| Author | Topic: Add: Men of Harlech | |
| dmcg | Posted - 15 Sep 04 - 09:37 am | |
Hark, I hear the foe advancing, Barb-ed steeds are proudly pracing, Helmets, in the sunbeams glancing, glitter through the trees. Men of Harlech, lie ye dreaming? See ye not the falchions gleaming? While their pennants gaily streaming, flutter in the breeze. From the rocks rebounding, Let the war-cry sounding Summon all at Cambria's call, the haughty foe surrounding. Men of Harlech, on to glory, See your banner famed in story, Waves these burn-ing words before ye, "Britain scorns to yield." Mid the fray see dead and dying, Friend and foe together lying, All around the arrows flying scatter sudden death. Frightened steeds are wildly neighing, Brazen trumpets hoarsely braying, Wounded men for mercy praying with their parting breath. See, they're in disorder. Comrades, keep close order. Ever they shall rue the day they ventured o'er the border. Now the Saxon flees before us. Vict'ry's banner floateth o'er us Raise the loud exulting chorus, "Britan wins the field." Source: Singing Together, Spring 1961, BBC Publications Notes: Identified simply as 'Welsh Traditional Song' in the pamphlets. | ||
| dmcg | Posted - 15 Sep 04 - 10:25 am | |
These Welsh lyrics were taken from the Contemplator website, which in its turn got them from Taylor's Traditional Tunebook. Wele goelcerth wen yn fflamio A thafodau t�¢n yn bloeddio Ar i'r dewrion ddod i daro Unwaith eto'n un Gan fanllefau tywysogion Llais gelynion, trwst arfogion A charlamiad y marchogion Craig ar graig a g ryn. Arfon byth ni orfydd Cenir yn dragywydd Cymru fydd fel Cymru fu Yn glodfawr ym mysg gwledydd. Yng ngwyn oleuni'r goelcerth acw Tros wefusau Cymro'n marw Annibyniaeth sydd yn galw Am ei dewraf ddyn. Ni chaiff gelyn ladd ac ymlid Harlech! Harlech! cwyd i'w herlid Y mae Rhoddwr mawr ein Rhyddid Yn rhoi nerth i ni. Wele Gymru a'i byddinoedd Yn ymdywallt o'r mynyddoedd! Rhuthrant fel rhaeadrau dyfroedd Llamant fel y lli! Llwyddiant i'n marchogion Rwystro gledd yr estron! Gwybod yn ei galon gaiff Fel bratha cleddyf Brython Y cledd yn erbyn cledd a chwery Dur yn erbyn dur a dery Wele faner Gwalia'i fyny Rhyddid aiff �¢ hi! Edited By dmcg - 15-Sep-2004 10:37:27 AM | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 15 Sep 04 - 12:09 pm | |
The Welsh text is the standard one, as widely printed in popular songbooks; for instance, Charles Villiers Stanford and Geoffrey Shaw, The New National Songbook, Boosey and Hawkes, 1906, where it is given with English verses by A P Graves. The English text here, according to the 1967 Sing Together compilation, is by Thomas Oliphant. | ||
| masato sakurai | Posted - 15 Sep 04 - 03:36 pm | |
According to James J. Fuld (in The Book of World-Famous Music, 5th ed., Dover, 2000, p. 363), The music was first published without words under the Welsh and English titles Gorhoffedd Gwŷr Harlech--The March of the Men of Harlech, in the 1794 edition of Edward Jones, Musical and Poetical Relicks [sic] of the Welsh Bards, London, p. 124.... The Welsh words usually associated with the above melody were composed by the nineteenth-century poet Ceiriog Hughes, and published in his Cant O Ganeuon (One Hundred Songs) (Wrexham, Wales, 1890).... The English words were first published in Cambrian Minstrelsie (Edinburgh, 1893), vol. III, p. 184.... | ||
| Adam Carew (guest) |
Posted - 17 Feb 10 - 12:43 am | |
A touch controversially perhaps, I have to add that these are not the words used on Singing Together in, at a guess, 1969. I have no doubt william Appleby taught us: "Men of Harlech, wake from sleeping Saxon tyrants now are creeping Like a river onwards sweeping Swiftly in the night". | ||
| Jon Freeman | Posted - 17 Feb 10 - 01:51 am | |
The 61 Version is way before any I have - think it must have been one of Kerknow John's I have 2/3 of 69, Spring and Autumn. The song is not in those or any of the collection we have. | ||