Songs of Merlin: Marzin enn he gavel

'Merlin in the Cradle'


Here follows the origin of Merlin, according to an ancient nursery song from lower Brittany (Cornouille dialect) gathered by Hensart de la Villemarque. Translation, very rough, by D. Johnston.


Marzin enn he gavel

Breman trizek miz ha teir zun
E oann dindan a cähoad e hun.
Hun eta, va mabik, va mabik;
Hun eta, toutouik lalla.

Kleviz o kana eul lapous,
Kane ken flour, kane ken dous.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Kane ken dous, kane ken flour,
Flouroc'h evid iboud ann dour.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Kement ma'z-iz d'he heul dibred,
Touellet gant-han va spered.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

D'he heul pell, pell, pell ez iz;
Sioaz! Sioaz d'am iaouankiz!
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Merc'hik roue, e lavare,
Kaer oud evel gliz ar beure:
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Ar goulou-deiz zo souezet
Pa zell ouz it, na ouiez ket.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Pa bar ann heol, souezet e;
Ha piou a vo da bried-te?
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

- Tavit, tavit, koz lapousik,
C'houi zo gwall lik enn o pegik.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Ma zelfe lez doue ouz en
Gant goulou-deiz man na lakfen.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Na lakfen man gand sell ann heol
Kennebeut gand sell ar bed holl.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Mar gomzet d'in oc'h dimizin
Komzet deuz roue ann env d'in.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Kana re brao-oc'h-brao alkenn
Ha me d'he heul, souchet va fenn.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Ken e koueziz skuiz-stank kousket
Dindan eunn derven, er gwasked.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Hag eno am boe eunn hunvre
Am sapeduaz beteg re.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

E oann ebarz ti eunn Duzik
A dro-war-dro eur feuntennik.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

He vein ker boull! He vein ker skler!
He vein ker splann evel-d-ar gwer!
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Eur gwiskad man war al leur-zi
Bleuniou-nevez street war-n-azhi
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Ann Duzik ne oa ked er ger,
Ha me diogel ha seder
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Pa weliz o tont diouz a bell
Eunn durnuzel a denn-askel.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Hag e stokaz gand he begik
Diouz moger voull ti ann Duznik
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Ha me sod, gant truez out-hi,
Mont da zigor ann or d'ezhi.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Hag hi ebarz, ha da rodal
Tro-war-dro d'ann ti, o nijal.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Gwech war va skoaz, gwech war va fenn,
Gwech e nije war va c'herc'henn.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Teir gwech ouz va skoarn a bokaz
Ha kuit dreo enn-dro d'ar c'hoat glaz.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Mar oa dreo hi, me n'am onn ket,
Malloz d'ann heur e oann kousket.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

Ann dour a ver diouz va lagad
Pa dleann kavel luskellat.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

A-ioul vefe enn ifern skorn
Ann duarded kig hag askorn!
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

A-ioul vefe gaou ve hunvre!
Na ouife den diouz va doare!
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

- Ar mab, hag hen nevez-ganet,
O c'hoarzin en deuz diskanet:
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

- Tavit, va mamm, na welet ket,
Gan-in n'ho po preder e-bet.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

- Nemet n'am euz gwall-galonad
Ober eunn duard diouz va zad.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

- Etre ann env hag ann douar,
Va zad zo ker kaen hag al loar;
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

- Va zad a gar ann dudou kez,
Ha pa gav ann tu ho gwarez.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

- Ra viro doue da vikenn
Va zad diouz puns ann ifern en!
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

- Nemet bennoz a rann d'ann heur
E oenn ganet evid ann eur.
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

- Oenn ganet evid eur va bro;
Doue diouz anken d'he miro!
Hun eta, va mabik... [Etc.]

- Ar vamm a oe souzet braz
Heman zo marz mar boe biskoaz!
Hun eta, va mabik, va mabik,
Hun eta, toutouik lalla!

 

Merlin in the Cradle

It has been thirteen months and three weeks
That I have slept in the wood.
Go to sleep, my little one, my little one;
Go to sleep, child, sleep.

I have heard the song of a bird
That sang so softly, so well.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

That sang so well, so softly
More softly than the flowing water.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

So much so, without caution,
I followed it with a charmed spirit.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

I followed it very far, very far;
Alas! Alas, that I was young!
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

Oh king's daughter, it said to me,
You are beautiful as the morning rose:
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

The rise of day is delighted when it sees you;
Do you not know this?
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

The sun itself is delighted;
And who skall be your bethrothed?
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

- Be quiet, be quiet, nasty little bird;
Your little beak is too free.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

As long as the King of the sky looks upon me;
What matters the glance of the aurora?
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

What matters the glance of the sun,
or even of the whole universe?
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

If you speak to me of marriage,
tell me of the King of the sky.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

However, it sang more and more sweetly,
And me, I follwed it, head lowered.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

I feel asleep of fatique under an oak
In an open place.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

And there I had a dream
Which troubled me beyond all else.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

I dreamt that I was in the house of a little Duz,
In the area of a small spring's waters.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

Its stones were so clear! Its stones were so shining!
Its stones were as sparkling as crystal!
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

On the ground, a carpet of moss,
Of newly-sown flowers above.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

As the little Duz was not at home,
I was fearless and joyful.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

When I saw coming far away,
Flapping its wings, a turtledove.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

And it hit its beak
on the clear wall of the grotto
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

And simple me, through pity for it,
Went to open the door for it.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

And it entered, and flew
In a circle around the house.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

Then my shoulder, then my brow,
Then it grazed my chest
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

Three times it pecked at my ear,
And then returned happily to the greenwood.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

If it was happy, I was not;
Cursed by the hour I went to sleep.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

The tears flowed from my eyes
To have a cradle to rock.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

Were they not in the chasm of ice,
Black spirits, all, flesh and bone!
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

Were my dream not false!
Were I not unknown to the world!
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

- The child, newborn as it was,
began to laugh, repeating:
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

- Hush, my mother, do not cry,
I will cause you no pain.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

- But it is for me a great heartache
To hear my father called a Black spirit.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

- My father, between heaven and earth,
Is as brilliant as the moon.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

- My father loves poor people, and,
When he can, he helps them.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

- May God preserve forever
My father from the icy abyss!
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

- But blessed be, on the contrary,
The hour when I was born to do good.
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

- When I was born to do good for my country;
May God keep it from suffering!
Go to sleep, my little one... [Etc]

The mother was shocked:
Here is a prodigy, if ever there was one!
Go to sleep, my little one, my little one,
Go to sleep, child, sleep!


See also
- Merlins origin
- Merlin, Uther Pendragon and Arthur's birth
- Merlin's Entertainments
- Merlin - the Necromancer
- The real Merlin?
- Tomb of Merlin
- Literary origins
- The name Merlin