A Mystery Poem from the Bretons
Searles

Sat Sep 12 12:20:22 1998
Alexei Kondartiev posted this poem on an e-mail list and I made and attempt at some of its possibilities:*p* Here, as promised, is my translation of Ar Rannou/Gousperou ar Raned as it  appears in the Barzaz-Breiz:*br* *br* Good little boy, Druid's bright son!*br* Good little boy, what do you want?*br* What shall I sing to you?*br* *br* Sing me (one, two, three, etc) set/s*br* more than I now know.*br* *br* No set for the Need without a beginning,*br* Death, father of Anguish,*br* nothing before, nothing after.*br* *br* Two oxen harnessed to a vessel,*br* pulling, panting,*br* look at the wonder!*br* *br* There are three parts to this world,*br* three beginnings, and three endings,*br* for man and oak alike.*br* Three kingdoms of Merlin:*br* yellow fruits and crimson flowers,*br* little children laughing.*br* *br* Four whetstones,*br* whetstones for Merlin*br* to sharpen keen swords.*br* *br* Five girdles of the earth,*br* five parts to an age,*br* five stones over our sister.*br* *br* Six little boys made of wax,*br* given intelligence by the power of the moon:*br* if you don't know what this means, I do.*br* Six medicinal herbs in the little cauldron,*br* the little dwarf stirs the pot,*br* his little finger in his mouth.*br* *br* Seven suns and seven moons,*br* seven planets together with the Hen,*br* seven elements in the powder of the air.*br* *br* Eight winds whistling,*br* eight fires make up the bonfire*br* in May on the mountain of battle.*br* Eight heifers as pure white as foam,*br* grazing in the deep island [or the Island of Don],*br* eight white heifers of the Lady.*br* *br* Nine little white hands on the stone of the threshing-floor,*br* near the tower of Lezarmeur,*br* and nine mothers weeping bitterly.*br* Dancing, nine korrigans [=fairy women],*br* flowers in their hair, dressed in wool,*br* around the well, in the bright moonlight.*br* A sow and her nine piglets*br* in the doorway to the pigs' den,*br* grunting, digging,*br* digging, grunting,*br* pig! pig! pig! to the apple tree!*br* The old boar wants to teach you.*br* *br* Ten enemy ships you see,*br* coming from Naoned:*br* Woe to you, woe to you, people of Gwened!*br* *br* Eleven armed priests*br* coming from Gwened*br* with their swords broken*br* and their shirts bloody,*br* with hazel sticks for crutches:*br* out of three hundred, those eleven.*br* *br* Twelve months, twelve signs,*br* the next to last one is*br* the Archer, his arrow a poisoned dart.*br* Twelve signs at war with one another:*br* the beautiful Cow, the white-headed black Cow,*br* coming from the wood of the spoils,*br* the arrow's dart in her breast,*br* she lows, her head upraised.*br* A horn sounds, fire and thunder!*br* Rain and wind, thunder and fire!*br* Then, nothing more, neither thing nor set [=neither substance nor  form]. *p* As I said, this is the best-known version, but Kervarker undoubtedly*br*edited  it. Later I'll try and post translations of some representative folk*br* versions collected in Boidron's study.*br* *br* Gant va sonjou ar gwellan,*br* Alexei*p**br*Here was my first try at understanding the poem:*p*Some things about this poem readily bring certain seasonal and*br*celestial/folkloric events to mind:*p*(The RIVER ERIDANUS, also the MILKY WAY or GREAT SERPENT)*br*No set for the Need without a beginning,*br*(The GREAT DRAGON, DRACO, SON OF BEL)*br*(The SERPENT ??? Vergil's LUCIDUS ANGUIS ???) Death, father of Anguish,*br*(How the Dragon or Serpent swallows his own tale ???)*br*nothing before, nothing after.*p*NYNNIAW AND PEIBAW, SONS OF BELI *br*(one owns the Sky, the other the Stars).*br*Two oxen harnessed to a vessel,*br*pulling, panting,*br*look at the wonder!*br*(one has to wonder if this has anything to do with the Mid-Winter*br*Solstice).*p*CAOMAI (Irish-The ARMED KING, THE STARS OF ORION'S BELT, *br*also known as the DISTAFF)*br*TRIANGULUM ??? (EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA) - *br*There are three parts to this world,*br*PLOUGH MONDAY ??? three beginnings, and three endings,*br*for man and oak alike.*br*(SCOTLAND, CMYRU, BRITTANY) - Three kingdoms of Merlin:*br*(Something to do with star colors ???) *br*yellow fruits and crimson flowers,*br*THE FESTIVAL OF HEN GALAN (IN DYFED)??? - *br*little children laughing.*p*THE PLEIDES AND THE HYADES - Seven suns and seven moons,			*br*THE VISIBLE PLANETS AND CYGNUS (also called the HEN) - seven planets*br*together with the Hen,*br*THE FLOWERS THAT MAKE UP THE FLOWER MAID ??? - seven elements in the powder*br*of the air.*p*THE POINTS OF THE COMPASS, THE SPINDLE TREE - Eight winds whistling,*br*THE SACRED WOODS - eight fires make up the bonfire*br*CEITANN (another name for MAY) - in May on the mountain of battle.*br*SACRIFICES for the PROSPERITY of SUMMER coming - Eight heifers as pure*br*white as foam,*br*The OTHERWORLDLY JOURNEY of the SACRIFICES - grazing in the deep island [or*br*the Island of Don],*br*LADY DAY and perhaps a constellation ??? Eight Days of the Moon??? - eight*br*white heifers of the Lady.*p*I hope that you or others (such as Ray) might jump in here and critique my*br*impressions and perhaps provide some of your own speculations.  I realize*br*that the poem itself comes from Brittany, but I would think that the lore,*br*if it is Druidic, would span Celtic cultures.*p*Sin e/ (for now at least),*p*Searles*br*