair. We had a stove
and a sufficient quantity of plates and bowls, and also clothes. By October
1894 we had three acres of land ploughed, and all in all we came to feel quite
happy, although we needed a lot of other things needed to be comfortable, such
as a wagon, a plough, etc
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(11)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Erbyn y gwanwyn gwnaethum ôg i
lyfnu y tair erw, a thelais $1.50 i ddyn am lifio pedair olwyn o bren trwchus.
Tyllais hwy, a gwnes ddwy echel a bocs gyda lle i ddau eistedd - yna yr oedd y
cwbl yn barod i fachu yr ychain wrthi.
(MODERN SPELLING) Erbyn y gwanwyn gwneuthum ôg i lyfnu y tair erw, a
thelais $1.50 i ddyn am lifio pedair olwyn o bren trwchus. Tyllais hwy, a gwnes
ddwy echel a bocs gyda lle i ddau eistedd - yna yr oedd y cwbl yn barod i fachu
yr ychain wrthi.
For spring we
made a harrow to harrow the three acres, and I paid $1.50 to saw four wheels
out of thick wood. I put holes in them and made two axles and a box with a
place for two people to sit - then all was ready to hitch the oxen to it.
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(12)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Bu raid i'r wagen hono wneyd y tro
i mi am bedair blynedd; yna gwerthais hi i Gymro gerllaw am $1.50. Bu hwnw
drachefn yn ei defnyddio am dair blynedd, a gwerthodd hi i Ellmyn am $2. Go
dda, onide?
(MODERN SPELLING) Bu raid i'r wagen
honno wneud y tro i mi am bedair blynedd; yna gwerthais hi i Gymro gerllaw am
$1.50. Bu hwnnw drachefn yn ei defnyddio am dair blynedd, a gwerthodd hi i
Ellmyn am $2. Go dda, onide?
That wagon had
to do me for four years; then I sold it to a Welshman living nearby for $1.50.
He in turn used it for three years, and he sold it to Germans for $2. Not bad,
eh?
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(13)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Pan ymsefydlais i yn
(MODERN SPELLING) Pan
ymsefydlais i yn Caledonia yn 1849 nid oedd yno yr un lle pwrpasol i addoli;
ond yn sicr yr oedd yno addoli gwirioneddol er hynny, a rhyw naws nefolaidd yn
cydfyned â gweddiau a phrofiadau yr hen frodyr a'r chwiorydd yn y moddion. Toc,
cododd Cymry yr ardal ysgoldy logiau i gadw ysgol ddyddiol ac Ysgol Sabbothol,
a phob moddion o ras; ac yr wyf yn cofio i ddau Gyfarfod Misol rhagorol gael eu
cynnal yn yr hen adeilad hwnnw.
When I settled
in
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(14)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Buom ni fel teulu ugeiniau o
weithiau yn myned yno yn yr hen wagen bren, a'r ddau ych yn ei thynu gan gnoi
eu cil; ac os byddem yn brin o iraid, clywid yr hen wagen yn gwichian ei chalon
hi, nes oeddym yn cael digon o fiwsig ar hyd y ffordd. O! amser dedwydd oedd hi y pryd hwnw! Dim balchder neu gwag ymffrost yn blino neb!
(MODERN SPELLING) Buom ni fel teulu ugeiniau o weithiau yn myned yno yn yr
hen wagen bren, a'r ddau ych yn ei thynu gan gnoi eu cil; ac os byddem yn brin
o iraid, clywid yr hen wagen yn gwichian ei chalon hi, nes oeddym yn cael digon
o fiwsig ar hyd y ffordd. O! amser
dedwydd oedd hi y pryd hwnw! Dim balchder neu gwag ymffrost
yn blino neb!
As a family we
went there scores of time in the old wooden wagon, with the two oxen pulling it
chewing their cud; and if we were short of grease, you'd hear the old wagon
squeaking for all it was worth, so we had enough music along the road. Oh! that
was a happy time! There was no pride or empty boasting to vex you
__________________________________
(15)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Ond fe godwyd capel tua'r flwyddyn
1858 - os iawn y cofwyf. Cawsom lawer o oedfaon cysurus yn y capel hwnw; a
chlywais lawer yn gwaeddi am faddeuant ac achubiaeth, yr hyn sydd yn dra
dyeithr yn y dyddiau hyn. Codasom ail gapel yn yr ardal, ac yr oedd hwn yn tra
rhagori ar y cyntaf. Codwyd hwn yn 1889; ac fe dalodd y bobl amdano, yn gystal
ag am y lall, heb ofyn cent gan neb o'r tu allan i'r ardal.
(MODERN SPELLING) Ond fe godwyd capel tua'r flwyddyn 1858 - os iawn y
cofiaf. Cawsom lawer o oedfaon cysurus yn y capel hwnnw; a chlywais lawer yn
gweiddi am faddeuant ac achubiaeth, yr hyn sydd yn dra dieithr yn y dyddiau
hyn. Codasom ail gapel yn yr ardal, ac yr oedd hwn yn tra rhagori ar y cyntaf.
Codwyd hwn yn 1889; ac fe dalodd y bobl amdano, yn gystal ag am y lall, heb
ofyn sent gan neb o'r tu allan i'r ardal.
But a chapel
was built in the year 1858, if I remember rightly. We had many cheering
services in that chapel, and I heard many shouting out for foregiveness and
salvation, which these days is rather strange. We built a second chapel in the
area, and this was far better than the first. It was built in 1889, and the
people paid for it, as well as the other, without asking for a cent from anyone
outside the area .
__________________________________
PART 2
GRAMMATICAL NOTES
(2)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Yr wyf lawer gwaith wedi
meddwl rhoddi ychydig o hanes dechreu byw mewn gwlad newydd, sef yn
(MODERN SPELLING) Yr wyf lawer gwaith wedi meddwl rhoddi
ychydig o hanes dechrau byw mewn gwlad newydd, sef yn
I've often thought of giving a brief
account of beginning life in a new country, namely in
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Yr wyf = I am
The spoken form is based on yr wyf fi, which becomes rw i, or
even w i.
(In the North, the spoken form is mi rydw i, or simply dw i,
based on a variant literary form yr ydwyf fi)
llawer = many
gwaith (masculine) = work, but gwaith (feminine) = time, occasion
llawer gwaith = many a time. Used as an adverb, if it is not at the
beginning of a sentence, it has soft mutation > lawer gwaith
meddwl = thinking; to think
wedi = after
yr wyf wedi meddwl = I have thought (I am after thinking)
rhoddi = to give. In spoken Welsh the 'dd' has been dropped, to give rhoi
newydd = new
gwlad (feminine) = country
gwlad newydd = new country
mewn = in a
mewn gwlad newydd = in a new country
byw = to live
dechrau = beginning; to begin
dechrau byw = to begin to live, to begin a new life; it also means 'to begin
married life'
ychydig o = a bit of
hanes (feminine) = story, history, account
sef = namely, that is
yn = in
agos = near
i = to
agos i = close on, nearly
cant = one hundred. Before a consonant it becomes can
blwyddyn (feminine) = year
un = one. Before a feminine noun it causes soft mutation of the intial
consonant
un flwyddyn = one year
blynedd = years (after a numeral)
tri (masculine), tair (feminine) = three
tair blynedd = two years
mlynedd = form of blynedd after certain numerals
can mlynedd = one hundred years
hanner cant = fifty ("half (a) hundred")
hanner can mlynedd = fifty years
ôl = trail, footprint
yn ôl = (direction) back ("in + trail", the idea being
'retracing one's footsteps')
mynd yn ôl = going back; go back
yn ôl (with expressions of time) = ago
hanner can mlynedd yn ôl = fifty years ago
Mehefin = June (the root is haf = summer, and me- is an
obsolete element meaning 'half', as in English words of Latin origin mean,
medium, median)
mis = month
mis Mehefin = (the) month (of) June
cyrraedd = arriving; to arrive (stem: cyrhaedd-)
fi [vii] = I, me
i = I, me; it is a form of fi used after verbs and prepositions
-ais verb ending, first-person singular simple past
cyrhaeddais, or cyrhaeddais i = I arrived
priod = spouse, husban, wife
fy = my. It causes the spirant mutation of c, p, t, g, b, d
fy mhriod = my wife
a = and
a + fy becomes a'm = and my. There is no spirant mutation
after 'm
a'm priod = and my wife
brawd = brother, a brother (there is no indefinite article in Welsh)
hen = old
hyn = older
na = than
mi = me (form of fi after na = than, i = to, and
some other words)
hyn na mi = older than me
i = to, but in some expressions it is equivalent to English in
cyrhaeddais i i Racine = I arrived in Racine
lle = place
yr oedd = there was
lle yr oedd = where there was
yn = linker, literally 'in'; links the verb bod 'to be' and a
verb-noun: The idea of being 'in' an action is found in older English, where
the form 'on' (meaning 'in') was used before a gerund, later becoming an
obscire vowel [ø] but spelt 'a', and still used in dialect English. She's
a-coming soon.
byw = living; to live. The verb in Welsh corresponds most closely to the
English gerund (living). Since it can be used as a noun or a verb in Welsh, it
is called a 'berfenw' in Welsh, in English a 'verb-noun', that is, a
verb-cum-noun.
bod yn byw = to be living ('be in living')
chwaer = sister
chwaer i mi = a sister of mine ("a sister to me")
sef = namely
gwraig = wife
gwraig John Ellis = (the) wife (of) John Ellis. The practice after the
annexation of Wales to England in 1536 has been to use English names as
official names, an obligation of the English administration in Wales, rather as
native American peoples have been obliged to do, although in a community a more
native names would have been used (John would usually be Siôn, and
instead of the surname a farm name might be used, or the father's name, or a
descriptive adjective, amongst other ways of qualifying a first name )
(3)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Ar ol gorphwys diwrnod neu ddau daethom yn awyddus i fyned
i Caledonia, i edrych am deulu H. Roberts o Dalaeth New York, ac i edrych allan
am fferm; ond yr unig ffordd i deithio y pryd hwnw ydoedd cyflogi gwedd neu
gerdded yno. Nid oedd genym arian i logi cerbyd, ac felly ar ein traed y cychwynais
i a'm brawd. Erbyn cyrhaedd
(MODERN SPELLING) Ar ôl gorffwys
diwrnod neu ddau daethom yn awyddus i fyned i Caledonia, i edrych am deulu H.
Roberts o Dalaith New York, ac i edrych allan am fferm; ond yr unig ffordd i
deithio y pryd hwnnw ydoedd cyflogi gwedd neu gerdded yno. Nid oedd gennym
arian i logi cerbyd, ac felly ar ein traed y cychwynnais i a'm brawd. Erbyn
cyrraedd
After resting a day or two we became keen to go to
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ôl = trail
ar ôl ("on trail") = after
gorffwys = to rest
ar ôl gorffwys = after resting
diwrnod = day, a day
neu = or (cuases soft mutation of the follwing consonant)
dau = two
neu ddau = or two
dod = coming; to come
daethom = we came
awydd = desire, want, inclination
awyddus = desirous, keen
awyddus i = keen to
myned = going, to go; in spoken Welsh, and also nowadays in literary
Welsh too, it is a monosyllable mynd
i (preposition) = to, causes soft mutation
i fynd = to go
i Caledonia = to Caledonia. One might expect i Galedonia, but
before names of places which are not Welsh, generally there is no mutation
after i.
teulu = family (etymologically, it corresponds to the two words in
modern Welsh ty = house, llu = group of people)
edrych = to look
am = for, around. This preposition causes soft mutation
edrych am = to look for; or to call on, to visit (somebody)
teulu H. Roberts = (the) family (of) H. Roberts
teulu > deulu = soft-mutated form
talaith = province; state of the
For New York it is more usual nowadays to use the Welsh form Efrog
Newydd
o Dalaith Efrog Newydd = from (the) state (of) New York
a = and
ac [ag] = and, used before a vowel
ac i = and to...
fferm (feminine) = farm
edrych allan am = to look out for, to try and find
ond = but
ffordd (feminine) = road, way
unig = only
yr = the (before a consonant it is y)
y fferm = the farm
yr unig ffordd = the only way
taith = journey
teithio = to travel
pryd = time
hwnnw = (pronoun) that one (something talked about, something not seen)
y + noun + hwnnw = that (noun)
y dyn hwnnw = that man (we are talking about)
y pryd hwnnw = (literally: that time), used as an adverbial, = at that
time, in those days
oedd or ydoedd = was. Ydoedd is a more literary form
gwedd = yoke; two animals yoked together; ox-cart pulled by two oxen
cyflogi = hiring; to hire
neu (+ sofrt mutation) = or
cerdded = walking; to walk
neu gerdded = or to walk
yno = there (place talked about, not seen)
llogi = hiring; to hire (different from cyflogi because it can also
mean 'to rent a house', but basically the same word - cyflogi (cyf,
prefix meaning 'together') + soft mutation + (llogi = to hire)
cerbyd = vehicle; carriage; here the meaning is cart
arian = silver; money
gan = with
mae gennym = there is with me, I have
nid = not
oedd = was
nid oedd gennym = there wasn't with me, we didn't have
i logi cerbyd = to hire / rent a cart
felly = so
ac = a form of 'a' (and) used before a vowel, and a few words
beginning with a consonant
ac felly = and so
troed (masculine) = foot
traed (plural) = feet
ein = our
ar ein traed = on our feet, on foot
cychwyn = setting off on a journey; set off on a journey; beginning,
begin
cychwynnais or cychwynnais i = I set off, I began
y = linker (before a verb. The normal sentence in Welsh is (VERB + other
elements). But for emphasis another element may be placed first - a noun or
pronoun, a verb, an adjective, an adverbial. After an adverbial the linker y
is used (adverbial + y + verb). If the verb begins with a vowel, this
linker is yr
a'm brawd = and my brother
erbyn = against; before a verb-noun, in can mean 'in preparation for',
or 'on (doing something')
erbyn cyrraedd = on arriving, when I / we / you etc arrived
blino = to tire (make somebody tired); to tire (become tired)
y = particle used before the verb bod to be (yr before a
vowel)
y mae = there is (colloquially y is dropped)
yr oedd = there was (colloquially y is dropped, to give roedd)
yr oeddwn or yr oeddwn i = I was
yr oeddwn i wedi blino = I was tired ("I was after
getting-tired")
ond = but
fy = my. It causes the spirant mutation of c, p, t, g, b, d
brawd = brother
fy mrawd = my brother
gwydn [gwi din] = tough
mwy = more
mwy gwydn = tougher 'more tough'
yn = verb linker between bod (to be) and a verb. There is no
mutation after yn
yn = noun linker between bod (to be) and a noun, and also an
adjective, . There is soft mutation after this yn
bod yn fwy gwydn = be tougher
na mi = than me
cerdded = walking; to walk
i gerdded = to walk
(4)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Ar ol gorphwys noson yn Portage, aethom ymlaen bellder o
bum' milldir nes cyrhaedd Caledonia, lle yr oedd ychydig o Gymry eisoes wedi
prynu tir; a phan ddeallodd y cyfryw fod arnaf finnau eisieu tyddyn, dyna lle
yr oeddynt yn dangos ac yn denu nes y llwyddasant.
(MODERN SPELLING) Ar ôl gorffwys
noson yn Portage, aethom ymlaen bellter o bum milltir nes cyrraedd Caledonia,
lle yr oedd ychydig o Gymry eisoes wedi prynu tir; a phan ddeallodd y cyfryw
fod arnaf finnau eisiau tyddyn, dyna lle yr oeddynt yn dangos ac yn denu nes y
llwyddasant.
After resting a night in Portage, we
went on for a distance of five miles till we reached Caledonia, where a few
Welshmen had already bought land, and when they understood that I needed a
smallholding, they showed me around and enticed me until they succeeded
__________________________________
ar ôl ("on trail") = after
gorffwys = to rest
ar ôl gorffwys = after resting
nos (feminine) = night (nos da! = good night!) (after a feminine
noun, there is soft mutation of the adjective, so one would expect nos dda;
this for phonetic reasons is an exception to the rule)
hwn = this one (masculine)
y dyn hwn = this man
hon = this one (feminine)
y fferm hon = this farm
noson = evening (historically nos + hon)
gorffwys noson = to rest (for) a night
aethom = we went
blaen = tip, front
ymlaen = forward, onward
pell = distant, far
pellter = distance
milltir = mile
pump = five
pum = five (before a noun)
pum milltir = five miles
o = from, of (this preposiiton causes the soft mutation)
pellter o bum milltir = a distance of five miles
bellter o bum milltir = for a distance of five miles (an adverbial
phrase results if the first word in the sequence has soft mutation. Here p
> b)
nes = until
nes cyrraedd
ychydig o = a bit of; a few
Cymro = a Welshman
Cymry = Welshmen, Welsh men and women, Welsh people. In modern Welsh the
letter y and u are pronounced the same.
eisoes = already
prynu = buying, to buy
tir [tiir] = land (the same word in all the Celtic languages; a related
word is Latin terra = land)
pan = when; it causes the soft mutation
a = and; it causes the spirant mutation of a following c, p, t
a phan = and when
deall = understanding; to understand
deallodd = he / she / it understood
deallodd ef = he / it understood
deallodd hi = she / it understood
deallodd Siôn = John understood
deallodd y dynion = the men understood
pan ddeallodd = when he understood
cyfryw = (adjective) of the same kind
y cyfryw = suchlike people; these selfsame people, they
eisiau = need
ar = on
arnaf, or arnaf fi = on me
mae arnaf eisiau = I need ("there-is on-me (a) need")
fi = I, me. An emphatic form is finnau [vi-ne] = me
myself, me too
bod = to be
fod (soft mutated form of bod) = that there is, that there was
deallodd fod... = he understood that there was...
tyddyn = smallholding, small farm, croft. An element in numerous place
names in
dyna = there is. Literally 'you see there' from 'gweli di yna' (you see +
you + there). Used in narrations to give immediacy.
dyna lle yr oeddynt = there they were
dangos = showing; to show
ac = and (form of a used before a vowel)
denu = enticing, to entice / attracting, to attract / luring, to lure
ac yn denu = and enticing
nes = until. Before an inflected verb it is nes y (or nes yr before
a vowel)
llwyddo = succeeding; to succeed (stem: llwydd-)
-asant = verb ending, third person plural simple past
llwyddasant = they succeeded
(5)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Yr oedd genyf 'land warrant',
a chefais 160 o erwau o dir y llywodraeth, a phrynais 80 o erwau am $1.25 yr
erw, nes oedd genyf fferm fawr o dir gwyllt; ond yr oedd yn costio agos i $20
yr erw am grybio ac aredig. Dyna olwg am ddigon o waith onide?
(MODERN SPELLING) Yr oedd gennyf
'land warrant', a chefais 160 o erwau o dir y llywodraeth, a phrynais 80 o
erwau am $1.25 yr erw, nes oedd gennyf fferm fawr o dir gwyllt; ond yr oedd yn
costio agos i $20 yr erw am grybio ac aredig. Dyna olwg am ddigon o waith
onide?
I had a land warrant, and I got 160
acres of government land, and I bought 80 acres for $1.25 an acre, until I had
a big farm with uncleared land, but it was costing me nearly $20 an acre to
grub and plough. What a lot of money for all that. It's hard to believe, isn't
it?
yr oedd gennyf = I had ("there was with me")
cael = getting, to get; receiving, to receive
cefais, or cefais i = I got, I received
a chefais = and I got
erw = acre
erwau = acres (there are many different plural terminations in Welsh; -au
is the most usual, however)
ugain = twenty
deugain = forty (dau = two, + ugain = twenty)
cant a deugain o erwau = one hundred and sixty acres ("(a) hundred and
three-(times)-twenty of acres")
llywodraeth = government
tir y llywodraeth = ("(the) land (of) the government"), government
land
erw o dir = an acre of land
prynu = to buy
prynais = I bought
a phrynais = and I bought
pedwar ugain = eighty ("four-(times)-twenty")
a phrynais bedwar ugain o erwau = I bought eighty acres. After an
inflected verb there is soft mutation
doler (feminine) = dollar
un ddoler = one dollar (soft mutation of the initial consonant of a
feminine noun after un = one)
pum sent ar hugain = twenty-five cents (five cent on twenty)
nes oedd gennyf = until there was with me, until I had
mawr = big
fferm (feminine) = farm
fferm fawr = a big farm (soft mutation of mawr after a feminine noun)
gwyllt = wild
tir gwyllt = wild land, uncultivated land, land not brought into
cultivation
fferm fawr o dir gwyllt = a large farm of unlceared land
costio = costing, to cost
yr oedd yn costio = it was costing, it cost
agos i = close on, nealry ("near to")
ugain doler = twenty dollars
yr erw = the acre, per acre
am = for, in order to (causes the soft mutation)
grybio = to grub, clear the top of weeds and roots. From English 'to
grub'. One would expect am rybio, but words taken from English with
inital g generally resist this mutation
aredig = ploughing; to plough
ac aredig = to plough
golwg = sight
dyna = that is. It is followed by the soft mutation
digon = enough, sufficient amount, sufficiency
gwaith = work
digon o waith = ("(a) sufficiency (of) work").
onide = isn't it? (o = if, nid = not, e = it). Used
as a question tag after sentences that begin with sentences which do not begin
with a verb (so-called 'normal' sentences), but with another element (so-called
'abnormal' sentences - noun, adjective, adverbial, verb-noun); or beginning
with dyma = here is, dyna = there is. In spoken Welsh, onide >
ynde (North), ontefe (South)
(6)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Wel, y peth nesaf oedd cael y wraig a'r baban ar y fferm;
ac nid oedd dim i'w wneyd ond ei throedio hi yn ol i
(MODERN SPELLING) Wel, y peth
nesaf oedd cael y wraig a'r baban ar y fferm; ac nid oedd dim i'w wneud ond ei
throedio hi yn ôl i Racine, a llogi gwedd yno i'w cludo i Caledonia, lle y
cyraeddasom erbyn canol Gorffennaf. Nid oedd gennyf yn fy meddiant ond tua
$5.00, ac heb un math o dy i roddi fy nheulu bach ynddo. Yn ein cyfyngder
cawsom addewid gan H. Roberts o ystabl log i fyw, nes gallem gael digon o amser
i godi ty log. Hefyd cawsom addewid i lusgo y logiau at eu gilydd, pan fuasent
yn barod
Well, the next thing was to get the
wife and the baby on the farm, and there was nothing for it but to go back to
Racine on foot, and to hire an ox cart to carry them to Caledonia, where we
arrived towards mid-July. All I had to my name was $5, and no house of any kind
to put my family in. In our hour of need we were promised a log stable to live
in by H. Roberts, so we could have enough time to build a log house. Also we
had a promise to haul the logs together, when they were ready
__________________________________
wel = well
nesaf = next (in spoken Welsh, the final f [v] of such words of
more than one syllable is not pronounced (nesa)
y peth nesaf = the next thing
cael = getting; to get
y wraig = the wife
baban = baby
y baban = the baby
a'r baban = and the baby (the base form is yr baban; in modern
Welsh yr becomes y before a consonant; but yr is reduced
to r after a vowel)
ar y fferm = on the farm
ac = and, form of a before a vowel and certain words
ac nid = and not
dim = something, anything, nothing
gwneud = doing, to do
ei = his, its (causes soft mutation)
gwraig = wife
ei wraig = his wife
ei wneud = its doing
i = to, for
i + ei = i'w (to his, to its; for his, for its)
i'w wneud = to its doing, for its doing
dim i'w wneud = nothing to be done ("nothing for its doing")
ond = but, except, apart from
troed = foot
troedio = walking; to walk
ei = her (followed by the spirant mutation)
hi = she; as a tag after ei + noun, it is 'of her'
ei... hi = her + of her
ci = dog
ei chi = her dog
ei chi hi = her dog ("her dog of her"). The addition of the tag
is very usual in spoken Welsh
ei throedio hi = to walk it, to foot it, to go on foot
yn ôl i Racine = back to Racine
eu = their (no mutation)
i + eu = i'w to their (no mutation)
cludo =carrying, to carry; transporting, to transport
i'w cludo = to carry them
canol = middle
gorffen = finishing; to finish
haf (masculine) = summer
Gorffennaf = July ("(the) end (of) summer")
canol Gorffennaf = mid-July
erbyn = by
erbyn canol Gorffennaf = by mid-July, towards mid-July
cyrraedd = arriving, to arrive (stem = cyrhaedd-, and cyraedd-
if two syllables are added)
cyraeddasom = we arrived
meddiant = possession
yn fy meddiant = in my possession
nid oedd gennyf ond... = I had only ("there was nothing with me
but...")
tua = towards, about, approcimately
pum doler = five dollars
heb = without
ac = and, form of a before a vowel and certain words
ac heb= and without
math = sort
un math o = one sort of
heb un math o = without any sort of
ty = house
math o dyn = a sort of house
rhoddi = giving; to give
i roddi = for giving, to give
fy = my. It causes the spirant mutation of c, p, t, g, b, d
teulu = family
fy nheulu = my family
bach = little
fy nheulu bach = my little family
ynddo = in him, in it
cyfyng = narrow
cyfyngder = straitened circumstances, plight
yn ein cyfyngder = in our straitened circumstances
addewid = promise
cael addewid i = get a promise to
gan = with, from
ystabl = stable
lòg = log
ystabl lòg = stable made of logs
nes = until
gallu = to be able
gallem = we could, we would be able
gallem gael = we could get, we would be able to get (cael >
gael soft mutation after an inflected verb)
amser = time
digon o amser = enough time
codi = raising, to raise; building, to build
ty lòg = log house, house made of logs
hefyd = also
cawsom = we received
llusgo = dragging, to drag; hauling, to haul
cilydd = (Old Welsh) fellow, companion
at = to
eu = their
at eu gilydd = together ("to their fellow"). Should logically be
'at eu cilydd', but it 'gilydd', found in 'at ei gilydd' (= to his
fellow) has been generalised
lòg, logiau = log, logs (-iau is a plural termination)
buasent = they would be
pan fuasent = when they would be
parod = ready
bod yn barod = be ready (yn = noun linker, used also with
adjectives; causes soft mutation)
(7)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Y peth nesaf oedd edrych am
le cyfaddas i godi ty. Yr oedd yno dri o fân fryniau, a thorais seler ar ben un
ohonynt, fel y gallem fod yng ngolwg y ffordd, ond methodd yr ychain dynu y
logiau i ben y bryn, felly yr oedd yn rhaid tori seler wrth waelod y bryn.
(MODERN SPELLING) Y peth nesaf oedd
edrych am le cyfaddas i godi ty. Yr oedd yno dri o fân fryniau, a thorrais
seler ar ben un ohonynt, fel y gallem fod yng ngolwg y ffordd, ond methodd yr
ychain dynnu y logiau i ben y bryn, felly yr oedd yn rhaid torri seler wrth
waelod y bryn
The next thing was to look for a
suitable place for building a house. There were three small hills, and I dug a
cellar on top of one of them, so that we could be in view of the road, but the
oxen failed to draw the logs to the top of the hill, so I had to dig a cellar
at the bottom of the hill
__________________________________
edrych am = look for
am = (preposition) for; causes the soft mutation
lle = place
edrych am le = look for a place
cyfaddas = suitable, appropriate
i godi ty = for building a house
bryn, bryniau = hill, hills
mân = small
mân fryniau = small hills (an adjective before a noun causes soft
mutation)
tri o fân fryniau = three small hills ("three of small hills")
torri = cutting, to cut; digging, to dig
torrais = I dug
a thorrais = and I dug
seler (feminine) = cellar
pen = head, top
ar = on (followed by soft mutation)
ar ben = on top of
ohonynt = of them
un ohonynt = one of them
fel y = so that
gallem = we might be able to
bod = to be
gallem fod = we might be able to be
golwg = sight
yng ngolwg = in sight of
y ffordd = the road
methu = failing; to fail
methodd = he / she / it failed
ych, ychain = ox, oxen
methodd yr ychain = the oxen failed
tynnu = pulling, to pull
methodd yr ychain dynnu = the oxen failed to pull (Soft mutation of a
verb after an inflected verb)
pen y bryn = (the) top (of) the hill
i pen y bryn = to (the) top (of) the hill
felly = so
rhaid = necessity
mae yn rhaid = it is necessary to ("it is a necessity")
(follwed by a verb-noun)
gwaelod = bottom
gwaelod y bryn = (the) bottom (of) the hill
wrth = by, next to, at (this prepostion is followed by the soft
mutation)
wrth waelod y bryn = at (the) bottom (of) the hill
(8)
(ORIGINAL SPELLING) Yna yr oedd yn rhaid cael
cynnorthwy deg neu ddwsin o ddynion cryfion i godi y logiau, yr hyn gafwyd; ac
yna prynais goed i wneyd llawr a llofft a tho gyda $150, a fenthycais gan fy
mrawd ar log am chwe mlynedd. Nid oedd dim arall i'w wneyd ond benthyca gan fod
yn anmhosibl cael gwaith yn nes na 30 milldir, ac nid oedd modd gadael fy
nheulu bach i gymeryd eu siawns mewn gwlad newydd. Fel hyn gorphenais y ty fy
(MODERN SPELLING) Yna yr oedd yn rhaid cael cynorthwy deg neu ddwsin o
ddynion cryfion i godi y logiau, yr hyn gafwyd; ac yna prynais goed i wneud
llawr â llofft â tho gyda $150, a fenthycais gan fy mrawd ar log am chwe
mlynedd. Nid oedd dim arall i'w wneud ond benthyca gan fod yn amhosibl cael
gwaith yn nes na 30 milltir, ac nid oedd modd gadael fy nheulu bach i gymeryd
eu siawns mewn gwlad newydd. Fel hyn gorffennais y ty fy hunan, gan fod gennyf
ychydig o arfau saer wedi eu prynu cyn cychwyn
Then I had to
get the help of ten or twelve strong men to lift the logs, and this was
obtained; and then I bought wood to make a ground floor and an upstairs floor
and a roof for $150, which I borrowed at interest from my brother for six
years. There was no alternative but to borrow since it was impossible to find
work within 30 miles, and there was no way I could leave my family to their
luck in a new country. In this way I finished the house myself, since I had a
few carpenter's tools which I had bought before setting out
__________________________________
yna = there; then
yr oedd yn rhaid = it was necessary
cael = to get
cynorthwy = help
deg = ten
dwsin = a dozen
deg neu ddwsin = ten or twelve ("ten or a dozen")
dyn, dynion = man, men
-ion = plural suffix with some nouns and adjectives
deg neu ddwsin o ddynion = ten or twelve men ("ten or a dozen of
men")
cryf [kriiv] = strong (plural form: cryfion)
dynion cryfion = strong men
codi = lifting up, to lift up; raising, to raise
lòg, logiau = log, logs
yr hyn = this; something which
cafwyd = it was obtained
a gafwyd = which was obtained
yr hyn a gafwyd = something which was obtained
ac yna = and then
prynu = buying / to buy
prynais = I bought
coed = wood
prynais goed = I bought wood (RULE: soft mutation of following noun
object after an inflected verb)
i = to
gwneud = making; to make
i wneud = to make, in order to make (RULE: soft mutation of following noun
after the prepositons am, ar, at, dros, drwy, dan, i, wrth, o, hyd, heb, gan)
llawr = floor; ground floor
lloft = upstairs floor
â = with (followed by spirant mutation)
to = roof
â tho = with a roof
gyda = with
benthyg = a loan
benthyca = borrowing; to borrow
benthycais = I borrowed
a = which (Rule: causes soft mutation of the following verb)
a fenthycais = which I borrowed
gan = with; after verbs of borrowing, buying, receivin, equivalent to
Englisg 'from'
llog [lhoog] = interest
ar = on (RULE: soft mutation of following noun after the prepositons am,
ar, at, dros, drwy, dan, i, wrth, o, hyd, heb, gan)
ar log = at interest
chwech = six (chwe before a noun)
chwe mlynedd = six years (properly chwe blynedd, but 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 are
followed by mlynedd, and 6 has fallen into line, at least in spoken
Welsh)
am chwe mlynedd = for six years
nid oedd dim arall = there was nothing else
i'w wneud = "for its doing", to be done
ond = but, except fot
gan = with
gan fod = since it is, since it was, being (gan ei bod would be
nore usual., 'with her being, with its being')
posibl = possible
amhosibl = impossible
cael gwaith = get work, find work
nes na = nearer than
bod yn nes na = be nearer than
gwaith yn nes na = work nearer than (sydd = 'which is', oedd = 'which
was' is understood here; gwaith sydd yn nes na - work which is nearer than)
deg = ten (deng before words beginning in n or m)
deng milltir ar hugain = thirty miles
modd = means (from Latin 'modus')
nid oedd modd = there was no way / means
gadael = leave behind
teulu bach = little family
fy nheulu bach = my little family
siawns = chance, luck, fate
cymeryd ei siawns = 'to take his / her luck', that is, to trust to fate
i gymeryd = to take
eu siawns = their luck
mewn = in a (in with an indefinite noun following)
mewn gwlad newydd = in a new country
fel hyn = in this way, like this
gorffennais = I finished
fy hunan = myself, without help from others
gan fod = (since / because / as) + (there is, there are, there was,
there were)
gan fod gennyf = since I had ("since there was with me")
ychydig o = a few
arfau = arms, weapons; tools
saer = craftsman; carpenter
Often saer coed ('craftsman of wood') to distinguish it from saer
maen ('craftsman of stone') = stone mason
wedi eu prynu = "after their buying", (which were) bought
cyn = before
cychwyn = starting out on a journey; to start out
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