This is a beautiful lullaby that a friend of mine translated to English and adapted to sing it for his nephew. I, however, had fallen in love with the Welsh language after singing in it for my first recording project (“Wake the Dragon”, with Môr Gwyddelig), and I had missed it. I found this song to be sufficient motivation to learn some more Welsh.
I met Eirug Davies while he was helping us in Môr Gwyddelig. He is a very sweet man, a native speaker from Wales, and now an independent scholar who occasionally gives presentations at Harvard. I am very grateful to Eirug for helping me with the translation and pronunciation of this song.
lyrics
Huna blentyn yn fy mynwes,
Clyd a chynnes ydyw hon;
Breichiau mam sy'n dyn am danat,
Cariad mam sy dan fy mron;
Ni cha dim amharu'th gyntun,
Ni wna undyn â thi gam;
Huna'n dawel, anwyl blentyn,
Huna'n fwyn ar fron dy fam.
Huna'n dawel, heno, huna,
Huna'n fwyn, y tlws ei lun;
Pam yr wyt yn awr yn gwenu,
Gwenu'n dirion yn dy hun?
Ai angylion fry sy'n gwenu,
Arnat ti yn gwenu'n llon,
Tithau'n gwenu'n ol dan huno,
Huno'n dawel ar fy mron?
Paid ag ofni, dim ond deilen
Gura, gura ar y ddôr;
Paid ag ofni, ton fach ddiddig
Sua, sua ar lan y môr;
Huna blentyn, nid oes yma
Ddim i roddi iti fraw;
Gwena'n dawel yn fy mynwes
Ar yr engyl gwynion draw.
Translation:
Sleep child, on my bosom
Wrapped warm on my breast
You mother’s arms tight around you
And your mother’s love from beneath her breast
Nothing can come between us
No one will harm you
Sleep quietly, dearest child
Sleep gently on your mother’s breast
Sleep quietly; tonight, sleep
Sleep gently, a pretty picture
Why are you now smiling
With a gentle smile within yourself?
Is it angels above smiling
On you happily smiling
And you smiling back at them in your sleep
Gently sleeping on my breast?
Don’t be frightened, it’s only a leaf
Knocking, knocking on the door
Don’t be frightened, it’s a busy little wave
Crooning and humming by the seaside
Sleep child, there isn’t anything
Here to cause you fear
Smile gently on my bosom
At the white angel over there
From haunting Celtic lullabies, through laments of intense grief and pain, to songs of healing and hope, Caera’s music
always contains an authenticity that can be hard to find in today’s music, or even in today’s world in general. Powerful soprano vocals blend with the bell-like tones of her brass-strung Gaelic harp to create music that carries people through life, dreaming or fully awake....more
Zambian-Scottish singer-songwriter pushes back against existential despair with empassioned folk-pop that celebrates love and resilience. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 25, 2023