The War-song of Dinas Vawr

The mountain sheep are sweeter,But the valley sheep are fatter;We therefore deemed it meeterTo carry off the latter.We made an expedition;We met a host, and quelled it;We forced a strong position,And killed the men who held it.On Dyfed's richest valley,Where herds of kine were browsing,We made a mighty sally,To furnish our carousing.Fierce warriors rushed to meet us;We met them, and o'erthrew them:They struggled hard to beat us;But we conquered them, and slew them.As we drove our prize at leisure,The king marched forth to catch us:His rage surpassed all measure,But his people could not match us.He fled to his hall-pillars;And, ere our force we led off,Some sacked his house and cellars,While others cut his head off.We there, in strife bewild'ring,Spilt blood enough to swim in:We orphaned many children,And widowed many women.The eagles and the ravensWe glutted with our foemen;The heroes and the cravens,The spearmen and the bowmen.We brought away from battle,And much their land bemoaned them,Two thousand head of cattle,And the head of him who owned them:Ednyfed, king of Dyfed,His head was borne before us;His wine and beasts supplied our feasts,And his overthrow, our chorus.