Marwnad Cynddylan and the mention of Arthur.

There is a much discussed mention of Arthur in the poem Marwnad Cynddylan ('The Death Song of Cynnddylan') which is about a seventh century king of Pengwern, where it includes the line :

Brodyr a'm bwyad. [Oedd] gwell ban fythyn, 

canawon artir fras, dinas dengyn,

This usually translated as:

It was better when they were

the young whelps of great Arthur, the mighty fortress.

'ardir' from the book of LLandaff

However I think only special pleading can place Arthur in this poem. The original word is quite clearly `artir' not Arthur. The 9th-10thC old Welsh word 'artir' appears in a welsh charter in the Book of Landaff and is expanded to `ardir' in Middle Welsh+ and has the meaning `upon the ground or land/territory'. So in translation would be,( my efforts):

Brodyr a'm bwyad

I had brothers who have gone.

gwell ban fythyn

Better forever in fame

canawon artir fras, dinas dengyn

Were the young whelps on the rich land of the mighty fortress,

[y] rhag Caer Lwytgoed nis digonsyn

against Caer Lwytgoed there was not enough of them..

I have brothers who have gone.
Better forever in fame
Were the young whelps on the rich land of the mighty fortress
Against Caer Lwytgoed there was not enough of them.

Words:

gwell =better,

ban =lofty, loud

fythyn = fyth yn = forever in

Canawon = whelps

Artir = Ar tir(dir) = upon the land of

fras = rich / broad

dinas = fortress /city

dengyn = mighty / strong

rhag = against,

nis =not

Digonsyn is 'digon' = enough, 'syn = plenty. 

Nothing whatsoever to do with Arthur.  I am not sure how the original translators got it so wrong or maybe I have? A more poetic version to keep faith with the original rhyme - fythin - dengyn - digonsyn would be:

I had brothers now gone,

Better in fame for all eternity,

Were the whelps in the rich land of fortress mighty, 

Before Caer Lwytgoed they were not a plenty.

Scholars such as R. Geraint Gruffydd still support the idea that Artir equals Arthur but I am at a loss to understand why when the word Artir is quite clearly composed of ar and tir, later ardir. Evidence of such conjugations are in the work itself with fythyn and digonsyn being two examples. Not content with translating Artir as Arthur, scholars also change fras (rich/broad) to wras (great) to make great Arthur. These wholesale changes just to make a non existent name fit is painful in the extreme.

http://www.kmatthews.org.uk/history/marwnad_cynddylan/dyhedd.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Llandaff
 http://digidol.llgc.org.uk/METS/LIB00001/physical?div=134&subdiv=0&locale=en&mode=reference