Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau of my fathers is dear to me,<br> Land of bards and singers, famous men of renown;<br> Her brave warriors, very splendid patriots,<br> For freedom shed their blood. Old mountainous Wales, paradise of the bard,<br> Every valley, every cliff, to my look is beautiful.<br> Through patriotic feeling, so charming is the murmur<br> Of her brooks, rivers, to me. If the enemy oppresses my land under his foot, <br> The old language of the Welsh is as alive as ever.<br> The muse is not hindered by the hideous hand of treason,<br> Nor [is] the melodious harp of my country. "Other translations include:"
James James Welsh versifier who wrote under the pen-name of "leuan ab lago", moved with his family to Pontypridd, where he carried on the business of weaver and wool merchant, in about 1844. His son James assisted him in the business. James James composed the melody which was later to be known as "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" in January 1856. Its initial title was "Glan Rhondda" (The banks of the Rhondda), giving rise to the tradition that the tune had come to James as he walked on the bank of the River Rhondda. His father, Evan James, wrote the lyrics that eventually