Friday 28 December 2018

A Year of Late Cornish Day 361


Trei Hansves Dedh Trei Ügens hag Onan

De Gwener, ethves warn ügens mis Kevardhû.
Friday, 28th December


Ma cân coth adro dhe’n dewthek dedh a Nadelik. Ra fra (praga) ma dewdhek dedh? Martesen thera odhom dhe’n Düs Fir a dhewdhek dedh rag drehedhes Bethalem. E’n cân o wheg-oll a dhavonas dhebm royow. An kensa dedh an ro a veu grügyar. A veu va grügyar en gwedhen peren? Dres lycklod na veu. En Frenkek an ger rag grügyar ew “perdrix” ha ma hedna o seny pecar’a “gwedhen peren” en Sowsnek. Hanow Laten (ha hen-Greka) an edhen ma ew “Perdix perdix”.  Edhen gam ew hei. Nag eus bes nebes en Kernow lebmyn – ma mentenours owth ynia tiogow dhe witha aga glesinyow rag edhyn ow tinethy.
There is an old song about the twelve days of Christmas. Why are there twelve days? Perhaps the Wise Men needed twelve days to reach Bethlehem. In the song my true love sent me presents. The first day the present was a partridge. Was it a partridge in a pear tree? Probably not. In French the word for partridge is “perdrix” and that sounds like a “pear tree” in English. The Latin (and ancient Greek) name for this bird is “Perdix perdix”. It is a game bird. There are only a few in Cornwall now – conservationists urge farmers to look after their grasslands for breeding birds.

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