This is the original version of the poems Trioedd y Meirch (Triads of the Horses/Triads of the Steeds) 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. The poems themselves are four-line stanzas, each describing three famous steeds.

⮪ıoed y Meırch

⮪ı aneıthmarch ınıſ p[ri]deın
Carnalauc mach‧ Oweı‧ mab Vıe‧
‧ ⮑ucheſlum ſeı‧ mach Gugau cletẏu‧
 ⮪auauı breıchır‧ m‧ adwallau‧ fıl' ‧


⮪ı thom eẏstır ınıs prıdeı‧
rwul melın‧ march paſſcen fıl' Vrıen‧
‧ ⮔u hı ewenhı‧ m‧ ſelẏw mab ẏnan gavın‧
 Dudluıd‧ m‧ ẏech hael


⮪ı gohev eẏstsı ınıſ prıdeı
⮙uẏnev godvff‧ hır‧ march eı‧
Ruthı ehon uh bleı‧ m‧ ⮙ılbed mab adgẏffo‧
‧ eıcaled‧ m‧ gualchmeı‧


⮪ı hoev eıstsı ınıſ pıdeı‧
llvago‧ m‧ aradauc ⮑‧
 melẏnlaſ‧ m‧ aſwallau mab Belẏ‧
[[*]c aẏdac breıchır mach ẏoe eıl ẏnan]



Follow these links for the modern Welsh version of the poem and the English translations of the poems.




The poems given above are 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.