David Jones : Beird byt barnant

Jones, David, 1895-1974

David Jones

<p style='text-align: justify;'><p>The inscription reads, “BEIRD BYT BARNANT the bards of the world assess WYR O GALLON the men of valour: but SUPER SELLAM JUDICIS NON SEDEBUNT (on the judge’s seat they shall not sit) SED CREATURAM AEVI CONFIRMABUNT (yet with the creation of the everlasting ages they collaborate) ET DEPRECATIO ILLORUM IN OPERATIONE ARTIS (and their prayer is in the operation of their art) and without these non aedificatur civitas. The interlinear literal translation of the first line in Welsh is unusual in Jones’ inscriptions. Lines 1 and 3 (in Welsh) are from Y Gododdin, spelt according to the Middle Welsh of the manuscript. DJ’s source would have been CA XXIVA in <i>Canu Aneirin</i> ed. Ifor Williams, 1938. The Modern Welsh equivalent would be: <i>Beirdd byd barnant ŵr o galon</i>. Note that David Jones’ δ represents <i>dd</i>. David Jones has changed singular <i>ŵr</i> to plural <i>wyr</i> ‘men’. The original stanza in <i>Canu Aneirin</i> is in praise of an individual warrior, Buddfan fab Bleiddfan . These references and the Latin translation are from Jones’ notes on the back of the inscription Ecclesiasticus 38: 38, 39, 36, where he also gives translations from King James, Douay and Knox versions.</p><p>According to Nicolete Gray, this inscription was used and most probably made as a frontispiece for <i>Epoch and Artist</i>.</p><p>Included in Nicolete Gray, <i>The Painted inscriptions of David Jones</i>, London: Gordon Fraser, 1981, catalogue 47.</p></p>