Celtic Texts: Preiddeu Annwfn: The Spoils of Annwfn

This is the original version of the poem Preiddeu Annwfn (The Spoils of Annwfn) from the the Llyfr Taliesin (Book of Taliesin). It is rendered as close as possible to the original using my font, Mabinogi Celtic which is free for anyone to download and install. This is an Arthurian poem, recounting a raid by Arthur and his men on the magical realm of Annwfn to retrieve its treasures.

﬈rei﬒eu Annn.

⮙olyc﬉af le﬒ıc en﬒euic g﬑lat ri
y le﬒aſ y ennaet﬉ ﬒oſ traet﬉ mun﬒ı.
﬇u yeır arc﬉ar g﬑eir yg aer ſi﬒ı
tr﬑y e﬇oſtol ﬑yll a ﬉ry﬒eri.
e﬇ yn noc ef nyt aet﬉ ı﬒ı
yr ga﬒﬑yn trom las yıras ae etı
 rac eı﬒eu ann﬑fyn toſt ıt geni
c yt ura﬑t ara﬉a﬑t yn ﬇ar﬒e﬒i
⮪ı lloneıt yten y﬒ aetham ni ı﬒ı.
nam ſeıth nı ﬒yeıth o gaer ſı﬒ı
eut ﬑yf glo﬒ geın myn c﬉er﬒ o glyır
yg aer e﬒yuan e﬒yr yc﬉elyt.
yg ynneır o eır an leferıt.
⮣ ana﬒yl na﬑ mowyn goc﬉ynneuit.
eu eır en ann﬑fyn ﬑y y ﬋ynut
g﬑ym am y oo a mererıt.
ny ﬇eır﬑ ﬇﬑yt ll﬑fyr ny rytyg﬉ıt.
cle﬒yf lluc﬉ llea﬑c ı﬒a﬑ ry﬒yrc﬉ıt.
c yn lla﬑ lemina﬑c y﬒ e﬒eıt.
 rac ﬒﬑s ot﬉ ﬋ffern llugyrn lloſcıt.
 ﬉an aet﬉am ni gan art﬉ur traffert﬉ lethrıt.
namyn ſeıt﬉ ny ﬒yeıt﬉ o gaer ﬋e﬒ıt.
eut ﬑yf glot geınmyn er﬒ gly ma﬑.
yg aer e﬒yfan ynyſ y﬇yr dor
ec﬉﬑y﬒ am uchyd ymyſceto
g﬑in gloy﬑ eu g﬑ıra﬑t rac eu gogo﬒
⮪ı lloneıt yten y﬒ aet﬉am ni ar ﬋o.
namyn ſeıt﬉ ny ﬒yeıt﬉ o gaer rıgo.
⮢y o﬇ynaff ı layr llen llyya﬒ur
tra c﬉aer ﬑y﬒yr ny elſynt ﬑﬉ynt art﬉ur.
⮪ı ﬋geint can﬉﬑ a ſeui ar y mur.
oe﬒ an﬉a﬑﬒ yma﬒a﬑﬒ ae g﬑ylya﬒ur.
trı lloneıt yten y﬒ aeth gan art﬉ur.
namyn ſeıth ny ﬒yeıt﬉ o gaer golu﬒.
⮢y o﬇ynaf y layr llaes eu ylc﬉﬑y
ny ﬑﬒ant ﬑y y﬒y﬒ erı﬒y﬒ ﬑y.
y a﬑ ymeın﬒y﬒ y ganet c﬑y.
﬈﬑y g﬑naet﬉ arnynt aeth ﬒oleu ﬒ef﬑y.
ny ﬑﬒ant ﬑y yr yc﬉ ﬇yc﬉ ﬇as y enr﬑y.
⮩eıt﬉ ﬋gein yg﬑ng yny aer﬑y.
 ﬉an aet﬉am nı gan art﬉ur auyr﬒﬑l
namyn ſeıt﬉ ny ﬒yeıt﬉ o gaer ﬋an﬒﬑y.
⮢y o﬇ynaf y layr llaes eu go﬉en.
ny ﬑﬒ant y ﬒y﬒ erı﬒y﬒ en.
﬈y a ﬑r ymeın﬒y﬒ y ganet erc﬉en.
﬈y ﬋ıl a gatant aryant y en.
﬈an aetham ni gan art﬉ur afyr﬒﬑l gyn﬉en.
namyn ſeıth ny ﬒yeıt﬉ o gaer oc﬉ren.

ﬖyneıch ﬒yc﬉nut ﬋al cunın co.
o gyfranc u ﬒y﬒ ae g﬑ı﬒an﬉o.
e ﬋n ﬉ynt g﬑ynt ae ﬋n ﬒yfyr mo.
e ﬋n ﬋fel tan t﬑﬑f ﬒ıac﬉o.
⮴yneych ﬒yc﬉nut ﬋al ﬇leı﬒a﬑.
o gyfranc u ﬒y﬒ ae g﬑ı﬒yan﬉a﬑r
ny ﬑﬒ant pan yſcar ﬒eeint a g﬑a﬑.
neu ﬑ynt ﬑y ﬉ynt ﬑y y rynna﬑﬒.
y ﬋a ﬒ıua y tır a la﬑﬒.
﬇et ſant yn ﬒iuant a ﬇et a lla﬑.
⮙olyc﬉af y le﬒ıc pen﬒efıc ma﬑.
na ﬇﬑yf trıſt criſt am g﬑ada﬑l.



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




The poem given above are transcribed directly from the Llyfr Taliesin (Book of Taliesin), with reference to Blodeugerdd Barddas o'r Bedwaredd Ganrif ar Ddeg edited by Dafydd Johnston. 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.