Introduction
The name Cambria has deep roots. It comes from the Latinised form of Cymry, the word the Welsh people use for themselves, meaning “fellow countrymen.” Roman writers referred to the land as Cambria, and later poets and historians kept the name alive in verse and legend. From the Renaissance to the Romantic era, Cambria became a proud and poetic word for Wales. It even gave its name to the Cambrian Mountains and the Cambrian Period in geology, first defined by rocks studied here.
Cambria in Literature
Michael Drayton’s Poly-Olbion, first published in 1612, portrays the landscapes of Britain as living voices. In Song 9 he turns to Wales, which he calls Cambria, and celebrates its mountains, rivers, and bardic spirit.
Mountains
Original 1612
Cambria’s mighty hills, that rise on either side,
With lofty tops do pierce the azure sky,
Whose craggy cliffs, with snow for aye are clad,
Like aged things, with frosty hair o’ergrown;
Whose mossy rocks the roaring streams divide,
And down their steepy falls do tumble fast;
Whose valleys deep, and forests spreading wide,
With floods and fountains interlaced are cast;
Whose caves and cells, where shepherds oft abide,
With echoes shrill the sounding air do blast.
Modern paraphrase
The great hills of Cambria rise on every side and their high peaks reach the blue sky. Rugged cliffs are clothed in snow like elders crowned with white hair. Mossy rocks are split by roaring streams that fall quickly through steep ravines. Deep valleys and wide forests are woven together with rivers and springs, and caves where shepherds shelter echo with sharp sounds.
Rivers
Original 1612
And as the Cambrian cliffs by nature stand,
So do the Cambrian streams enrich the land;
Clear Dee, from Snowdon’s sacred hill that springs,
And Severn, stately queen of Cambrian kings;
Wye, that in wild meanders winds her way,
And Conway, crown’d with castles in array;
And Tivy swift, that to the seas doth run,
With many a flood that Wales doth wait upon,
Which with their silver arms her bosom bind,
And leave a lasting monument behind.
Modern paraphrase
The cliffs give Cambria strength and the rivers enrich the land. The clear River Dee rises on Snowdon. The Severn moves with stately grace. The Wye winds in wild curves. The Conway wears its crowns of castles. The swift Tivy runs to the sea. Many other streams bind the country like silver arms and they leave a lasting mark upon the land.
Bards
Original 1612
O noble Cambria! of thy bards I sing,
Whose lofty verse made Britain’s valleys ring;
The harp, thy ancient emblem, still shall sound,
And through thy hills the voice of fame rebound.
Thy poets, full of fire, with furious rage,
Recorded deeds of many a former age;
And with their lofty numbers, did inflame
The noblest spirits to eternal fame.
So long as Cambrian mountains shall remain,
Thy harp and song shall never know disdain.
Modern paraphrase
O noble Cambria, I sing of your bards whose high verse filled Britain’s valleys with sound. The harp, your ancient emblem, will continue to play and fame will echo through your hills. Your poets recorded the deeds of earlier ages and their ardent verse inspired noble spirits to glory. While the mountains of Cambria stand, the harp and song will not be forgotten.