Yma o Hyd
Encyclopedia
Yma o Hyd is a patriotic song in the Welsh language
released by Dafydd Iwan
in 1981. The historian and politician Dr. Gwynfor Evans
is said to have given him the idea for the song.
It is very popular with Welsh folk music
fans and widely considered second only to Hen Wlad fy Nhadau (the official national anthem of Wales
). The lyrics
of the song start with a reference to the Romano-British
imperator
Macsen Wledig who left Wales and the shores of Britannia
in AD 383 to claim the throne of the Romans
.
The song proudly proclaims Ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth which translates as "We're still here, despite the worst of everyone and everything." It relates to the continuing survival of the Welsh people and their language "until Judgement Day" - a reference to a famous conversation recorded by Gerald of Wales between King Henry II of England
and an elderly Welshman during one of his campaigns in the 12th century. Of the continued survival of the Welsh language the old man tells the king;
Does neb yn ei nabod o;
Mae mil a chwe chant o flynyddoedd
Yn amser rhy hir i'r co';
Pan aeth Magnus Maximus o Gymru
Yn y flwyddyn tri-chant-wyth-tri,
A'n gadael yn genedl gyfan
A heddiw: wele ni!
[Cytgan]
Ry'n ni yma o hyd, x2
Er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, x3
Ry'n ni yma o hyd, x2
Er gwaetha pawb a phopeth,x3
Ry'n ni yma o hyd.
Chwythed y gwynt o'r Dwyrain,
Rhued y storm o'r môr,
Hollted y mellt yr wybren
A gwaedded y daran encôr,
Llifed dagrau'r gwangalon
A llyfed y taeog y llawr
Er dued yw'r fagddu o'n cwmpas
Ry'n ni'n barod am doriad y wawr!
[Cytgan]
Cofiwn i Facsen Wledig
Adael ein gwlad yn un darn
A bloeddiwn gerbron y gwledydd
Mi fyddwn yma tan Ddydd y Farn!'
Er gwaetha pob Dic Siôn Dafydd,
Er gwaetha 'rhen Fagi a'i chriw
Byddwn yma hyd ddiwedd amser
A bydd yr iaith Gymraeg yn fyw!
[Cytgan]
Nobody knows him;
One thousand and six hundred years
Is a time too long to remember;
When Magnus Maximus
left Wales
In the year 383
Leaving us a whole nation
And today - look at us!
[Chorus]
We are still here x2
Despite the worst of everyone and everything x3
We are still here x2
Despite the worst of everyone and everything x3
We are still here.
[End of Chorus]
The wind blew from the East
The storm roared from the sea
The lightning split the heavens
And the thunder shouted "Encore!"
The tears of the weak-hearted flowed
And the servile licked the floor
Despite the blackness around us
We are ready for the breaking of the dawn!
[Chorus]
We remember that Macsen the Emperor
Left our country in one whole piece,
And we shall shout before the nations
'We'll be here until Judgement Day!'
Despite every Dic Siôn Dafydd
Despite old Maggie
and her crew,
We'll be here until the end of time,
And the Welsh language will be alive!
[Chorus]
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
released by Dafydd Iwan
Dafydd Iwan
Dafydd Iwan , is a Welsh folk singer and politician. He was the president of Plaid Cymru .Dafydd Iwan Jones was born in Brynaman in Carmarthenshire, Wales, and is the elder brother of politician Alun Ffred Jones. He spent most of his youth in Bala in Gwynedd before attending the University of...
in 1981. The historian and politician Dr. Gwynfor Evans
Gwynfor Evans
Dr Richard Gwynfor Evans , was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. President of Plaid Cymru for thirty six years, he was the first Member of Parliament to represent Plaid Cymru at Westminster ....
is said to have given him the idea for the song.
It is very popular with Welsh folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
fans and widely considered second only to Hen Wlad fy Nhadau (the official national anthem of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
). The lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
of the song start with a reference to the Romano-British
Romano-British
Romano-British culture describes the culture that arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest of AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a people of Celtic language and...
imperator
Imperator
The Latin word Imperator was originally a title roughly equivalent to commander under the Roman Republic. Later it became a part of the titulature of the Roman Emperors as part of their cognomen. The English word emperor derives from imperator via Old French Empreur...
Macsen Wledig who left Wales and the shores of Britannia
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
in AD 383 to claim the throne of the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
The song proudly proclaims Ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth which translates as "We're still here, despite the worst of everyone and everything." It relates to the continuing survival of the Welsh people and their language "until Judgement Day" - a reference to a famous conversation recorded by Gerald of Wales between King Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
and an elderly Welshman during one of his campaigns in the 12th century. Of the continued survival of the Welsh language the old man tells the king;
"Never will it be destroyed by the wrath of man, unless the wrath of God be added, nor do I think that any other nation than this of Wales, or any other tongue, whatever may hereafter come to pass, shall on the day of the great reckoning before the Most High Judge, answer for this corner of the Earth."
Lyrics
Dwyt ti'm yn cofio Macsen,Does neb yn ei nabod o;
Mae mil a chwe chant o flynyddoedd
Yn amser rhy hir i'r co';
Pan aeth Magnus Maximus o Gymru
Yn y flwyddyn tri-chant-wyth-tri,
A'n gadael yn genedl gyfan
A heddiw: wele ni!
[Cytgan]
Ry'n ni yma o hyd, x2
Er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, x3
Ry'n ni yma o hyd, x2
Er gwaetha pawb a phopeth,x3
Ry'n ni yma o hyd.
Chwythed y gwynt o'r Dwyrain,
Rhued y storm o'r môr,
Hollted y mellt yr wybren
A gwaedded y daran encôr,
Llifed dagrau'r gwangalon
A llyfed y taeog y llawr
Er dued yw'r fagddu o'n cwmpas
Ry'n ni'n barod am doriad y wawr!
[Cytgan]
Cofiwn i Facsen Wledig
Adael ein gwlad yn un darn
A bloeddiwn gerbron y gwledydd
Mi fyddwn yma tan Ddydd y Farn!'
Er gwaetha pob Dic Siôn Dafydd,
Er gwaetha 'rhen Fagi a'i chriw
Byddwn yma hyd ddiwedd amser
A bydd yr iaith Gymraeg yn fyw!
[Cytgan]
English Translation
You don't remember Macsen,Nobody knows him;
One thousand and six hundred years
Is a time too long to remember;
When Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus , also known as Maximianus and Macsen Wledig in Welsh, was Western Roman Emperor from 383 to 388. As commander of Britain, he usurped the throne against Emperor Gratian in 383...
left Wales
In the year 383
Leaving us a whole nation
And today - look at us!
[Chorus]
We are still here x2
Despite the worst of everyone and everything x3
We are still here x2
Despite the worst of everyone and everything x3
We are still here.
[End of Chorus]
The wind blew from the East
The storm roared from the sea
The lightning split the heavens
And the thunder shouted "Encore!"
The tears of the weak-hearted flowed
And the servile licked the floor
Despite the blackness around us
We are ready for the breaking of the dawn!
[Chorus]
We remember that Macsen the Emperor
Left our country in one whole piece,
And we shall shout before the nations
'We'll be here until Judgement Day!'
Despite every Dic Siôn Dafydd
John Jones (Jac Glan-y-gors)
John Jones , better known by his bardic name Jac Glan-y-gors, was a Welsh language satirical poet and radical pamphleteer, born in Cerrigydrudion, Denbighshire, north Wales....
Despite old Maggie
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
and her crew,
We'll be here until the end of time,
And the Welsh language will be alive!
[Chorus]