Colli'r Iaith

12th Position (F/Dmin on a C harmonica)

This is a modern Welsh folksong (words by Harri Webb 1920-1994) - associated mainly with Elin Fflur (who has video with words and music on YouTube).

It is also a simple way of beginning with overblows. It uses only a single overblow (Bb on a C harmonica), this is a passing note on the easiest overblow hole (6), and the reed you overblow is already moving.

I have offered a prose translation. If you want to sing this song at all, you need to sing it in Welsh.

-4 -6  -6 -6  6 -5  6 -6
 6  6o -6  6  6 -5 -5  5
-5  5  -4  5 -5 -4  6  6
 6 -5   6 -6 -6 -6  6 -5  5

Colli'r Iaith, a cholli urddas,
colli awen, colli barddas,
colli coron aur cymdeithas,
ac yn eu lle cael bratiaith fas.

Colli'r hen alawon persain,
Colli tannau'r delyn gywrain;
Colli'r corau'n diasbedain
Ac yn eu lle cael clebar brain.

Colli crefydd, colli enaid,
Colli ffydd yr hen wroniaid;
Colli popeth glân a thelaid
Ac yn eu lle cael baw a llaid.

Colli tir a cholli tyddyn,
Colli Elan a Thryweryn;
Colli Claerwen a Llanwddyn
A'r wlad i gyd dan ddŵr llyn.

Cael yn ôl o borth marwolaeth
Gân a ffydd a bri yr heniaith;
Cael yn ôl yr hen dreftadaeth
A Chymru'n dechrau ar ei hymdaith.

(Lose your language, lose your pride, lose your inspiration, lose your poetry, lose the golden crown of friendship, and settle for cheap gibbering. Lose the beautiful old tunes, the intricate harp music, the echoing choirs, and settle for the cackle of jackdaws. Lose your beliefs, lose your soul, lose the faith that made champions, lose everything clean or decent, and settle for mud and slime. Lose the land and the smallholdings, lose Elan, Tryweryn, Claerwen, Llanwddyn - all those other countries under the reservoirs. Take back, from the jaws of death, the music, the faith, the joy of the old tongue; take back the history that belongs to you, and Wales has started on her way home).