A Challenge

[bristol-iain]

I have decided to set myself a task. I don't speak welsh, although I kind of want to. Last year I finally managed to learn the National Anthem but thats easy. No I set myself a tougher challenge. I am going to learn Calon Lan.



"Gofyn wyf am galon hapus,
Calon onest, calon lân.

Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus,
Aur y byd na'i berlau mân:
Gofyn wyf am galon hapus,
Calon onest, calon lân.

Pe dymunwn olud bydol,
Hedyn buan ganddo sydd;
Golud calon lân, rinweddol,
Yn dwyn bythol elw fydd.

Calon lân yn llawn daioni,
Tecach yw na'r lili dlos:
Dim ond calon lân all ganu-
Canu'r dydd a chanu'r nos.

Hwyr a bore fy nymuniad
Gwyd i'r nef ar edyn cân
Ar i Dduw, er mwyn fy Ngheidwad,
Roddi i mi galon lân.

Calon lân yn llawn daioni,
Tecach yw na'r lili dlos:
Dim ond calon lân all ganu-
Canu'r dydd a chanu'r nos.

Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus,
Aur y byd na'i berlau mân:
Gofyn wyf am galon hapus,
Calon onest, calon lân."

Wish me luck

 

[Bullitt]

Good luck. I can't even read all that, let alone say/sing it.

I tried learning Irish once - not for any particular reason, just seemed like a good idea - Gave up on that one though.

 

[Blindside6]

Good luck Iain. It's great to hear that being sung at the MS. The more people who know it the better.

 

[cyRil]

Good luck son! I friggin love Calon Lan and sing it at all the internationals; but even I only know the first verse and chorus!!!

 

[Olyy]

Good luck!
I've been picking up bits of welsh since being at uni, bloody confusing seeing it down on paper but not too bad if you know how it sounds

 

[Thingimubob]

Ah good luck to you I speak Welsh and remember hving to sing Calon Lan in morning assemblies in Primary School. Its great to hear it sung by the crowd at International Matches, and occaisonally at club ones

 

[dullonien]

Great song, didn't mind singing it in assembly in secondary school, unlike all the other boring songs! Although the first two lines on the one you've got aren't meant to be there. It just starts with the first verse:

Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus,
Aur y byd na'i berlau mân:
Gofyn wyf am galon hapus,
Calon onest, calon lân.

I think... It's been a while since I sung it.

As I've said previously when RC was trying to learn, Welsh is quite an easy language to start with. words are pronounced in a phonetical way, i.e. you pronounce the word as it appears of the page, no silent letters or letters changing their sound depending on what letter it follows etc.

Of course things get very complicated when 'treigliadau' comes into it, i.e. why 'calon' in the verse above sometimes changes to 'galon'. These rely on a very complicated set of rules where every word is either classed male or female etc.etc. I don't fully understand it all, but the Welsh language can be spoken to a moderate level without this.

Good luck.

Edit: remember that the Welsh alphabet differs from the English one:

a, b, c, ch, d, dd, e, f, ff, g, ng, h, i, j, l, ll, m, n, o, p, ph, r, rh, s, t, th, u, w, y.

 

[bristol-iain]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (dullonien @ Aug 28 2009, 10:46 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Great song, didn't mind singing it in assembly in secondary school, unlike all the other boring songs! Although the first two lines on the one you've got aren't meant to be there. It just starts with the first verse:

Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus,
Aur y byd na'i berlau mân:
Gofyn wyf am galon hapus,
Calon onest, calon lân.

I think... It's been a while since I sung it.

As I've said previously when RC was trying to learn, Welsh is quite an easy language to start with. words are pronounced in a phonetical way, i.e. you pronounce the word as it appears of the page, no silent letters or letters changing their sound depending on what letter it follows etc.

Of course things get very complicated when 'treigliadau' comes into it, i.e. why 'calon' in the verse above sometimes changes to 'galon'. These rely on a very complicated set of rules where every word is either classed male or female etc.etc. I don't fully understand it all, but the Welsh language can be spoken to a moderate level without this.

Good luck.

Edit: remember that the Welsh alphabet differs from the English one:

a, b, c, ch, d, dd, e, f, ff, g, ng, h, i, j, l, ll, m, n, o, p, ph, r, rh, s, t, th, u, w, y.[/b]

The lyrics I posted was to the version I have on my laptop- The Black Mountain Male Voice Choir.

After a day I'm close to nailing the first verse and chorus. Which isn't a bad effort I think. Some of the pronunciations I need to work on.

 

[shtove]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teh Mite @ Aug 27 2009, 09:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I tried learning Irish once - not for any particular reason, just seemed like a good idea - Gave up on that one though.[/b]

That was ambitious. Deadly grammar - worse than latin.

 

[MunsterMan]

I hear learning Irish is fun when it's not beaten into you, or is that a myth?

 

[DuncTheDoodle]

Good luck. In the meantime, I'd better get back to learning the genuine words to the national anthem. I just slot in anything that sounds right at the moment. Usually gibberish. (First person to make the 'Welsh, then' joke there wins a biscuit.)

 

[LydiatesGirl]

seriously good luck
my welsh teacher cant even sing that
nor me although i'm going to learn once i've mastered sospan fach - although i've actually learnt it and my mum keeps telling me its wrong (what she knows in welsh can be written on a postage stamp)
so i'm going to learn it

 

[RC]

It would be good for all the younger generation to learn the welsh songs, because i swear there's less and less singing in the millennium stadium with every match that passes.
It's as if most people dont even know the words.

 

[LydiatesGirl]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RC @ Nov 19 2009, 05:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

It would be good for all the younger generation to learn the welsh songs, because i swear there's less and less singing in the millennium stadium with every match that passes.
It's as if most people dont even know the words.[/b]

thats cause most dont
in my class just before St David's Day my welsh teacher was on about the anthem and asked how many people knew the whole thing - literally 4 of us put our hands up so he photocopied it for us

i know Sospan Fach aswell and Bread Of Heaven

 

[DuncTheDoodle]

I know the chrous and first verse of Sospan Fach, though I've not got a clue how to spell any of it. (I had to learn it phoneically. There isn't a single Welsh class in Midland England.) I'm still working on the national anthen...

 

[LydiatesGirl]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DuncTheDoodle @ Nov 23 2009, 04:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I know the chrous and first verse of Sospan Fach, though I've not got a clue how to spell any of it. (I had to learn it phoneically. There isn't a single Welsh class in Midland England.) I'm still working on the national anthen...[/b]

here you go

Mae bys Meri-Ann wedi brifo,
A Dafydd y gwas ddim yn iach.
Mae'r baban yn y crud yn crio,
A'r gath wedi sgrapo Joni bach.
Sosban fach yn berwi ar y tân,
Sosban fawr yn berwi ar y llawr,
A'r gath wedi sgrapo Joni bach.
Dai bach y sowldiwr,
Dai bach y sowldiwr,
Dai bach y sowldiwr,
A gwt ei grys e mas.
Mae bys Meri-Ann wedi gwella,
A Dafydd y gwas yn ei fedd;
Mae'r baban yn y crud wedi tyfu,
A'r gath wedi huno mewn hedd.
Sosban fach yn berwi ar y tân
Sosban fawr yn berwi ar y llawr
A'r gath wedi huno mewn hedd.
Dai bach y sowldiwr,
Dai bach y sowldiwr,
Dai bach y sowldiwr,
A gwt ei grys e mas.
Aeth hen Fari Jones i Ffair y Caerau
I brynu set o lestri de;
Ond mynd i'r ffos aeth Mari gyda'i llestri
Trwy yfed gormod lawer iawn o 'de'
Sosban fach yn berwi ar y tân
Sosban fawr yn berwi ar y llawr
A'r gath wedi huno mewn hedd