Manuscripts

There is only one copy of this poem, namely Llst 125, written c.1644–8 by William Bodwrda and his amanuensis. This poem was copied by William himself. Characteristically, he does not give any information about his source. It seems that the unknown source was incomplete, either because the page which contained the poem was torn or because the next page or pages had been lost. Only 24 lines survive in the manuscript – an excellent text, except in a few places (see the notes) – which may be less than half the original poem, if the blank space left by William between line 24 and the beginning of the next poem (space for some 34 lines) is anything to go by. The name of the poet is lost.

Similarly, an unique copy of an anonymous poem of praise for Mechyll on pages 206–9 of Llst 125 (written by William’s amanuensis) has a blank space for two lines at the end of the text. There is no way of knowing whether this poem’s text and the text of the poem for Beuno were copied from the same incomplete source. Likewise, the identity of the poet remains unknown, for it does not seem that William Bodwrda and his amanuensis copied their texts in any discernible order. However, the fact that the manuscript is chiefly concerned with the work of poets from the north (see the index of contents arranged by poet on pages 793–806), along with the poem’s subject matter, strongly suggests that he was a northerner.

⁠⁠Title⁠
Title in the manuscript: Cyw’ i Feuno⁠ ‘A cywydd for Beuno’.⁠

⁠⁠The manuscript⁠
⁠Llst 125, 414‒15 (William Bodwrda, c.1644‒8)⁠