Notes
GDG 54
Here Dafydd voices his displeasure upon hearing that in spite of all the poems he has composed for her, his beloved has another admirer, a nobleman younger than himself. Although she denies being unfaithful, Dafydd warns her not to give her heart to her new suitor, reminding her of the endless hardship he has suffered for her sake. The poem may be compared with 'Disappointment' (107), where Dafydd complains of having given away a lot of good poetry whilst wooing Morfudd, receiving nothing in return except her being made pregnant by another man. 'Reproached for Cowardice by a Girl' (72) may also be compared. There Dafydd demands adequate payment for his poems and tries to convince the girl of his superiority over another admirer, a soldier in this instance. Though he may be a coward in battle, he is no coward in the work of Ovid's book — note that in the present poem Dafydd's rival is 'a proud and valiant lad'. All three poems may have been inspired by Dafydd's relationship with Morfudd. The talk of enduring wind and rain beneath the girl's roof calls to mind 'Under the Eaves' (98) and other poems which describe nocturnal visits, such as poems 54, 55, 65 and 68. For a discussion of the similarities between this scenario, along with the theme of the lover's self–abasing suffering, and the continental genre of the serenade, see DGIA 157–66.
Saunders Lewis, LlC 2 (1952–3), 203, saw in lines 11–14 a reference to the famous tribune Cola di Rienzi who in 1350 fled Rome only to be imprisoned by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. In August 1352 he was sent to Pope Clement VI at Avignon, where he was tried for treason and condemned to death. He was kept prisoner and his execution postponed, and Clement died on the 6th of December 1352. He was granted a pardon by Clement's successor and was returned to Italy. According to Saunders Lewis, the poem was composed between August and December 1352. It is an attractive theory which is accepted by Thomas Parry, GDG xxxv; however, the reference does not seem specific enough to justify such a precise dating.
24. Indeg Indeg daughter of Garwy Hir, a legendary paragon of beauty, see TYP3 404–5.
42. Eigr Wife of Gwrlois, prince of Cornwall, then wife of Uthr Bendragon and mother of Arthur, see TYP2 366.