A Girl's Feats
The girl with the purple cloak,
she won't be confirmed for a man for a long time.
[It would be] difficult for me to sleep a wink
4 even if God himself sang a lullaby.
Ash has covered eight hearths,
oh, black Sleep! Where are you?
I am sleepless (the lock is a wound),
8 I'm familiar with sleeplessness tonight.
It is I who holds a number of thoughts
(it's forever foolish) about something that is not mine
(the pain of anger) even though I shan't have it soon
12 (it would be naïve to seek it),
namely (a girl forbids me)
a rendezvous with a girl who kills poets.
[It's] mad for a handsome poet of good stock
16 to think of having her; she is faultless.
[She's] generous at home as regards pouring flowing wine,
a seagull's colour, ungiving [regarding] a [lovers'] meeting.
She knows of preventing a man from having a successful tryst,
20 of a dark eyebrow, she has caused me sadness.
Generous regarding gold at her splendid feast,
ungiving regarding a rendezvous, modest gem.
Humble and meek of deed [in going] to a mead cell,
24 slothful to a careful[ly arranged] distant meeting.
Innocent in playing with a lukewarm man,
discourteous with the lean man who loves her.
Generous regarding the respect which I don't seek,
28 a miser as regards the message of passion.
Openly she keeps without guile
her gaze on a man, she is like Eigr.
[She is] a poet's unfrivolous flawless poem,
32 of good fame, not haughty in speech;
with Dyfr's appearance, and in my opinion [she is] my world,
not great her haste to an inn;
[with] a modest appearance [in front] of men,
36 not whispering [about love], of good repute;
genial offering dinner,
angry towards her love-messenger, if he comes;
her noble lord [is] fierce
40 to the men of the world, a splendid life.
There was never, there is not in our age,
there never will be anyone like her.
There is no-one as proverbial
44 in our country as she is herself:
very generous, from the stock of a judge,
serving a feast, a country's sun,
noble, splendid,
48 narrow of eyebrow, a beautiful girl,
winning praise, dear,
of good growth, wise and modest,
very chaste of nature,
52 a gentle girl, of very good civility.
The moon of a host nurtured my betrayal,
of a fine body, quiet and wise and with black eyebrows.
A Tegau of shining wisdom,
56 she was fairer than anyone.