The Welsh National Anthem for non Welsh speakers:

Kim & Rima McKinzey rkm at SLIP.NET
Fri May 14 06:33:31 UTC 1999


Don't know if any of you have seen this, but I got the -um- nmemonic and
was then quite curious about the original.  Rima

Here are both:

>>>Thought you might like this which appeared in my newspaper last weekend. It
>>>was inspired by the hilarious discomfort of an ex Conservative minister,
>>>John Redwood when, as Welsh Secretary a few years ago, television viewers
>>>were able to delight in his totally inept attempts to sing along to his
>>>vassals' national anthem. We might all have had plenty of sympathy for him
>>>- after all Welsh is an appallingly difficult language to learn with w's,
>>>d's, r's, t's, h's and l's outnumbering vowels by about 8 to 1 - if he
>>>hadn't been such an arrogant w*nker.
>>>
>>>I'll bet he wishes he'd been given this mnemonic, which apparently will
>>>fool any observers, out of earshot and who are not both skilled in lip
>>>reading and fluent in Welsh:
>>>
>>>My hen laid a haddock, one hand oiled a flea,
>>>Glad farts and centurions threw dogs in the sea
>>>I could stew a hare here and brandish Dan's flan,
>>>Don's ruddy bog's blocked up with sand.
>>>Dad! Dad! Why don't you oil Auntie Glad?
>>>Can't whores appear in beer bottle pies?
>>>O butter the hens as they fly!
>>>
>>>Keep a copy to hand - you never know when it might come in useful.

 And the original.  (And people wondered why I had difficulty doing the
prons on Welsh entries...)

Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau

                                 Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
                                Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri,
                                 Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad,
                                    Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed

                                  Gwlad! gwlad! pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad;
                                     Tra mor yn fur i'r bur hoff bau,
                                     O! bydded i'r heniaith barhau.



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