Myn Mair - A Welsh song of grief and hope

Myn Mair
Fy hatling offrymaf dros enaid dan glo,
Fy nghanwyll offrymaf yn eglwys y fro,
R offeren weddïaf saith seithwaith yn daer
Er cadw ei enaid anfarwol.
Myn Mair, Myn Mair.
Sant Pawl a Sant Peder, holl seintiau y nef,
A Mair, Mam y Duwdod, eiriolwch yn gref
Dros iddo gael heddwch a gwerthfawr ryddhad,
Paradwys agored, a breichiau ei Dad.
Myn Mair, myn Mair.
Mam Iesur brydferthaf o ferched y byd,
Morwynig Frenhines y nefoedd i gyd,
Dlos lili y dyffryn, gwiw rosyn y nef,
Eiriola dros enaid fy nghyfaill yn gref.
Myn Mair, Myn Mair.
O Mary
My pennorth Ill offer for a soul in prison,
My candle Ill offer in the church in the vale,
The Mass Ill pray earnestly, seven times seven,
To save his immortal soul.
O Mary, O Mary.
St. Paul and St. Peter, all the saints of heaven,
And Mary, Gods Mother, plead strongly,
That he may have peace and dear liberty,
Paradise open, and the arms of his Father.
O Mary, O Mary.
Mother of Jesus, the fairest of earths women,
Maidenly Queen of all of the heavens,
Lovely lily of the valley, worthy rose of heaven,
Intercede in fervour for the soul of my friend.
O Mary, O Mary.

[@florrie6]

Listening to this now as My Pal, My friend begins His journey...Forever missed and never forgotten Morgan Etienne "Yeti" Jenkins

[@RedCometofJupiter]

May he rest in a bed most comfortable, among a realm most splendid, in good company with great drink.

[@MArkGilfach]

This song tears out my heart.

[@CantwrCymreig]

This song is SO old, that when it was written, Wales was still Catholic!

[@3tangle3]

+Evan Owen How old?

[@CantwrCymreig]

Canu'r Cymry (Phyllis Kinney / Meredydd Evans) dates it to the "16th century or before."

[@margaretharypkema5714]

Eric Bowen The Reformation was about 1514...😊

[@20mbarry]

The Reformation was imposed on Wales after 1529, beginning with Henry VIII's usurpation of the position of the pope as head of the church (schism not 'reformation') and then appropriation of monastic property & destruction of many of the buildings between 1536 - 1540. The Reformation proper was imposed later in the 16th century by Edward VI & Elizabeth I. As the song refers to the Mass, to votive candles and litanies of saints it is Catholic.

[@perthyn1]

@@margaretharypkema5714 1514 is the 16th century - and it also says 'or before'. The Catholic faith in Wales didn't just vanish overnight.

[@edwardr42000]

It is testament to the resilience of Wales against the evils of the Reformation

[@patricktobin2820]

The English translation of this wonderful song, used in this and other video recordings on KZbin, was first published in Cardiff in on the 17th of March 1999, Saint Patrick's Day. The song itself was sung in Welsh during a ceremony in Cathays Cemetery to mark the unveiling of The Wales National Great Famine Memorial. The 500 copies of the special programme distributed to the participants and to members of the public included the text of Myn Mair in the original Welsh alongside a translation specially prepared by the organisers. I know because I was the Secretary and I played a full part in preparing the programme and its contents, including the translation. That is how a group of people of Irish birth or descent gave this translation to Wales and the world!

[@patricktobin9764]

The translation given here and in other youtube recordings of 'Myn Mair' was prepared by the committee of the Cardiff based Wales Famine Forum for St. Patrick's Day in 1999. It was sung in the original Welsh during the ceremony in Cardiff's Cathays Cemetery. This translation was printed in the programme produced for the event and was published on the website of the Wales Famine Forum a few days later. The Wales Famine Forum no longer exists but all but one of those are still alive. I was the Secretary so I can confirm that this translation was prepared by a group of members, including myself, all of Irish descent and none of us spoke Welsh as a first language.

[@StarBassPrincess]

just shows the transition of the people..its hard to explain, only those that gone thru it will understand what i mean

[@20mbarry]

Hyfryd, diolch am ei bostio yma. @ Aspanaut. Since Christianity was such a major influence from around the 5th century onwards it's hardly surprising that some of our folk music displays Christian influence. Actually some surviving folk songs are very earthy e.g Seren Syw, Yr Hen Dderwen Ddu etc etc

[@muisire]

Anhygoel o hardd wr iawn am ei gosod hi yma ar KZbin...

[@Knappa22]

Y mae’r cynnwys mor bendant o babyddol mae’n gwneud i ddyn dybio efallai taw cân yw hon yn dyddio nôl i union gyfnod y Diwygiad Protestannaodd yng Nghymru. Mae’r arferion y sonnir amdanynt bron yn swnio’n herfeiddiol i.e “Dw i YN mynd i gynnau cannwyll. Dw i YN mynd i adrodd yr offeren yn Lladin. Dw i YN mynd i glodfori Mair mewn iaith flodeuog.” Mae’n swnio fel adwaith yn erbyn y drefn newydd.