Taliesin
part 10
And after that he sang the address which is called "The Reproof of the Bards."
"If thou art a bard completely imbued with genius not to be controlled,
Be thou not untractable within the court of thy king;
Until thy rigmarole shall be known, be thou silent, Heinin,
As to the name of thy verse, and the name of thy vaunting;
And as to the name of thy grandsire prior to his being baptized.
And the name of the sphere, and the name of the element,
And the name of thy language, and the name of thy region.
Avaunt, ye bards above, avaunt, ye bards below!
My beloved is below, in the fetter of Arianrod.
It is certain you know not how to understand the song I utter,
Nor clearly how to discriminate between the truth and what is false;
Puny bards, crows of the district, why do you not take to flight?
A bard that will not silence me, silence may he not obtain,
Till he goes to be covered under gravel and pebbles;
Such as shall listen to me, may God listen to him."
Then sang he the piece called " The Spite of the Bards."
"Minstrels persevere in their false custom, immoral ditties are their delight;
Vain and tasteless praise they recite; falsehood at all times do they utter
The innocent persons they ridicule married women they destroy,
Innocent virgins of Mary they corrupt as they pass their lives away in vanity;
Poor innocent persons they ridicule; at night they get drunk, they sleep the day
In idleness without work they feed themselves;
the Church they hate, and the tavern they frequent;
With thieves and perjured fellows they associate;
At courts they inquire after feasts every senseless word they bring forward
Every deadly sin they praise; every vile course of life they lead;
Through every village, town, and country they stroll
Concerning the gripe of death they think not; neither lodging nor charity do they give
Indulging in victuals to excess.
Psalms or prayers they do not use, tithes or offerings to God they do not pay,
On holidays or Sundays they do not worship; vigils or festivals they do not heed.
The birds do fly, the fish do swim, the bees collect honey, worms do crawl,
Every thing travails to obtain its food, except minstrels and lazy useless thieves.
I deride neither song nor minstrelsy, for they are given by God to lighten thought;
But him who abuses them, for blaspheming Jesus and his service."
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Pwyll