Dafydd Iwan
'Yma o Hyd' (Still Here) is a folk song by Dafydd Iwan. The song was released during Iwan and Ar Log's 'Taith Macsen' ("Macsen's Journey") tour in 1983. Since then it has continued to gain popularity at cultural and sporting events. "Macsen Wledig" is the Welsh name for Magnus Maximus, the Roman Emperor (383-8) who removed the Roman legions from Britain.
Here is the melody with the lyrics, in the key of E minor rather than the original A minor, which goes too high for me.
Lyrics
Dwyt ti'm yn cofio Macsen? Don't you remember Macsen?
Does neb yn ei nabod o. Nobody knows him.
Mae mil a chwe chant o flynyddoedd Sixteen hundred years are
Yn amser rhy hir i'r co'. a time too long for the memory.
Pan aeth Magnus Maximus o Gymru When Magnus Maximus went from Wales
Yn y flwyddyn tri chant wyth tri, In the year three hundred and eighty-three,
A'n gadael yn genedl gyfan, And leaving us as a whole nation,
A heddiw wele ni: And today here we are:
Ry'n ni yma o hyd. We're still here.
{ Ry'n ni yma o hyd, We're still here,
Er gwaetha pawb a phopeth (x3) Despite everyone and everything
Ry'n ni yma o hyd. } x2 We're still here.
Chwythed y gwynt o'r Dwyrain, Let the wind blow from the East,
Rhued y storm o'r môr, Let the storm roar from the sea,
Hollted y mellt yr wybren, Let the lightning split the sky,
A gwaedded y daran encôr; And let the thunder shout again;
Llifed dagrau'r gwangalon, Let the tears of the faint-hearted flow,
A llyfed y taeog y llawr; And let the serf lick the floor;
Er dued yw'r fagddu o'n cwmpas Although the blackness is darkening around us
Ry'n ni'n barod am doriad y wawr! We are ready for the break of dawn!
Cofiwn i Facsen Wledig We will remember Magnus Maximus
Adael ein gwlad yn un darn, Leaving our country in one piece,
A bloeddiwn gerbron y gwledydd And we will shout before the countries
"Mi fyddwn yma tan Ddydd y Farn!" "I will be here until Judgment Day!"
Er gwaetha pob Dic Siôn Dafydd, Despite all the Dic Siôn Dafydds,
Er gwaetha 'rhen Fagi a'i chriw, Despite old Maggie and her crew,
Byddwn yma hyd ddiwedd amser We will be here until the end of time
A bydd yr iaith Gymraeg yn fyw! And the Welsh language will be alive!
Recordings
Dafydd Iwan performed a passionate rendition of his iconic song in front of The Red Wall ahead of Cymru's FIFA World Cup Play-Off Semi-Final against Austria at the Cardiff City Stadium (2022).
ALOUD recorded a version in 2022 with individuals singing the first and third verses, from all over Wales.
Notes for Welsh learners
"Ti'm" is short for "ti ddim".
"Co'" is short for "cof" (memory), to rhyme with "o"; final 'f's are often omitted in Welsh.
"Ry'n ni" is a way of contracting "rydym ni" like "dy'n ni" (used in the South). And "rydym ni" is itself a contraction of "yr ydym ni". Contractions, like mutations, have been around for a long time and are "yma o hyd"!
"-ed" is the verb ending for the third person singular imperative, as in "bydded", "let it be".
"Dic Siôn Dafydd" is the title of an 18th Century satirical ballad with a stereotype of an Anglophile Welsh person who deliberately turns their back on the Welsh people, their culture and the Welsh language. A Dic Siôn Dafydd instead embraces the concept of Englishness, English culture and the English language.
" 'Rhen Fagi" translates as "the old Maggie" (i.e. Thatcher), with "yr hen" abbreviated to " 'rhen".
