Gwyddneu:
A bull of conflict was he, active in dispersing an arrayed army,
The ruler of hosts, indisposed to anger,
Blameless and pure his conduct in protecting life.
Gwyn ap Nudd:
Against a hero stout was his advance,
The ruler of hosts, disposer of wrath,
There will be protection for thee since thou askest it
Gwyddneu:
For thou hast given me protection
How warmly wert thou welcomed!
The hero of hosts, from what region thou comest
Gwyn:
I come from battle and conflict
With a shield in my hand;
Broken is the helmet by the pushing of spears.
Gwyddueu:
I will address thee, exalted man,
With his shield in distress.
Brave man, what is thy descent?
Gwyn:
Round-hoofed is my horse, the torment of battle,
Fairy am I called, Gwyn the son of Nudd,
The lover of Creurdilad, the daughter of Lludd.
Gwyddneu:
Since it is thou, Gwyn, an upright man,
From thee there is no concealing:
I am Gwyddneu Garanhir.
Gwyn:
Hasten to my ridge, the Tawë abode;
Not the nearest Tawë name I to thee,
But that Tawë which is the farthest
Polished is my ring, golden my saddle and bright:
To my sadness
I saw a conflict before Caer Vandwy.
Before Caer Vandwy a host I saw,
Shields were shattered and ribs broken;
Renowned and splendid was he who made the assault
Gwyddneu:
Gwyn, son of Nudd, the hope of armies,
Quicker would legions fall before the hoofs
Of thy horse than broken rushes to the ground.
Gwyn:
Handsome my dog, and round-bodied,
And truly the best of dogs;
Dormarth was he, which belonged to Maelgwyn.
Gwyddneu:
Dormarth with the ruddy nose! what a gazer
Thou art upon me because I notice
Thy wanderings on Gwibir Vynyd.’
Gwyn:
I have been in the place where was killed Gwendoleu,
The son of Ceidaw, the pillar of songs,
When the ravens screamed over blood.
I have been in the place where Bran was killed,
The son of Iweridd, of far extending fame,
When the ravens of the battle-field screamed.
I have been where Llacheu was slain,
The son of Arthur, extolled in songs,
When the ravens screamed over blood.
I have been where
Meurig was killed,
The son of
Carreian, of honourable fame,
When the ravens screamed over flesh.
I have been where
Gwallawg was killed,
The son of
Goholeth, the accomplished,
The resister of
Lloegyr, the son of
Lleynawg.
I have been where the soldiers of Britain were slain,
From the east to the north:
I am the escort of the grave?
I have been where the soldiers of Britain were slain,
From the east to the south:
I am alive, they in death!
This poem has usually been divided, with the second part called "Mi A Wum," or, "I Have Been," for the opening line of Gwyn’s speech. The Gwyddnew is Gwyddno Garanhir, the father of Elphin and patron of Taliesin; his kingdom sank into the sea at Cardigan Bay, a feature related in Susan Cooper’s The Silver on the Tree, from The Dark is Rising, a fantastic series built upon Welsh mythology and legend, but set in the modern era. Recommended to all fans of Harry Potter.
The poem also makes references to places and characters from the Hanes Taliesin and Taliesin's poems. For example, it mentions Maelgwyn, the enemy of Elphin and Taliesin in the Hanes, and it mentions Caer Vandwy, which appears in "The Spoils of Annwn", as one of the castles of Annwn, the Otherworld.
For other Gwyn ap Nudd material, see Gwyn and St. Collen