2025 Dedh Trei Hans ha Dew
De Merher, nawes warn ügens mis Hedra
Wednesday, 29th October
Green Cornwall
Pandr'ew an cottha ger e'n tavas Kernôwek?
What is the oldest word in the Cornish language?
‘Glas’
must be a contender. Perhaps you have been to Newquay’s LUSTY GLAZE Beach, (Lostyn
Glas) ‘a little green tail of land’. It is one of several places with ‘glaze’
or ‘glas’ in their name. On land this means the ‘green’ of plants. PENTIREGLAZE
or PENTIRE GLAZE (Pentir Glas), whether it is part of a scenic walk or
an old silver-lead mine, is a ‘green promontory’. The oldest names include ELLENGLAZE
(Elin Glas), Elynglas in 1302, meaning ‘green Elin’. Elin is
thought to be a stream name meaning ‘bend’. CANAGLAZE (Carn Glas), Caringlaze
in 1671, is a ‘green tor’. Another green/grey tor (Carn Glas) is CARNCLAZE.
When applied to the sea, or other bodies of water, it can
also mean ‘blue/grey’. Clay Country gives us ‘green/blue pool’, e.g. among
others POLGLAZE (St Austell) Polglas in 1296, and POLGLAZE (Fowey) Polglas
in 1386.
“Glaze” tells us the pronunciation of ‘glas’ at the
end of a name or on its own. But at the beginning it is shorter. Site of the
important mediaeval college, GLASNEY (Glasneth), Glasneyth
in 1291, means ‘verdure, greenery, vegetation’. GLASDON (Glasen), Glazon
in 1748, means ‘greensward’.
Examples after mutation (loss of g) include ‘green downs’
GOONLAZE (St Agnes) Goonlas in 1720, a ‘tall, green one’ HYRLAS ROCK (Hirlas),
‘green marsh’ HALLALAZE (Hallas), Halelase in 1503. Is ‘green barrow’ CARCLAZE
(Cruglas), Cruklas in 1500, a Bronze Age echo? Some place names also
continue as famous surnames, even when the original meaning is forgotten, e.g. ‘green
hummock’ BORLASE Borlas in 1290.
Glas ew an mor
hedhyw.
That means “Today
the sea is blue”.
Not the bright
acrylic blues
Some
postcard-buyers and painters choose,
But inky blue,
Quinky blue.
Dip-your-pen-in
writers’ blue.
Glas ew an mor
hedhyw.
Again, “Today the
sea is blue.”
Not aquamarine or
turquoise blue,
Or David Hockney
swimming pool blue,
But something more
of a subtle hue.
Blue and grey and
greeny, too.
Ma cabmdhavas reb
an mor.
A shattered rainbow
is on the shore.
The wind is
whisking a mist of spray,
Catching the late
sun’s slanting ray,
And the sea behind
is dark as night,
Enhancing the
spectrum of scattered light.
Glas o an mor de.
Yesterday the sea
was grey.
Not wishy washy
ashy grey,
But Little Grey
Rabbit furry grey,
With a white
under-belly hiding away
On the edge of the
sand in Perran Bay.
Hedhyw, tho an mor
brithys gen glas.
Today, the sea was
striped with greys.
Like a faded
badger, not quite black and white,
With its head and
tail hidden from sight,
Light by the sky
and darker near me.
I was waiting for “brogh”
to rise from the sea.
Na ellama gweles an
mor hedhyw.
I can’t see the
sea, hidden from view,
By low clouds
dropping a veil of hail,
Obscuring horizon
and shore-line as well.
And the tide is in,
so I cannot see
Where the edge of
the sea should be.
Leun a liw o an mor
hedhyw.
The rain had rinsed
the sky right through
And all the colour
had washed into the sea.
White above and
black beneath
With streaks of
purple and brown, to show
Where the sandbanks
were down below.
Tho glas an vorr ow
mos dhe’n mor.
The road was wet
from the night before
Reflecting blue sky
in patches of rain.
I must go down to
the sea again.
The sea was grey
and the road was too,
But at least the
road had patches of blue
En
mettin ma my eth dhe’n treth.
I went to the
beach, and caught my breath,
For the sea’d been
rough at the last high tide
And the pools in
the sand spread far and wide,
Reflecting the sky
and clouds above –
Halcyon blue and
grey of dove.
Melyn ha glas ew an
mor hedhyw.
Under the sea it’s
no longer blue.
Under the sea it’s
a different scene,
No longer blue,
just yellowy-green.
Sand and alga and
filtered out red,
It’s a world of
green down by the sea bed.
Glas o an mor
hedhyw.
I took my paints
but couldn’t choose
The perfect shade
from all my range.
Each time I looked
there was a change.
Blue-grey-green,
depends on whether
I’m out in dull or sunny weather.
