Englynion y Beddau/ The Stanzas of the Graves

by John K. Bollard (Translator), Anthony Griffiths (Illustrator)

Verses on the legendary heroes of Wales from The black Book of Carmarthen. Edited and translated by John K. Bollard. Photography by Anthony Griffiths. Including Welsh originals with English translations and commentary.

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[GRANT · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to savor. It has beautiful photographs, extensive notes and commentary, and of course the englynion which need to be read out loud to be properly enjoyed. (Which I can do with my rudimentary Welsh even if I can't do them justice). The stanzas (also translated into English) contain many names of persons not otherwise known to history. Some of those known appear mostly in mythology. Yet it is likely that all of these derive from some real person or incident. At least those who initially composed them along with those who recited and listened over the centuries of oral transmission thought so. Even in the mysteries of notes I can't quite follow, there is the sense of magic and myth that captivates.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent scholarly translation by John Bollard, accompanied by useful notes.

Like Bollard's translation of the Mabinogion stories, I have mixed feelings about the usability of this book. The large, and often beautiful photographs of the Welsh landscape might add to the attraction for many readers, but for those just trying to read the text, or use this as a scholarly reference, the format feels cluttered, and the overall book a little unwieldy. I'm sorry to make that negative comment, in a way, because Bollard is an excellent translator.

I think the book still deserves all fives stars, since I know that many will find the photos a positive thing.