One thing I love about Kate Rusby is that she does so much without the drama and dazzle of Celtic Woman or similar recordings and shows. Deceptively simple but always moving. I can listen to her for hours on end. Beautiful, wistful, sensitive, beautiful background accompaniment. A wonderfully haunting atmosphere.
I read this as someone stating that regardless of how worthless they see themselves, the smile of the Maid of Llanwellyn reminds them that they're still worth something and have something to live for.
Lovely song, but . . . I can count 9 or so of her best songs. With her it is often whatever song of hers you are listening to at the moment is her best.
Llanwellyn is a name of a village because in Welsh culture "Llan" indicates that a saint died there and a church and hence parish was established there. The second part indicates the name of the saint. So this saint was called Wellyn.
@@imamba1 LL? Put your tongue up to the roof of your mouth, then blow around it. That will get you close enough. Llan by the way is NOTHING to do with saints. Its an old word, predates even Welsh. In old Brythonic it meant enclosure, usually a fenced enclosure such as a field or animal pen. In Welsh it was later used more to refer to enclosed sacred land, particularly a churchyard. Wellyn is a bit more difficult, could not give you a definitive answer there. There is a good chance it was literally made up, Llan is a fairly common component of Welsh place names, but I have no idea what Wellyn could be. The actual songwriter knew nothing about Wales, and the man who commissioned the song was a Scot, who by all accounts had never been there. So the fact it may be made up would not surprise me...
The Maid of Llanwellyn Joanna Baillie (1762-1851) I ’VE no sheep on the mountain, nor boat on the lake, Nor coin in my coffer to keep me awake, Nor corn in my garner, nor fruit on my tree,- Yet the maid of Llanwellyn smiles sweetly on me. Soft tapping, at eve, to her window I came, 5 And loud bayed the watch-dog, loud scolded the dame; For shame, silly Lightfoot; what is it to thee, Though the maid of Llanwellyn smiles sweetly on me? Rich Owen will tell you, with eyes full of scorn, Threadbare is my coat, and my hosen are torn: 10 Scoff on, my rich Owen, for faint is thy glee When the maid of Llanwellyn smiles sweetly on me. The farmer rides proudly to market or fair; The clerk, at the alehouse, still claims the great chair; But of all our proud fellows, the proudest I ’ll be, 15 While the maid of Llanwellyn smiles sweetly on me. For blithe as the urchin at holiday play, And meek as the matron in mantle of gray, And trim as the lady of gentle degree, Is the maid of Llanwellyn who smiles upon me.
Person dressed in rags with three chickens and no food or money or anything else imagines life is great because a woman smiles at him! Baldrick? Seriously, as ever a joy to listen to!
I do not quite understand the song, but I suppose that the maid of Llanwellyn was a saint looking down on human folly. But anyway I love the long drawn out background, It sounds to me to be accordion, violin and brass instruments? It has a sort of sighing, melancholy mood that matches my own sense of life. So it is one of my favorites, even if I do not quite understand.
One of the nice things about listening to a Kate Rusby track is that you can read the comments without fearing that you're going to be turned even further off the human race by a bunch of pea-brained, angry bigots who have trouble spelling a three letter word but insist on putting ten exclamation marks at the end of every hate-filled statement. That was a long sentence, wasn't it?
No. Its a love song ffs. Its about a young maid in a fictional Welsh village saying that she does not care that the man she loves is poor. Why the hell does it have to be about a Goddess? Its a pretend Welsh song commissioned by someone who wanted in on the early folk scene, Celtic music was being rediscovered at that time, the music was written by I believe an Austrian, who likely had never even heard of Wales let alone heard any Welsh music, with lyrics written by a woman whose only knowledge of Wales was of the name and it was West of England.... Beautiful song, but its about as Welsh as the Kangaroo...
Why? Its a beautiful song, but its about as Welsh as the Kangaroo. Which is to say it is not. Music was written by an Austrian or Swiss composer iirc, who likely had never heard of Wales let alone heard any actual Welsh music, and the Lyrics were written by a woman who similarly knew nothing about the country bar its name. Hell the name is made up, Llan is common enough in Welsh place names (means enclosure), but I cannot place Wellyn for the life of me and I speak Welsh.... It honestly sounds like the second part of the name is literally made up to 'sound' Welsh.... If you want a real Welsh love song, Dacw nghariad is a good start, or go for what we Welsh consider the best love song ever put to voice, Mafanwy. Much as I adore Kate, I somehow cannot imagine her singing in Welsh!!!
nice song i must say. I do so enjoy it. And I do so love Kate, But I do wish she could pronounce Llanwellyn correctly!!! Oh well, it may sound strange if she did anyway. hehehehe greggo
She would probably have thought that it best saying it as she did, (not faithfully) for that is how most of us not familiar with a Gaelic tongue, would say it.
Its not a real Welsh song. Music is by an Austrian or Swiss composer iirc, guy likely had never heard of Wales, let alone heard any Welsh music, and the lyrics were written by a woman whose knowledge of Wales was its a hilly place with lots of sheep... and thats about it. Dacw nghariad or Mafanwy are more Cerys's style I think. Maid of Llanwellyn is a beautiful song but its as Welsh as a Kangaroo....
I think it is Lan-well-in If it is like Irish, then there are lots of silent letters and it is much simpler than it looks. But someone from Wales would have the last word, if they speak Welsh. I suppose the ll indicates a Welsh word. What do others say?
Or perhaps Lawn-well-in, just from the recording. I wondered about the pronunciation too. And I also asked myself who is the Maid of Llanwellyn? A local saint I suppose.
How to pronounce "LL" in Welsh: it's like two sounds glued together. The first part is like saying (lightly - don't force it!) the "CH" of "Bach" or Scottish "Loch" but pronounced further forward in your mouth with your tongue touching your palate just above your teeth. For the second part you say a normal "L" sound. You run these two sounds into each other. So, this would be pronounced Chlahnwechllin (but remember, it's a "lighter" ch than the Scottish one, and pronounced in the mouth not the throat). Non-Celts will probably make a hash of this and say Klanweklin - close, but no coconut! Kate just about gets the "Llan" part right, but sings an English "well" in the second part. She does sing it beautifully though (even if mispronounced).
When she sings this with the poozies it sounds terrible. Not Kate I mean the way they were playing their instruments was horrible, Kate was absolutely fine I could never hate Kate's singing, never. This version sounds way more beautiful and harmonious.
haha concertinas are a pain to listen to unless they blend =) look up Sweet Comeraghs by Karan Casey it sounds better and very well blended with the rest of the instruments =D
Not really. The "LL" sound in Welsh is an unvoiced L. It is to L as S is to Z, F is to V and T is to D. There is no analog of the sound in English but it appears in a few other languages. I believe Icelandic is one. She does seem to be attempting it, but struggling a bit.
I am a linguist, kind of a grammar and pronunciation fanatic and I love the Welsh language, so normally something like this vexes me a lot. However, I think it strangely fits the song here. I think it would be strange if she really pronounced it like Llangwellyn and not like Langwelyn or Llangwelyn.
Actually she's doing it much better than every other rendition you find on the internet. She fudges it a bit in the first half of the song but in the later sections I can clearly hear her attempting the initial voiceless L. This is tricky for anyone not brought up in the language. She's friendly with Martyn Joseph so she probably had a bit of coaching from him
It was only in the 20th Century that the gender of the singer of a song became an issue. In the folk tradition, it is the SONG/MESSAGE that matters more than the SINGER/MESSENGER. A singer chooses a song for its story or melody, regardless of the sex of voice for which it was written. Actually, it's not unusual for traditional songs to have lines or verses sung in first person by both male and female characters. Often, the voice of a narrator is thrown into the mix, too. It can be very confusing; another reason why the best of the old songs bear careful study and consideration.
One thing I love about Kate Rusby is that she does so much without the drama and dazzle of Celtic Woman or similar recordings and shows. Deceptively simple but always moving. I can listen to her for hours on end. Beautiful, wistful, sensitive, beautiful background accompaniment. A wonderfully haunting atmosphere.
Celtic Women is an abomination imo. Commercialized rubbish
I have been fortunate to see Kate and Celtic Woman several times and enjoy them both.
Well said, beautiful songs sung with a natural beautiful voice.
I read this as someone stating that regardless of how worthless they see themselves, the smile of the Maid of Llanwellyn reminds them that they're still worth something and have something to live for.
Lovely song, but . . . I can count 9 or so of her best songs. With her it is often whatever song of hers you are listening to at the moment is her best.
It's been taken down now, but her & Kate Catrell back stage at CFF was quite OK
The pictures of the Lady of Shallot tore my heart in pieces...I love the poem..
Llanwellyn is a name of a village because in Welsh culture "Llan" indicates that a saint died there and a church and hence parish was established there. The second part indicates the name of the saint. So this saint was called Wellyn.
Thanks for the explanation. How do you pronounce that?
@@imamba1 I failed Welsh language in school but it's kinda chlan
@@imamba1 LL? Put your tongue up to the roof of your mouth, then blow around it. That will get you close enough.
Llan by the way is NOTHING to do with saints. Its an old word, predates even Welsh. In old Brythonic it meant enclosure, usually a fenced enclosure such as a field or animal pen. In Welsh it was later used more to refer to enclosed sacred land, particularly a churchyard.
Wellyn is a bit more difficult, could not give you a definitive answer there. There is a good chance it was literally made up, Llan is a fairly common component of Welsh place names, but I have no idea what Wellyn could be.
The actual songwriter knew nothing about Wales, and the man who commissioned the song was a Scot, who by all accounts had never been there. So the fact it may be made up would not surprise me...
Just love Kate's wonderful voice and her diction. Keep singing Kate. January, 2023.
So beautiful, I just can't stop listening to it.
Outrageously special from Mrs Rusby as per.. :)
Kate has a voice that stirs the emotions. Just beautiful...
I dont know how i missed this, got pretty much every other song shes ever done, wonderful.
what a beautiful arangement by one of my favorite singers!!!!!
One of Kate's finest, don't go away
The Maid of Llanwellyn
Joanna Baillie (1762-1851)
I ’VE no sheep on the mountain, nor boat on the lake,
Nor coin in my coffer to keep me awake,
Nor corn in my garner, nor fruit on my tree,-
Yet the maid of Llanwellyn smiles sweetly on me.
Soft tapping, at eve, to her window I came, 5
And loud bayed the watch-dog, loud scolded the dame;
For shame, silly Lightfoot; what is it to thee,
Though the maid of Llanwellyn smiles sweetly on me?
Rich Owen will tell you, with eyes full of scorn,
Threadbare is my coat, and my hosen are torn: 10
Scoff on, my rich Owen, for faint is thy glee
When the maid of Llanwellyn smiles sweetly on me.
The farmer rides proudly to market or fair;
The clerk, at the alehouse, still claims the great chair;
But of all our proud fellows, the proudest I ’ll be, 15
While the maid of Llanwellyn smiles sweetly on me.
For blithe as the urchin at holiday play,
And meek as the matron in mantle of gray,
And trim as the lady of gentle degree,
Is the maid of Llanwellyn who smiles upon me.
and she added a chorus. Not needed.
How beautiful, so touching
Just beautiful. Kate always bring tears to me...
Possibly Kate's best song ever. The Waterhouse paintings are a wonderful touch.
One word for this track.''Magic''.
nice song and I love the pictures of the maidens
Let's hear it for Wales!
They wouldn't be afraid to pronounce it! (a lovely song anyway)
My goodness do I love her voice! I could sit and listen to her for hours! I sure hope she comes to the states soon. I would love to see her live
I love this song! I could never get it though because I could never find it online or in mp3 form. Glad you put it up so I could finally listen to it!
Person dressed in rags with three chickens and no food or money or anything else imagines life is great because a woman smiles at him!
Baldrick?
Seriously, as ever a joy to listen to!
"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time."
Agreed my friend...
Marvelous, Thank you for putting it up.
Really wonderful...
love this
a voice of silk.
You pick which songs you'd fall in love with....well, this one's for me.
I love that font, what is it? The PRB paintings are lovely too. Kate as always transcends everything.
This is great :)
wow kate u are amazinggggggg
I do not quite understand the song, but I suppose that the maid of Llanwellyn was a saint looking down on human folly. But anyway I love the long drawn out background, It sounds to me to be accordion, violin and brass instruments? It has a sort of sighing, melancholy mood that matches my own sense of life. So it is one of my favorites, even if I do not quite understand.
Actually, it's just about the local poor kid being fancied by the village beauty and exalting in the fact that the bigwigs aren't getting a look in.
One of the nice things about listening to a Kate Rusby track is that you can read the comments without fearing that you're going to be turned even further off the human race by a bunch of pea-brained, angry bigots who have trouble spelling a three letter word but insist on putting ten exclamation marks at the end of every hate-filled statement.
That was a long sentence, wasn't it?
agree! :)
@@cassiehewitt5666 You do? That's rare. Thanks. There's a dog in my village called Cassie, and even she can't decide whether she likes me or not.
@@JJBushfan cringe.
What an unnecessary comment. This song deserves better.
@@MrGrumpyGills A comment doesn't have to be necessary, merely relevant.
lovely song, but who is the maid of llanwellyn? is she a welsh goddess?
No.
Its a love song ffs. Its about a young maid in a fictional Welsh village saying that she does not care that the man she loves is poor.
Why the hell does it have to be about a Goddess?
Its a pretend Welsh song commissioned by someone who wanted in on the early folk scene, Celtic music was being rediscovered at that time, the music was written by I believe an Austrian, who likely had never even heard of Wales let alone heard any Welsh music, with lyrics written by a woman whose only knowledge of Wales was of the name and it was West of England....
Beautiful song, but its about as Welsh as the Kangaroo...
Hen-mad, that Maid, totally mad for hens.
Lovely Geordie woman.
She's actually from South Yorkshire.
... that's why she's known as the Barnsley Nightingale.
who ? knobhead.
Is this hardingfele used?? wooowww
Artesyerrent What’s that?
Whoever thumbs downed this needs a punch on the noggin.
Why?
Its a beautiful song, but its about as Welsh as the Kangaroo. Which is to say it is not. Music was written by an Austrian or Swiss composer iirc, who likely had never heard of Wales let alone heard any actual Welsh music, and the Lyrics were written by a woman who similarly knew nothing about the country bar its name. Hell the name is made up, Llan is common enough in Welsh place names (means enclosure), but I cannot place Wellyn for the life of me and I speak Welsh.... It honestly sounds like the second part of the name is literally made up to 'sound' Welsh....
If you want a real Welsh love song, Dacw nghariad is a good start, or go for what we Welsh consider the best love song ever put to voice, Mafanwy.
Much as I adore Kate, I somehow cannot imagine her singing in Welsh!!!
nice song i must say. I do so enjoy it. And I do so love Kate, But I do wish she could pronounce Llanwellyn correctly!!! Oh well, it may sound strange if she did anyway. hehehehe
greggo
She would probably have thought that it best saying it as she did, (not faithfully) for that is how most of us not familiar with a Gaelic tongue, would say it.
@@peterday7820 Welsh is Brythonic, not Gaelic.... They are two entirely different branches of Celtic languages.
This is lovely although I think I still prefer the version she did with the Poozies.
castiel…
Kate Rusby's brilliant, but it would be nice to see Cerys Matthews sing this.
Its not a real Welsh song.
Music is by an Austrian or Swiss composer iirc, guy likely had never heard of Wales, let alone heard any Welsh music, and the lyrics were written by a woman whose knowledge of Wales was its a hilly place with lots of sheep... and thats about it.
Dacw nghariad or Mafanwy are more Cerys's style I think. Maid of Llanwellyn is a beautiful song but its as Welsh as a Kangaroo....
How are you supposed to pronounce Llanwellyn then?
See Jakob Lancaster, above.
I think it is Lan-well-in If it is like Irish, then there are lots of silent letters and it is much simpler than it looks. But someone from Wales would have the last word, if they speak Welsh. I suppose the ll indicates a Welsh word. What do others say?
Or perhaps Lawn-well-in, just from the recording. I wondered about the pronunciation too. And I also asked myself who is the Maid of Llanwellyn? A local saint I suppose.
How to pronounce "LL" in Welsh: it's like two sounds glued together.
The first part is like saying (lightly - don't force it!) the "CH" of "Bach" or Scottish "Loch" but pronounced further forward in your mouth with your tongue touching your palate just above your teeth.
For the second part you say a normal "L" sound. You run these two sounds into each other.
So, this would be pronounced Chlahnwechllin (but remember, it's a "lighter" ch than the Scottish one, and pronounced in the mouth not the throat).
Non-Celts will probably make a hash of this and say Klanweklin - close, but no coconut! Kate just about gets the "Llan" part right, but sings an English "well" in the second part. She does sing it beautifully though (even if mispronounced).
Hlanwehlyn
Is anyone else here from reading restless wanderer?
Yes!
@@sophiebennett2806 good taste 😌✨
When she sings this with the poozies it sounds terrible. Not Kate I mean the way they were playing their instruments was horrible, Kate was absolutely fine I could never hate Kate's singing, never. This version sounds way more beautiful and harmonious.
haha concertinas are a pain to listen to unless they blend =) look up Sweet Comeraghs by Karan Casey it sounds better and very well blended with the rest of the instruments =D
Shouldn't it be pronounced, 'Clanwellyn'?
Not really. The "LL" sound in Welsh is an unvoiced L. It is to L as S is to Z, F is to V and T is to D. There is no analog of the sound in English but it appears in a few other languages. I believe Icelandic is one. She does seem to be attempting it, but struggling a bit.
Is it not similar to the ll in Spanish?
No, it shouldn'l. It should be pronouncey "Ll" as per the Welsh phoneme.
Кто здесь после неприкаянного странника?❤
**SCREAMS INTO OUTER SPACE FROM THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN** SHES SINGING ABOUT A GIRL YOURE WELCOME
A bit disappointed to learn this was written by a Scottish woman instead of a Welsh one.
MrAcarine I know 🙁😔
Only hands I have by me, they are one, two, and three. Not hens....................................................................
sounds like hens to me. That would make sence in the context of the song.
So does having nothing but your time/company to offer.
Jeremy Jansen why would he have 3 hands?
Short hand, long hand, second hand.
Jeremy Jansen Still think that would be too far fetched to say he has only himself to offer
Just for the record she's pronouncing Llanwellyn wrong 😯
I am a linguist, kind of a grammar and pronunciation fanatic and I love the Welsh language, so normally something like this vexes me a lot. However, I think it strangely fits the song here. I think it would be strange if she really pronounced it like Llangwellyn and not like Langwelyn or Llangwelyn.
Actually she's doing it much better than every other rendition you find on the internet. She fudges it a bit in the first half of the song but in the later sections I can clearly hear her attempting the initial voiceless L. This is tricky for anyone not brought up in the language. She's friendly with Martyn Joseph so she probably had a bit of coaching from him
Lovely singing, but it would be nice if she'd learnt to pronounce "Llanwellyn" correctly before recording the song.
"tlanwetlin"
Hlanwehlyn is correct. Lord knows where you got "TL" from
I doubt the 19th century author of these verses imagined them being sung by a woman to a woman, but you never know.
It was only in the 20th Century that the gender of the singer of a song became an issue. In the folk tradition, it is the SONG/MESSAGE that matters more than the SINGER/MESSENGER. A singer chooses a song for its story or melody, regardless of the sex of voice for which it was written. Actually, it's not unusual for traditional songs to have lines or verses sung in first person by both male and female characters. Often, the voice of a narrator is thrown into the mix, too. It can be very confusing; another reason why the best of the old songs bear careful study and consideration.
this is noisy :S
Nigga I could have done better no joke
Uh...did you post this on the wrong video?
The lyrics are a poem by Scottish poet Joanna Baillie.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_Baillie