Re: Our first Brithenig folk song

[Padraic Brown <pbrown@nova.umuc.edu>]

On Fri, 24 Apr 1998, John Cowan wrote:

> Following up on a suggestion of Andrew's, I have discovered the
> following folk-song.  The tune is that known in English as
> "My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean" (tunes, unlike lyrics, go right
> across the borders):

Musical osmosis.

> 
> 	Mew badr coenoscef Gris-Gury,
> 	Gris-Gury coenoscef mew bad';
> 	Mew badr coenoscef Gris-Gury,
> 	Gris-Gury coenoscef mew bad';
> 	Lā - lā, lā - lā,
> 	Gris-Gury coenoscef mew bad', mew bad';
> 	Lā - lā, lā - lā,
> 	Gris-Gury coenoscef mew bad'.

Wow!  Our second bit of poetry, all told.  On my machine, the "nonsense"
syllable comes across as some sort of gibberish.  I get an "l" followed by
a gallows.  What should be there?  My guess would be an acented vowel of
some sort, possibly "a"?

> 
> Note the poetic omission of final "-r" in monosyllables, and the
> use of the nonsense syllable "lā".

I like this usage.

> 
> (*Here*, of course, the song goes "Lloyd George knew my father, my
> father knew Lloyd George", repeated four times, and the tune is
> "Onward Christian Soldiers".)

Does this make it acceptable for singing in church?  I'm _sure_ I could
remember all the words! ;-)

> 
> -- 
> John Cowan	http://www.ccil.org/~cowan		cowan@ccil.org
> 	You tollerday donsk?  N.  You tolkatiff scowegian?  Nn.
> 	You spigotty anglease?  Nnn.  You phonio saxo?  Nnnn.
> 		Clear all so!  'Tis a Jute.... (FW 16.5)
> 
Padraic.