[101a] Lit. “the gleamers assembled.” The 1, 2, 3, and 6, versions, “cyn hynt treiawr,” might be translated “ere the return of the ebbing tide,” and the meaning of the whole would seem to be, that the men, having marched to the field of battle at dawn, experienced a bloody engagement before the evening; the space of time between tide and tide being equal to the length of a day.
[101b] “Like the thunder of heaven was the clashing of the shields.”—(Gorch. Mael.)
[101c] “Od uch lle.” Al. “Od uch lled,” above the plain.
[101d] Mark the antithesis “gwr llawr”—“arbennawr,” and “cethrawr”—“llavnawr.”
[101e] “En gystud heyrn;” an allusion to the instrument which caused his death. “Ferreus somnus.”
[101f] It is clear from this statement that Erthai was the lawful lord of the Mordei. He had been deprived of his dominions for a time, probably through the usurpation of the “steel-clad commander,” but at length succeeded in recovering them. Who Erthai was we know not; Llywarch Hen had a son, whose name bore some resemblance to the word: he is mentioned in the following triplet;—
“The best three men in their country,
For protecting their habitation,
Eithyr and Erthyr and Argad.” (Elegy on Old Age.)
[102a] Al. “Erthgi,” which is obviously the same as “Arthgi,” a bear-dog. The rhythmical run of the line seems, however, to point to the other as the proper word.
[102b] “Erthychei;” there is here evidently an allusion to the name of the hero, (that is, supposing the name adopted in the translation to be the right one) which consideration induces us to prefer it to the other reading, viz. “erthrychei.” “With the latter word, however, we should translate the passage as follows;—
“In the front Erthai would mangle an army.”