This is the contemporary Welsh modernization 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.

Trioedd y Meirch

Tri ysbeilfarch Ynys Prydain
Ewin Fforchog march Owain mab Urien
A ?Llawn Bywyd mathrwr march Gwgawn Gleddyfgoch
A Thafodhir Breichhir march Cadwallawn fab Cadfan


Tri llwyth-farch Ynys Prydein
Melyn Anferth, march Pascen fab Urien
A Du Hir Ffyrnig, march Selyf mab Cynan Garwyn
A Dewr-lwyd march Rhydderch Hael


Tri march gwych Ynys Prydein
Gwinau Gwddf-hir march Cei
Rhuthr diofn tuth blaidd march Gilberd mab Cadgyffro
A Chefn-caled march Gwalchmai


Tri march hardd Ynys Prydein
Caredig march Caradawg mab Brân
A melynlas march Caswallawn mab Beli
[[*]Ac Awyddys Breichir march Cyhored mab Cynan]



Follow these links for the original 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.