A Year of Late Cornish

  2026 Dedh Deg ha Trei Ügens De Merher, üdnegves mis Meurh Wednesday, 11th March Otta nebes gwersyow scrifys gen Kernow, Edward Chirgwin, en mil whegh cans pajar ugens ha nawnjek. Henwys "Delkiow Seve" ens.  Hedhyw thera vy ow pedery adro dhe'n delkyow sevy.  My a wra mires orth üdn linen -  Rag delkyow sevy a wra mowesy teg.    Rag fra a venja an vos mos dhe'n venten rag delkyow sevy? Ew hodna an gwelha telher dhe guntel delkyow sevy fytty? Fatel alja delkyow sevy gwil mowesy teg? A vedh anjei da rag an yehes? Fatel alja mosy gwil devnydh a dhelkyow sevy? Üjy an vos ma orth aga debry, aga eva po aga gòrra war hy bejeth? Delkyow sevy ew devnydhyow aswonys da en fysek an bobel. Leun en jei a vitaminow, mònyow ha lies moy.  Te delkyow sevy ew vas rag an dyjestyon ha'n grohen. Oyl po cor gwenen gen delkyow sevy ew vas war guriegy. Here are some verses written by a Cornishman, Edward Chirgwin, in 1698. They are called "Strawberry Leaves". Today I am think...

  2026 Dedh Trei Ügens ha Naw De Meurh, degves mis Meurh Tuesday, 10th March Seythen-ma nanj ew deg bledhen my a welas kensa tycky-Duw an vledhen. Ev a gòscas dres an gwav, ha'n howl a'n difünas. Nag eus tycky-Duwes whath e'n vledhen ma. Solabres ma flourys lowr. Otta hokles, primula ha sevy. Nag o an gwav euthyk yeyn, saw pur wenjek ha pur, pur leb o ev. Nag eus gwenen whath naneyl. A wrüg anjei dürya po a veu anjei beudhys?   Ten years ago this week I saw the first butterfly of the year. It slept through the winter, and the sun woke it up. There are no butterflies yet this year. There are already plenty of flowers. Here are hawkweed, primula and wild strawberry. The winter wasn't terribly cold, but it was very windy and very, very wet. There aren't any bees yet either. Did they survive or were they drowned? 

2026 Dedh Trei Ügens hag Eth De Lün, nawes mis Meurh Monday, 9th March E'n vledhen mil whegh cans pajar ügens hag etek Capten Noel Carter dhort Breanek a scrifas dysmyk ow tòchya peskecha. En a'n lavaras dhe Thomas Tonkin. Pehen ew an pesk? Naw lost? Nag ew hedna pesk gwir, theram ow pedery. Martesen eth esel po eth bregh ha pedn. Terweythyow tüs an puskes a gachas padelenken, stifek po collel lesa et aga roos emesk aga hern. In the year 1698 Captain Noel Carter of St Agnes wrote a riddle about fishing. He told it to Thomas Tonkin. What was the fish like? Nine tails? That is not a true fish, I think. Perhaps eight members (tentacles) or eight arms and a head. Sometimes fishermen caught a cuttlefish, or a squid or an octopus in their net among their pilchards. Otta an rim en spellyans arnowydh, gen treylyans. Here's the rhyme in modern spelling, with a translation. Ha my ow mos en goon las, As I was going in the 'blue down'  (poetic for the sea), My a glowas tros an ...

2026 Dedh Trei Ügens ha Seyth De Sül, ethves mis Meurh Sunday, 8th March Ow whei parrys rag descans story moy? Are you ready for another history lesson? Otta nebes geryow moy (radnow nebes gwersow) scrifys gen John Boson en mil seyth cans ha pemp. Here are some more words (parts of several verses) written by John Boson in 1705, "Kawall ha Try Cans Hern" = a basket and 300 pilchards "gweel Barcadoes en Kenifer Choy" = to make 'bulks' in each building (barcada is Portuguese for as much as a ship can carry, i.e. a boat-load) "Holan moy" = more salt "Salles da, idden Mees worbar" = well salted, one month together " Squatcha man " =  break up " Goula glaneth en dour sal " =  wash clean in salty water (sea water) " en Ballier, Pedden ha Teen " = in a barrel, head to tail " Minow pemp canz pooz " = 5 hundredweight rocks " hanter mees " = half a month, a fortnight " saim vedn cotha " ...

A Year of Late Cornish 2026 Dedh Trei Ügens ha Whegh De Sadorn, seythves mis Meurh Saturday, 7th March John Boson, Kernow genys en Pluw Powl e'n vledhen mil whegh cans dogens ha pemdhek, o mab Nicholas Boson. Ev a dhescas an tavas Kernôwek dhort y sira - hag ev a dhescas William Gwavas y hònan. E'n vledhen y genesegeth nag era metêrn. Metêrn Charles a veu dibednys ha thera Oliver Cromwell ha Puritans ow routya. Termyn calish o rag an Eglos  Catholik ha'n Eglos Anglican. Degedhow o nekevys. Wòja nebes bledhydnyow meternow ha meternesow a veu dewhelys. Rag fra o hedna dhe les dhe'n düs Kernow? Otta Metêrnes Anne en seytek cans ha dew! Deg bledhen yonca o hei avel John Boson. Thera whans dhedhy a scodhya Eglos Pow an Sowson - gen mòna dhort degedhow - henwys "Dadder Metêrnes Anne". Nag o hedna meurgerys gen tiogow ha tüs an puskes.  En "Reem an Parra Hern" ma John Boson ow scrifa:  "Tees Por Dega dega Creea" (ma tüs an porth ow creia 'dega...

  2026 Dedh Trei Ügens ha Pemp   De Gwener, wheffes mis Meurh Friday, 6th March Pur wenjek o an nos, ha lebmyn ma lies lôst on war an glesin. A vedh lies knofen goll e'n kidnyadh? Da ew genam know coll saw, dres lycklod, anjei a vedh debrys gen gwyweres. Na ellam gweles an flourys benow rüdh war an wedhen, re vian ens. Gwell ew genam mires orth ow brially war an mena. Nag ew pup tra teg. Shyndys  'veu ow crow gen oll an hager awel ha nebes taclow ew gossenys. Lies tra ew gleb ha pyndy.    The night was very windy, and now there are many catkins (lambs tails) on the lawn. Will there be lots of hazelnuts in the autumn? I like hazelnuts but, probably, they will be eaten by squirrels. I can't see the red female flowers on the tree, they're too small. I prefer to look at my primroses on the hillside. Not everything is beautiful. My shed was damaged by all the bad weather and some things have gone rusty. A lot of things are wet and mouldy. Gerva rag hedhyw  Vocab...