| To the Rood at Carmarthen | |
| Strong sacrifice is the strength (not in oppressors' battle | |
| but in gentle [yet] powerful miracle), | |
| highly-praised renowned holy relic, pure its vigour, | |
| 4 | of the four-pointed rood from white Caer. |
| Since I am song's steward I will make a declamation of praise | |
| to the comely glorious radiant image, | |
| where the tide's surging course is a mighty clamour, | |
| 8 | sparkling circumference of Caer with rows of battlements. |
| It was very full of blessing without means of war or clamour | |
| or tumult of shining battle, | |
| . . . bright white-washed fortress | |
| 12 | where the salt sea fills the rushing Tywi. |
| .............................................................. | |
| because of the bright rood, | |
| whitewashed stone ....... fervent in battle, | |
| 16 | smooth are the many-planked battlements of the host around Caer. |
| Shining living image of Lord's lineage of tender course .... | |
| ..................... bright | |
| where the full-surging tide comes | |
| 20 | which reaches Caer, before ebbing beyond the battlefield. |
| ............................................ unwarlike teaching in honour | |
| of the shining bright golden living image, | |
| brilliant speech ....... gentle, | |
| 24 | ............................... Caer. |
| It is full of blessing, faultless steward, in me | |
| with .................... | |
| the blessed gentle pillar is finely decorated, | |
| 28 | good tidings of Caer's fair sacred house. |
| ................................... Christ is the craftsman of the cross | |
| of clear strong bright fruitful miracle, | |
| Creator .............................. | |
| 32 | [a holy relic] which came to the fine town of Caer. |
| This rood, a bright Bible-book with decorated cover .... | |
| ............................................ craftsman | |
| golden image, thorough gentle speech, | |
| 36 | honour of the lovely house of Caer. |
| ......................................... a hundred innocent armies | |
| where there are nine resounding waves, | |
| .......................................... | |
| 40 | water which flows over meadows to Caer. |
| The wild tide brought ......................... | |
| in praise of the bright image, | |
| the sombre temple of the English, swift-surging water, | |
| 44 | .................................................. Caer. |
| Good was the course, thorough gentle speech, ......... | |
| ........................... | |
| great manifest grace, unblemished, renowned, | |
| 48 | bringing a jewel which we loved to Caer. |
| A devout and much desired confession is the coming | |
| amongst the English of a Saxon town | |
| .......................................... | |
| 52 | well-renowned holy relic, of a rood from heaven. |
| To its bright privilege .............................. | |
| ....... bringing firmly-linked song, | |
| Caer is its house, mighty fortified town, | |
| 56 | ....................................... |
| ....................................... | |
| ....................................... | |
| ....................................... | |
| 60 | ....................................... |
| Cross of the glorious suffering of Christ the joyous Lord, | |
| no ruler like Him was ever raised, | |
| pure, Bastion, Emperor of peace, | |
| 64 | mighty splendid relic of the passion of heaven's sweet Lord. |
| God the Father brought to Caer the good image, of intricate metre, | |
| it is made a key of miracles; | |
| I will bring (sweetest gift of pure words) | |
| 68 | two clear songs to my perfect holy relic. |
| This rood made the blind, in all truth, who cannot see, | |
| like the far-sighted fledged hawk; | |
| a sign that none shall be (faith in the mighty Lord) | |
| 72 | happy without the strength of Mary's great Son. |
| And the poor dim cripple, praiseworthy light, | |
| withered dead, God's second word, | |
| in sight of all, fair word of song, | |
| 76 | it made a sturdy strider in a procession at a fair. |
| By its solemn miracle and its grace the deaf will hear | |
| clearly without hindrance; | |
| and it will bring the dead to life | |
| 80 | in all their vigour, hope of great word. |
| Beloved holy relic of God's pure word, radiant image | |
| whose mighty miracle is clear and wise, | |
| all grades of men know, good axe carving, | |
| 84 | the best journey for the Man who grows them. |
| A visit .............. supplication of the rood | |
| at the clear fortress white-washed the colour of snow, | |
| after forgiveness, privilege by letter, | |
| 88 | of the poetical psalms of Solomon's fine temple. |
| I will praise, I will worship on my knees, ........... | |
| ................. with tired tongue, | |
| a multitude praise, famed pouring of wine, | |
| 92 | the great image at Myrddin's splendid abode. |
| I will open, I will place, plea on bended knee, my mind | |
| in supreme judgements, | |
| to adore the image of most beneficial virtue, | |
| 96 | ............................................... |
| ................................................. | |
| ............. abode of myrrh and wine, | |
| completely blessed learning, | |
| 100 | fine is the golden wise pillar of Caer Fyrddin. |
| ................................................. to Caer, | |
| and it is Jesus's sign, | |
| a clear, bright, bubbling song, | |
| 104 | .................proud living image. |
| .................................................language, | |
| authors of song will hear it, | |
| the lord of the golden face of the earth will hear | |
| 108 | fitting praise to the good living image. |
| Englishmen made from afar an elegant gilded cloak | |
| ................................................. | |
| a laymen's frost-coloured [?] fortress of unfailing strength, | |
| 112 | English manner, for the bright living image. |
| [The rood?] of firm privilege which came to Caer, | |
| famed in the Bible heard by all people, | |
| splendid Lord-ruler, gilded cloak, | |
| 116 | brought the dead back to life. |
| ............the golden image powerful in language came | |
| with great wounds without scars | |
| proud pillar ......................, | |
| 120 | to mighty Caerfyrddin, journey of great grace. |
| .................. powerful language to a great fort, | |
| poetic language is no vain song; | |
| making ...................... | |
| 124 | a blessed select journey. |
| ............................. twenty thousand | |
| praise their long-lasting grace; | |
| I will ensure that I do not spoil poetic language, | |
| 128 | meritworthy praise of the beneficial journey. |
| ............................ miracle—Usalem | |
| was established as a Sovereign, | |
| beside the grave of Christ ..... | |
| 132 | ....... stout coloured wall. |
| ....................... splendid declamation of Myrddin | |
| who sang poetry which circulates in every language, | |
| where there is ................................ | |
| 136 | ....... the shining living image, of great and lasting honour. |
| ................................................. | |
| ................................. | |
| ................................far and long | |
| 140 | to those who desire a journey. |
| Merciful God, He loves us, He does not chastise us, our payment, | |
| for a cruel flow of blood which is passionately praised; | |
| honoured Oak who bravely redeemed us, | |
| 144 | Defender of heaven who gives us security. |
| There came to Caer, strong place of the tumult of mighty sea-surges, | |
| in the form in which He redeemed us, | |
| sweet renown, it provided learning for us, | |
| 148 | an image from heaven, Maker of security. |
| Protect a portion of my psalm, do not cast down the signs of poetic inspiration, | |
| great true rood which redeemed me, | |
| bloody wounds coloured you, | |
| 152 | I beseech, for the Lord God's sake, your security. |
| Expense of a drop of the Lord's blood, the glorious Christ arranged | |
| for the bright rood which saves us from chastisement, | |
| lineage in metre, violent expression, | |
| 156 | a town which is a second heaven, kindly security. |
| The living rood is radiant within the city of Caer | |
| kingdom's beloved image, | |
| place of English festival, pale rich crowd, | |
| 160 | current of fresh water and bright blue tide. |
| House and site received complete profit on account of the golden image | |
| with the dignity of a jewel; | |
| where water surges ............ deep course, | |
| 164 | valley floor of the great shining surface of the smooth blue sea. |
| Caer is a place of rushing waters, a place not unpleasant to go to | |
| for the sake of the image of the heavenly house, | |
| ................................ Judas, | |
| where many fair blue torrents surge. | |
| I will undertake a most urgent journey, wise lineage, to see | |
| the fair bright (rood) of the light of grace, | |
| ........................... current above a river-bed, | |
| the paths of Caer and the bright mantle of the blue tide. | |
| There is around the house of the rood at fair Caer (?) | |
| with its shining battlements and long slope .................. | |
| tender strong blessing of a city bound by stone, | |
| a fine wall and ............ blue sea. | |
| I will give surety to my mighty Lord by means of lineage to the rood | |
| on the clear ............ of its servant (?), | |
| splendid fearless song, deep and rich, | |
| like the number of pebbles on a blue shore. | |