2025 Day 302

 2025 Dedh Trei Hans ha Dew

De Merher, nawes warn ügens mis Hedra
Wednesday, 29th October

Green Cornwall

Pandr'ew an cottha ger e'n tavas Kernôwek?

What is the oldest word in the Cornish language? 

‘Glas’ must be a contender. Perhaps you have been to Newquay’s LUSTY GLAZE Beach, (Lostyn Glas) ‘a little green tail of land’. It is one of several places with ‘glaze’ or ‘glas’ in their name. On land this means the ‘green’ of plants. PENTIREGLAZE or PENTIRE GLAZE (Pentir Glas), whether it is part of a scenic walk or an old silver-lead mine, is a ‘green promontory’. The oldest names include ELLENGLAZE (Elin Glas), Elynglas in 1302, meaning ‘green Elin’. Elin is thought to be a stream name meaning ‘bend’. CANAGLAZE (Carn Glas), Caringlaze in 1671, is a ‘green tor’. Another green/grey tor (Carn Glas) is CARNCLAZE.
When applied to the sea, or other bodies of water, it can also mean ‘blue/grey’. Clay Country gives us ‘green/blue pool’, e.g. among others POLGLAZE (St Austell) Polglas in 1296, and POLGLAZE (Fowey) Polglas in 1386.
“Glaze” tells us the pronunciation of ‘glas’ at the end of a name or on its own. But at the beginning it is shorter. Site of the important mediaeval college, GLASNEY (Glasneth), Glasneyth in 1291, means ‘verdure, greenery, vegetation’. GLASDON (Glasen), Glazon in 1748, means ‘greensward’.
Examples after mutation (loss of g) include ‘green downs’ GOONLAZE (St Agnes) Goonlas in 1720, a ‘tall, green one’ HYRLAS ROCK (Hirlas), ‘green marsh’ HALLALAZE (Hallas), Halelase in 1503. Is ‘green barrow’ CARCLAZE (Cruglas), Cruklas in 1500, a Bronze Age echo? Some place names also continue as famous surnames, even when the original meaning is forgotten, e.g. ‘green hummock’ BORLASE Borlas in 1290.

 

Glas ew an mor hedhyw.
That means “Today the sea is blue”.
Not the bright acrylic blues
Some postcard-buyers and painters choose,
But inky blue, Quinky blue.
Dip-your-pen-in writers’ blue.

Glas ew an mor hedhyw.
Again, “Today the sea is blue.”
Not aquamarine or turquoise blue,
Or David Hockney swimming pool blue,
But something more of a subtle hue.
Blue and grey and greeny, too.

Ma cabmdhavas reb an mor.
A shattered rainbow is on the shore.
The wind is whisking a mist of spray,
Catching the late sun’s slanting ray,
And the sea behind is dark as night,
Enhancing the spectrum of scattered light. 

Glas o an mor de.
Yesterday the sea was grey.
Not wishy washy ashy grey,
But Little Grey Rabbit furry grey,
With a white under-belly hiding away
On the edge of the sand in Perran Bay.

Hedhyw, tho an mor brithys gen glas.
Today, the sea was striped with greys.
Like a faded badger, not quite black and white,
With its head and tail hidden from sight,
Light by the sky and darker near me.
I was waiting for “brogh” to rise from the sea.

Na ellama gweles an mor hedhyw.
I can’t see the sea, hidden from view,
By low clouds dropping a veil of hail,
Obscuring horizon and shore-line as well.
And the tide is in, so I cannot see
Where the edge of the sea should be.
 
Leun a liw o an mor hedhyw.
The rain had rinsed the sky right through
And all the colour had washed into the sea.
White above and black beneath
With streaks of purple and brown, to show
Where the sandbanks were down below.
 
Tho glas an vorr ow mos dhe’n mor.
The road was wet from the night before
Reflecting blue sky in patches of rain.
I must go down to the sea again.
The sea was grey and the road was too,
But at least the road had patches of blue
 
En mettin ma my eth dhe’n treth.
I went to the beach, and caught my breath,
For the sea’d been rough at the last high tide
And the pools in the sand spread far and wide,
Reflecting the sky and clouds above –
Halcyon blue and grey of dove.
 
Melyn ha glas ew an mor hedhyw.
Under the sea it’s no longer blue.
Under the sea it’s a different scene,
No longer blue, just yellowy-green.
Sand and alga and filtered out red,
It’s a world of green down by the sea bed.
 
Glas o an mor hedhyw.
I took my paints but couldn’t choose
The perfect shade from all my range.
Each time I looked there was a change.
Blue-grey-green, depends on whether
I’m out in dull or sunny weather.