95 



No band, with shout and singing,* 



Sally forth with spear and sword, 

 Staying foes at wood or hill, 



Or at the waded river ford ; 

 Or else to take the hill, and fight 



To win, or die within 



An gwaliow war an meneth, 

 An caer war an Iryn. 

 There were lowings of the cattle 



By the rattling spears and swords ; 

 There were wails of weeping women 



And grim warriors' angry words 

 "Be every Briton fearless, or 



For ever live in fear ; 

 And bring his ready weapons out 



His bow, and sword, and spear !f 

 For what have we to fight the foe ? 



Our children and our wives ! 

 For whom have we to fight ? For those 



Far dearer than our lives ! 

 And we, to shield them all, will die, 



Or else the battle win, 



Yn\ an gwaliow war an meneth, 

 Yn an caer war an Iryn ! " 

 But now, in sweet, unbroken peace, 



May Dorset land-folks sleep ; 

 In peace may speed the gliding plough, 



In peace may graze the sheep ; 

 In peace may smoke our village tuns, 



And all our children play ; 



* By the laws of Hoel Dda, when the Welsh marched to battle the bards were to 

 go before them singing a national song, now lost, called "Unbenaeth Prydain" ("The 

 Monarchy of Britain "). This, however, was later than the time of the upcasting of 

 our earthworks. 



t A law triad gives, as law-bidden weapons which every man was to keep ready for 

 battle, a sword, a spear, and a bow with twelve arrows, 



\ In. 



