Bachgen bach o dincer

Bachgen bach o dincer
    Yn crwydro'r hyd y wlad,
Cario'i dwls yn dacla,
    Gwneud ei waith yn rhad,
Yn ei law roedd haearn
    Ac ar ei gefn roedd bocs,
Pwt o getyn yn ei geg,
    A than ei drwyn roedd locs.

  Potsiar a peipar
      a twigar owns agen,
  Ddy potsiar o ddy peipar
      o ddy nicrbocr lein;
  La di da di da di da,
      hoc it on ddy tshen,
  Ddy potsiar o ddy peipar
      o ddy nicrbocr lein.

Cydio yn y badell,
    Y piser neu'r ystên;
Taro'r haearn yn y tân
    A dal i sgwrsio'n glên;
Eistedd yn y gongol,
    Un goes ar draws y llall,
Taenu'r sodor gloyw glân
    I gywrain guddio'r gwall.

Holi hwn ac arall
    Ple'r aeth y tincer mwyn,
Gyda'i becyn ar ei gefn,
    A chetyn dan ei drwyn?
Bachgen bach o dincer
    Ni welir yn y wlad;
Mae'n golled ar ei ôl
    I 'neud ei waith yn rhad.
I 'neud :: I weithio
dwls yn dacla :: becyn ar ei gefn

casglwyd gan Meredydd Evans 1919-2015

The little ticker boy
    Wandering all over the land,
Carrying his tools and tackle,
    Doing his work cheeply,
In his hand was iron
    And on his back was a box,
A stub of a pipe in his mouth,
    And under his nose were locks.

  Potcher and piper
      and fling her round again,
  The potcher o' the piper
      o' the nickerbocker line;
  La di da di da di da,
      hock it on the chin,
  The potcher o' the piper
      o' the nickerbocker line.

Grasping the pan,
    The pitcher or the pail;
Striking the iron in the fire
    And still talking pleasantly;
Sitting in the corner,
    One leg across the other,
Spreading bright clean solder
    To skillfully hide the defect.

Asking one and another
    Were did the nice tinker go,
With his pack on his back,
    And a pipe under his nose?
The little tinker boy
    Is not to be seen in the land;
What a loss it is after him
    Doing his work cheaply.
To do :: To work
tools and tackle :: pack on his back

tr. 2017 Richard B Gillion


The middle column is a literal translation of the Welsh. A Welsh translation is identified by the abbreviation 'cyf.', an English translation by 'tr.'

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