Notes

GDG 92

This is the only poem in the group to Dyddgu which takes the form of a dialogue. Dafydd opens the poem complaining of his sleeplessness and of his frustration at being thwarted in the pursuit of love. The voice of the allegorical character 'Hiraeth' (difficult to translate but 'Longing' partly coveys the meaning) is then heard asking to be admitted in the tradition of the serenade. When Dafydd asks Longing to identify itself it does so by metaphorically listing its ancestors and their attributes. It is Dyddgu that has sent Longing and it is Dafydd's lot to be continuously tortured by it.

26. Gwawl...fab Clud   He is named in the first branch of the Mabinogi, see WCD 308. At Pwyll and Rhiannon's wedding feast, when asked to name his boon, he asked for Rhiannon's hand in marriage. Later in the tale he was pounded by Pwyll and his retinue (this explains the reference to his wounds).

30. Seth   Adam's third son. Dafydd clearly wished to imply Longing's longevity.