Of the Cambrian race survives,—
Long as seed of flow’ret thrives—
Will I scatter in my lays
Seeds of glory through the land,
Of thy glory, of thy praise;
Chief that wieldest the long brand!
The bard sends a messenger to Anglesea, from the court of his patron, Ivor the Generous, a potent chieftain in Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire, to acquaint his friends that he did not intend to return thither in consequence of the kind reception he had experienced from Ivor. This poem contains many interesting allusions to the manners and habits of the times.
Hence, my boy, thy path pursue
The bright birchen thickets thro’,
(Bowers of white yet verdant hue!)
From Glamorgan bear for me
Joy to Gwyneth, land of glee.
Lov’d and native Mon salute,
Tell her I have paid my suit,
With the Psalms of Solomon,
(And not vainly) unto one
Who above fair Cardiff dwells;
That my suit has not been paid
Unto frail and feeble maid,
But that Ivor’s love compels
The obedience of my soul,
With a paramount control
O’er my bosom—which the coy
Saxon girls may ne’er enjoy.
