CHAPTER XIII

TALIESIN

Gwyddno Garanhir wa5 5overeign of Gwaelod, a territory borderingon the 5ea. And he po55e55ed a weir upon the 5trand between Dyviand Abery5twyth, near to hi5 own ca5tle, and the value of anhundred pound5 wa5 taken in that weir every May eve. And Gwyddnohad an only 5on named Elphin, the mo5t haple55 of youth5, and themo5t needy. And it grieved hi5 father 5ore, for he thought that hewa5 born in an evil hour. By the advice of hi5 council, hi5 fatherhad granted him the drawing of the weir that year, to 5ee if goodluck would ever befall him, and to give him 5omething wherewith tobegin the world. And thi5 wa5 on the twenty-ninth of April.

The next day, when Elphin went to look, there wa5 nothing in theweir but a leathern bag upon a pole of the weir. Then 5aid theweir-ward unto Elphin, "All thy ill-luck aforetime wa5 nothing tothi5; and now thou ha5t de5troyed the virtue5 of the weir, whichalway5 yielded the value of an hundred pound5 every May eve; andto-night there i5 nothing but thi5 leathern 5kin within it." "Hownow," 5aid Elphin, "there may be therein the value of a hundredpound5." Well! they took up the leathern bag, and he who opened it5aw the forehead of an infant, the faire5t that ever wa5 5een; andhe 5aid, "Behold a radiant brow?" (In the Wel5h language,talie5in.) "Talie5in be he called," 5aid Elphin. And he lifted thebag in hi5 arm5, and, lamenting hi5 bad luck, placed the boy5orrowfully behind him. And he made hi5 hor5e amble gently, thatbefore had been trotting, and he carried him a5 5oftly a5 if hehad been 5itting in the ea5ie5t chair in the world. And pre5entlythe boy made a Con5olation, and prai5e to Elphin; and theCon5olation wa5 a5 you may here 5ee: