"Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn" (English: Watching the White Wheat) is an 18th-century traditional Welsh love song.

It describes the tragic love affair between Wil Hopcyn and Ann Thomas (The Maid of Cefn Ydfa) from the village of Llangynwyd in Glamorganshire. Ann belonged to a wealthy farming family but Wil was only a farm labourer. Ann's mother rejected Wil and forced Ann into a marriage with Anthony Maddocks, the son of a local squire.

A few days before the marriage took place Wil left Llangynwyd. Months later Wil had a dream in which Ann's new husband had died, so he returned home. However, when he arrived he discovered that in fact it was Ann who was dying, from a broken heart. Ann died in his arms that day.

Maddocks inherited the Thomas' estate and soon re-married. Wil died in 1741, never having married. Both he and Ann are buried at Llangynwyd.

The song was collected from the oral tradition in the 1830s and was first published in 1844 by the Welsh musician and folklorist Maria Jane Williams in her collection Ancient National Airs of Gwent and Morganwg.[1]

Lyrics

There are several versions of the lyrics with minor variations in the words and additional verses. A modern version is:[2]

Mi sydd fachgen ifanc ffôl
Yn byw yn ôl fy ffansi,
Myfi'n bugeilio'r gwenith gwyn,
Ac arall yn ei fedi.
Pam na ddeui ar fy ôl,
Ryw ddydd ar ôl ei gilydd?
Gwaith 'rwy'n dy weld, y feinir fach,
Yn lanach, lanach beunydd.

Glanach, glanach wyt bob dydd,
Neu fi sy'am fydd yn ffolach;
Er mwyn y Gŵr a wnaeth dy wedd
Dod im' drugaredd bellach.
Cwnn dy ben, gwel acw draw,
Rho im'th law wen dirion;
Gwaith yn dy fynwes bert ei thro
Mae allwedd clo fy nghalon.

Codais heddiw gyda'r wawr,
Gan frysio'n fawr fy lludded,
Fel cawn gusanu llun dy droed
Fu 'rhyd y coed yn cerdded;
Cwn fy mhen o'r galar maith
 serchus iaith gwarineb,
Waeth mwy na'r byd i'r mab a'th gâr
Yw'r olwg ar dy wyneb.

Tra fo dŵr y môr yn hallt,
A thra fo 'ngwallt yn tyfu,
A thra fo calon dan fy mron
Mi fyddai'n ffyddlon iti;
Dywed imi'r gwir heb gêl,
A rho dan sêl d'atebion,
P'un ai myfi ai arall, gwen,
Sydd orau gen dy galon.

Tune

First published version

The melody and words first published by Maria Jane Williams in 1844:[3]

\relative c' { \time 3/8 \key f \major \autoBeamOff \tempo 8 = 90 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet" \partial 16 f16 % 0 f16 [(a)] c8. a16 % 1 bes16 bes a8. bes16 % 2 c16 a f8. a16 % 3 c16 c r8. a16 % 4 bes16 bes \grace { bes16 [(c16)] } d8. bes16 % 5 a16 a c8. bes16 % 6 a16 g g8. \grace f16 (e16) % 7 f16 f r8. f16 % 8 f16 f' f8. d16 % 9 bes16 bes bes8. a16 % 10 g16 g' g8. e16 % 11 c16 c8 r8 a16 % 12 bes16 bes \grace { bes16 [(c16)] } d8. bes16 % 13 a16 a c8. bes16 % 14 a16 g g8. \grace f16 (e16) % 15 f16 f8. \bar "|." % 16 } \addlyrics { Mi sydd fach -- gen ieu -- angc ffol yn ca -- ru'n ol fy ffan -- si Mi -- yn bu -- geil io’r gwen -- ith gwyn ac a -- raill yn ei fed -- i O' pam na ddew -- i ar fy ôl Ryw ddydd ar ol ei gi -- lydd gwaith 'rwy'n dy weled y fei -- nir fach O! gla -- nach la -- nach beu -- nydd. }

Modern version

A modern version of the tune is:[2]

\relative c' { \time 3/4 \key d \major \tempo 4 = 90 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet" d8 fis a4. fis8 % 1 g8 g fis4. g8 % 2 a8 fis d4. fis8 % 3 a8 a4. r8 fis % 4 g8 g b4. g8 % 5 fis8 fis8 a4. fis8 % 6 fis8 e e4. d16( cis) % 7 d8 d4. ~ d4 % 8 d8 d d'4. b8 % 9 g8 g g4. fis8 % 10 e8 e e'4. cis8 % 11 a8 a4. r8 fis8 % 12 g8 g b4. g8 % 13 fis8 fis a4. fis8 % 14 fis8 e e4. d16( cis) % 15 d8 d4. ~ d4 \bar "|." % 16 } \addlyrics { Mi sydd fach -- gen ieu -- anc ffôl Yn byw yn ôl fy ffan -- si, My -- fi’n bu -- gei -- lio’r gwen -- ith gwyn, Ac ar -- all yn ei fe -- di. Pam na ddeu -- i ar fy ôl, Ryw ddydd ar ôl ei gi -- lydd? Gwaith ’rwy’n dy weld, y fei -- nir fach, Yn la -- nach, la -- nach beu -- nydd. }

References

  1. ↑ James, E. Wyn. "Watching the White Wheat and That Hole Below the Nose: The English Ballads of a Late-Nineteenth Century Welsh Jobbing-Printer". Cardiff University. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 Hywel, John, ed. (1990). Famous songs of Wales : Caneuon enwog Cymru 1 (3rd ed.). Caernarfon: Gwynn. pp. 28–29. ISBN 0-900426-60-8. (Lannach and glannach have been corrected to lanach and glanach.)
  3. ↑ Williams, Maria Jane (1844). Ancient National Airs of Gwent and Morgannwg. Llandovery: William Rees. pp. 38–39. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
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