2024 Day 131

2024 Dedh Cans Üdnek warn Ügens

De Gwener, degves mis Me

Friday, 10th May

Na wrüga vy mos bys en Lanwedhenek rag Cala Me, etho na wrüga vy gweles an dhew hebyhors e'n strêt. Ma dew Hebyhors (an Coth ha'n Snod Glas) ha 'ga bagasow: üdn para rüdh hag üdn para glas. Ma hyger (po higores) dhe'n dhew Hebyhors (gen arwòdh rüdh po glas war bolyn). Ma lies mûsicianer (ha lies mûsicianores) gwiskys en gwydn (gen rüdh po glas) ow seny carjelyow, ha lies tabourer. Ma mûsek rag donsya.

I didn't go to Padstow for May Day, so I didn't see the two Obby'osses in the street. There are two Obby'osses (the Old and the Blue Ribbon) and their groups - one red team and one blue team. Both Obby'osses have a teaser (with a red or blue sign on a stick). There are many musicians dressed in white (with red or blue) playing accordions, and many drummers. There is music for dancing.

Deg ger rag hedhyw Ten words for today

arwòdh (m) sign

bagasow (pl.) groups > bagas (m)

carjelyow ~ corjelyow accordions

hebyhors (m) hobbyhorse

hyger (m) teaser > higores (f)

Lanwedhenek PN Padstow (St Guethenoc's Church Site)

para (m) team

polyn (f) staff, stick (p>b after war)

snod (m) ribbon (can also use funen (f))

tabourer (m) drummer

2024 Day 130

2024 Dedh Cans Deg warn Ügens

De Yow, nawhes mis Me

Thursday, 9th May

En Kernow thew mis Me mis marthys. Ma'n howl ow tallath spladna ha ma degòlyow dhe welcòbma an hav ha leverel "Genes farwel" dhe'n gwav. Ma lavar coth "gwiskys avel Cala Me" (rag nebonan ew pur fin)! En Helles e'n seythen ma tho oll an bes gwiskys avel Cala Me rag Degol an Furry. Thera meur a dhonsya oll an jedh, lies person ow tonsya an furry. E'n mettin gwiskys o an düs en sewtys ha'n benenes en powsyow gwreg havek. Gwiskys o oll an flehes en gwydn. Moy diwedhes tho oll an dilhas whath moy nobel ha brav - lies goon gwary dons ha hattys hir. E veu gwary - Hal an Tow - "story" Helles - gen gwedh, dragon, nobel marrak (heb margh)? Ha bandys brest ha meur a dros. Keniver onan a wrüg degy flourys, lily Helles dres ehen, ha glaseneth. 

In Cornwall May is a wonderful month. The sun is beginning to shine and there are festivals to welcome the summer and say "Farewell to you" to the winter. There is an old saying "dressed up like May Day" for someone who's very fine! In Helston this week all the world was dressed up like May Day for the Helston Flora. There was a lot of dancing all day, many people doing the furry dance. In the morning the men wore suits and the women wore summery dresses. The children were all dressed in white. Later the clothes were even grander and finer - many ball gowns and tall hats. There was a play, the Hal an Tow - the "history" of Helston - with trees, a dragon, a noble knight (without a horse)? And brass bands and much noise. Everyone wore flowers, especially lily of the valley (Helston lilies), and greenery.

Deg ger rag hedhyw Ten words for today

Degol an Furry (en Helles) Helston Flora

bandys brest brass bands

donsya an furry to dance the furry dance (d>t after ow)

glaseneth (f) greenery

goon gwary dons (m) ball gown

havek summery

nobel marrak (m) noble knight

powsyow gwreg women's dresses

sewtys suits

tros (m) noise (t>d after a)

2024 Day 129

2024 Dedh Cans Naw warn Ügens

De Merher, ethves mis Me

Wednesday, 8th May

Pe le ma'n mor? Dhort an trolergh my alja gweles an còsow, an treven ha'n tewenyow. My alja gweles lysten wydn an mordarth, saw na aljama gweles gorwel veth. Liwyow an mor ha'n ebòrn ew kehaval. Pe liw ew hedna? Hedhyw, thew glas. Ma bargas ûhel e'n ebòrn. Ell ev gweles an mor? Ew an mor ha'n ebòrn ankespar gwelys dhort an cloudys?

Where is the sea? From the footpath I could see the woods, the buildings and the sand dunes. I could see a white stripe of the surf, but I could not see any horizon. The colours of the sea and of the sky are identical. What colour is that? Today, it's grey. There is a buzzard high in the sky. Can it see the sea? Are the sea and the sky unalike seen from the clouds?

Deg ger rag hedhyw Ten words for today

ankespar unalike, dissimilar, different

bargas (m) buzzard

còsow ~ còjow woods < coos (m)

gorwel (m) horizon

kehaval identical

liwyow colours < liw (m) 

lysten (f) stripe

mordarth (m) surf

tewenyow sand-dunes < tewyn (m)

treven buildings, houses, etc. < chei (m)

2024 Day 128

2024 Dedh Cans Eth warn Ügens

De Meurth, seythves mis Me

Tuesday, 7th May

En termyn eus passyes thera tobmen gen vorr gledher warnedhy. Hedhyw ma lies gwedhen saw nag eus na trenys na cledher. Termyn ow gour veu maw ev a gemeras tren dhort Truru bys en Peran Porth. Tredh an dobmen-ma ha'n vorr thera ryvar bian ha gwernyk. Whath ma gwern, bes lebmyn, tredh an dobmen ha'n ryvar bian, ma trolergh segh ledan (rag diwrosow ha mergh ewedh). Henn ew "Lergh an Sans". Meurgerys ew ev gen kerdhoryon keun ha gen diwrosoryon. Na wra nei trobla an cülyek hos. Na ellen nei gweles an hos. 

Ma henwyn teleryow gen "gwern" ettans.  

   

In a time that is passed there was an embankment with a railway on it. Today there are lots of trees but there are neither trains nor rails. When my husband was a boy he took the train from Truro to Perranporth. Between this embankment and the road was a little river and a wet area with alder trees. There are still alders, but now, between the embankment and the little river, there is a wide dry footpath (for bicycles and horses too). This is the Saints Way. It is very popular with dogwalkers and with cyclists. We will not trouble the drake. We cannot see the duck.

There are place names with "alders" in them.

Deg ger rag hedhyw Ten words for today

cledher (col.) rails > cledhren (f)

cülyek hos (m) drake < hos (m) duck

diwrosoryon cyclists < diwroser (m) > diwrosores (f) > diwrosoresow

gwernyk ~ gwarnyk (f) wet area with alders < gwern (col.) alders

kerdhoryon walkers < kerdher (m) > kerdhores (f) > kerdhoresow

lergh (m) way

tobmen (f) embankment, earthen bank (t>d)

trobla to trouble, annoy, disturb, etc.

trolergh (m) footpath

vorr ~ fordh gledher (f) railway (some use hens hôrn (m)) 

Place names from Craig Weatherhill:

Collective gwern > singular gwernen (Latin Alnus) 

 

LEWARNE (Lanwern 1184): Nant Wern (OC) “alders valley” 

PENWARNE (Mawnan): Penwern “end/top of alder trees” 

PENWARNE (Mevagissey): Penwern “end/top of alder trees” 

ROSEWARNE (Gwinear): Roswern “roughland with alders” 

 

The singular gwernen is found less commonly, as is double plural gwernow and other derivative gwernek. 

LUXULYAN (Werman c1200): Dowr Gwernan “alder tree river” 

PORTHGUARNON: Porth Gwernen "alder tree cove" 

LOWER MOORS (Scilly) (Gwernewgavell 1652): Gwernow Gaverhal “snipe’s alder marsh” 

GWARNICK (Gwernek c1400): Gwernek “alder-grove” 

 

2024 Day 127

2024 Dedh Cans Seyth warn Ügens

De Lün, wheffes mis Me

Monday, 6th May

Nag eus fowt dhen a gegis bûgh e'n mis ma. Da ew gen mergh agan kentrevoges debry kegisen vûgh. An hanow a dal bos kegis margh. Ma hanow aral rag an plansow - Las Metêrnes Anna. Ma lies kegisen vûgh en Kernow, saw nag era nei ow qweles an hanow en henwyn teleryow. Ma flourys gwydn moy war wedhen reb an eglos. Leun ew an flourys a wenen. An flourys gwydn a vedn drei mor rüdh rag  kidnyadh, ha hedna vedh pur dha rag an edhyn. An wedhen ew kerdhen, ha ma üdn edhen henwys "edhen kerdh". Nag eus henwyn teleryow gen "kegisen" bes ma trevow gen "kerdhen".

We are not lacking cow-parsley this month. Our neighbour's horses like to eat a cow- parsley plant or two. The name should be horse-parsley. There is another name for the plants - Queen Anne's Lace. There are a lot of cow-parsley plants in Cornwall, but we do not see the name in place names. There are more white flowers on a tree by the church. The flowers are full of bees. The white flowers will bring red berries for autumn, and that will be very good for the birds. The tree is a mountain ash or rowan, and there is one bird called a "rowan bird". There are no place names with "parsley" but there are farmsteads with "rowan".

Deg ger rag hedhyw Ten words for today

bos fowt a to lack, to be a lack of

edhen kerdh (f) rowan bird, mistle thrush

hanow (m) name > (pl.) henwyn

henwys called < (verb) henwel

kegis bûgh (col.) cow parsley > kegisen vûgh

kerdh (col.) rowan > kerdhen (f)

kidnyadh autumn

margh ~ marth (m) horse > (pl.) mergh ~ merth

metêrnes (f) queen

trevow farmsteads < tre ~ trev (f)

TREGERTHEN (Tregyrthyn 1519): Tregerdhin “rowan tree farm”

TREGURTHA (Tregurthan 1358): Tregerdhin “rowan-trees farm”

KERTHEN (Kerthyn 1284): Kerdhin “rowan tree”