This is the original version of the poem I Hywel ap Goronwy (To Hywel son of Goronwy) from the the Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin (Black Book of Carmarthen). It is rendered as close as possible to the original using my font, Mabinogi Celtic which is free for anyone to download and install.

I ⮛﬍el ap ⮙oron﬑﬍.

⮔u﬑ in ﬍mho﬉ ﬓn ne﬉ in po﬉ in can﬉o﬉u﬍.
Ẏ ﬋alc﬉ irn dinaſ unbin ﬒egi. a﬒i.
⮛﬍﬑el elmo. ﬓmr﬍ oo ﬍g﬉o ar﬑﬍.
⮪eui roc﬉ia﬒. ooe ueia﬒ ﬋ab goon﬑﬍.
⮙o﬒rut ﬍ ﬋ar. gur in r﬍﬒ar g﬑ae r﬍co﬉﬑﬍.
⮤e﬒ri﬒auc ﬉eul. ﬖu﬍﬉a ﬍ reul. ﬑c﬉el ﬍lc﬉﬍.
⮪ir b﬍c﬉einauc. d﬍ iau p^au﬒. paup ae gel﬉﬑﬍.

e﬋ ﬍﬒adlas am luﬓ﬉ eurg﬑aſ euaſ l﬍﬑u﬍.
rgig anc﬉﬑an. guen. gula﬒ mogan. D﬍ffrﬓn m﬍n﬑﬍.
⮙﬑﬉ir peni ﬍ſtrad﬑i bi. ⮪﬍ﬓn. wav﬑﬍.
⮔﬍ue﬒ d﬑﬍cau. ⮞erediciau. iflau ou﬍.
 meironﬓ. ac eﬓonﬓ. ac ardu﬒﬑﬍.
 llei dra﬑. ac aberffra﬑. a. d﬍gan﬉﬑﬍.
⮧oſ ro﬍nnﬓauc. ran ar﬒erc﬉auc. ugil ﬍g gou﬍.
⮪egigil o al. ﬒eirnau ial. arﬓal al﬑﬍.
⮧﬍uel ebui. a diffri clui.  nan con﬑﬍.
Pois enauc.  c﬉﬍ueilauc ac a ﬋o m﬑﬍.
D﬍ffrin ﬉aren. ⮞eri d﬍gen. ﬍﬑en ﬋en﬑﬍.
lael buell. ﬖaelenﬓ guell. pell ﬍ rei﬉﬑﬍.
⮪eir rac﬍nis. ar ⮪eir ﬓnﬓs. r ramod﬑﬍.
⮛﬍uel guledic. ﬋t g﬑ei﬉﬋uic. i﬒ ﬍ gu﬍ſtl﬑﬍.

⮰th ari﬋eir arpennic penn. o. plan ne﬑u﬍.
⮙ouﬓr e﬒i. guraul brn﬉i. dil﬍i ﬒en﬑﬍.
Dreic angerdaul turvf moroet maur. meint achupv﬌.
R﬍iſcuiſ llaur am ﬍ ﬋﬍aur eur amaer﬑﬍.
Bei na chaned. ﬌. t﬌ernet anhv﬌et rv﬌.
⮣r ſaul pennae﬉ a geiſ ﬓnae﬉. ar﬑ae﬉ camr﬑﬍.
⮛﬍﬒ir ﬍ ﬍ni﬉ell. ﬉﬍el en﬑ o pell. ⮙uell ﬍﬑ noc ﬑﬍.
Dip﬍﬒erant di﬍ſcaran. rac. ﬍ dib﬑﬍.
Di﬉e﬋ uun. rallau﬒ ﬍ſtu. a c﬉ur ﬍ſt﬑﬍.
⮙eri eri﬒. ged﬍ cle﬋i﬒ cri﬒ a ch﬍m﬑﬍.
﬍ ﬒a﬑ meic ﬉i﬒ op﬉en bi﬒. ﬉i﬒ ﬍ no﬑﬍.
⮛﬍uel ﬉aelaf. ﬋aur eilaa goeſc﬍n﬉﬑﬍.
⮒affau﬒ ﬉﬍uel u﬉ ﬍ ﬉oee. ﬍ ﬍buc﬉﬑﬍.

⮭﬍ r﬍puc﬉e﬒ ﬍ coloﬓn e﬒. clo﬒ pe﬒r﬍﬒an.
⮧﬍uel d﬍al ﬋rien ﬉aval. rial ﬋﬍﬉ein.
⮙uriſc gueilgi do﬍n. ﬍﬑i﬒ ﬉e﬉oﬓn colof﬍n milcan.
Llugin ﬒eu﬒o. lluoe ago. gur. bango breﬓnt.
⮤r﬍﬒uſ ̲pc﬉en po﬒aur ben. pen pop ineﬓn.
⮙oe﬋ brn﬉in or gollei. ﬉i﬒ in llun﬒ein.
⮛aela laria. le﬋af eccaf. o a﬒a plan.
⮙erlig ﬉aela ﬉aeon g﬑au ﬋eliaon ﬋aon ﬋e﬋ein.
⮙ouir menﬓc mur gerenic gur﬉i﬒ goman.
⮪euin am ir. i rei﬉ ﬍ir. o ﬉il mogan.
⮣ moccan﬉﬑c o iein﬑c ra﬒e﬑ r﬑﬍﬉ein.
⮣ rnon ﬍ri﬒ leon. galon reibein.
⮭n ﬋i﬒ ﬋enei﬒ ﬍ ell﬍ſpp bi﬒. gelleiſt po﬉an.
⮛oe﬉il ﬉ir ac e.  c﬉ein ﬍ ae r﬋i aunian.
⮭ren arna﬑. a﬒ ac ana. a ffa﬑ a p﬉lan.




Follow these links for the Celtnet Poetry archive and the Black Book of Carmarthen information page.




The poem given above is transcribed directly from the Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin (Black Book of Carmarthen), with reference to Blodeugerdd Barddas o'r Bedwaredd Ganrif ar Ddeg edited by Dafydd Johnston and to AHO Jarman's diplomatic edition of the text. Letters or words obviously missing from the text are enclosed in square brackets [ ] and letters or words that are either superfluous to the metre or which are erroniously copied in the original are indicated in italic text.

As well as being a treasure trove of ancient poetry the Llyfr Du also contains a number of marginalia, including drawings and notes. As such it is also a resource of Medieval imagery. I have reproduced some of these images and they are presented here.