Mae Patrick yn dysgu Cymraeg ers pum mlynedd erbyn hyn. Yma, mae’n cyflwyno ei darn ‘Pontydd’, a ennillodd y tlws Dysgwr Rhyddiaith yn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2016 Y Fenni, ac mae e’n rhannu ei brofiad o’r proses.
Patrick has been learning Welsh for five years. Here, he presents his piece ‘Bridges’, which won the Learners’ Prose title in the 2016 National Eisteddfod Abergavenny, and shares his experience of the process.
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| Mae ‘mhrofiad i’n dysgu Cymraeg yn oedolyn wedi bod yn daith fendigedig. Wi’n teimlo’n gryf iawn taw iaith hynafol a modern fel ei gilydd yw’r Gymraeg, ac iaith sy’n gymhwysol ac yn swynol ar yr un pryd. O’m rhan i, mae hi wedi agor drws i mewn i fyd newydd, ac yn ogystal, i ail fywyd – wi eisioes yn mwynhau’r daith gymdeithasol, ddiwylliannol, a chreadigol, yn fawr iawn! Gobeithio modi’n gallu annog pobl eraill i ddysgu, defnyddio, a mwynhau’r iaith! | My experience learning Welsh as an adult has been an amazing journey. I feel very strongly that Welsh is a language that’s equally ancient and modern, and a language that’s practical and magical at the same time. For my part, it’s opened a door for me into a new world, and, also, into a second life – I’m already enjoying the social, cultural, and creative journey immensely! I hope I can encourage other people to learn, use, and enjoy the language! |
| A bod yn onest, wi wrth ‘yn modd ond yn ostyngedig hefyd, o achos yr anrhydedd mawr hwn yn yr Eisteddfod, rwy wedi ei dderbyn ar ôl pedair blynedd o ddysgu. Mae’r holl beth wedi digwydd o ganlyniad i’r tiwtoriadid, ac i’r cyrsiau wedi’u darparu gan Academi Hywel Teifi ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe. Licwn i ddiolch i ‘nheulu, ‘yn ffrindiau, ‘y nhiwtoriaid yn Nhŷ Tawe (Mari Edwards, Lowri Gwenllian, Manon Eames, Robin Campbell, ac Angharad Rowe) am eu cymorth, ac i’r dysgwyr eraill am eu cefnogaeth. Bois bach – mae dosbarthiadau wastad yn llawn hwyl! Diolch o’r galon i’r rhain i gyd – hebddyn nhw, fyddwn i ddim yn sgwennu hyn heddi’! | To be honest, I was overjoyed but humbled too, on account of this great honour in the Eisteddfod, that I received after four years of learning. The whole thing has happened thanks to the tutors, and to the courses, offered by Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University. I’d like to thank my family, my friends, my tutors in Tŷ Tawe (Mari Edwards, Lowri Gwenllian, Manon Eames, Robin Campbell, ac Angharad Rowe) for their help, and the other learners for their support. O boy – the classes are always good for a laugh! Heartfelt thanks to all of these people – without them, I wouldn’t be writing this today! |
| Yn gynta’, ges i lythyr gan Bwyllgor yr Eisteddfod yn dweud wrtha i mod i wedi ennill, ac yn ‘ngwahodd i i’r seremoni ym Maes D yn y Brifwyl yn y Fenni fis Awst – ond, roedd rhaid imi gadw’r ‘gyfrinach fawr’. Yn ffodus, roedd y dosbarthiadau wedi dod i ben dros yr haf, a doedd bod yn ddistaw ddim yn rhy anodd o achos hyn! Es i fore’r cyflwyniad ar y trên – roedd hi’n llawn dop ac roedd sawl ffrind yno ond ddwedais i ddim byd o gwbl. Roedd sgwrsio â grŵp o Gymry Cymraeg, yn Gymraeg, yn brofiad ardderchog! | At first, I got a letter from the Eisteddfod Committee, telling me that I’d won, and inviting me to the ceremony in Maes D in the Eisteddfod in Abergavenny in August – but, I had to keep the ‘big secret’. Fortunately, the classes had finished for the summer, and keeping schtum wasn’t too difficult because of that! I went on the train the morning of the presentation – it was packed full, and there were several of my friends there, but I said nothing at all. Talking to a group of first-language Welsh-speakers, in Welsh, was a wonderful experience! |
| ‘Nes i gyrraedd Maes D mewn pryd, ac wedyn roedd rhaid inni i gyd aros tra oedd yr Archdderwydd yn rhoi croeso i bawb; ar ôl hyn, roedd y beirniaid yn siarad am bob cystadleuaeth yn ei thro, cyn i’r cyflwynydd gyhoeddi ffugenw’r enillwyr. Wrth gwrs, doedd neb yn nabod pwy oedd biau’r ffugenwau am gyffrous! Pan ddaeth amser ‘Tlws Rhyddiaith y Dysgwyr’ fe glywon ni fy ffugenw i. Ar ôl munud o ddistawrwydd, codais i, a mynd at y llwyfan er mwyn derbyn y Tlws – darn bendigedig o wydr wedi toddi, a ddarperir gan Grŵp Siop Siarad Talybont-ar-Wysg. Diolch yn fawr iawn iddyn nhw! Erbyn hynny, roedd y dydd yn heulog a dwym, a ges i amser gwych ar y Maes – gan gario’r Tlws a’r dystysgrif! | I got to Maes D on time, and then we all had to wait while the Archdruid welcomed everyone; after this, the judges spoke about every competition in turn, before the presenter announced the competitors’ pennames. Of course, no one knew who the pen-names belonged to – really exciting! When the time for the ‘Learners’ Prose Trophy’ came, we heard my pen-name. After a minute of silence, I got up, and went to the stage to receive the Trophy – an amazing piece of fused glass, provided by the ‘Siop Siarad’ Group in Talybont. Many thanks indeed to them! By then the day was sunny and warm, and I had an excellent time on the Maes – carrying the Trophy and the certificate! |
Ges i lythyr gan Bwyllgor yr Eisteddfod yn dweud wrtha i mod i wedi ennill, ac yn ‘ngwahodd i i’r seremoni ym Maes D yn y Brifwyl yn y Fenni fis Awst – ond, roedd rhaid imi gadw’r ‘gyfrinach fawr’.
Pontydd / Bridges
| A fo ben bid bont! Mae’r ddaear gron wedi’i chwalu yn yr oes oleuedig hon. Y mae fel petai’r Brenin Matholwch wedi dinistrio’r pontydd i gyd, er mwyn gwarchod ei hun rhag cawr enfawr, crac. Peiriant toredig yw cymdeithas fodern, meddant ar raglenni materion cyfoes, ac mewn papurau newydd trwy’r wlad benbaladr. Erbyn hyn, mae hi’n gymdeithas lle y mae pawb, hen ac ifanc yn ddiwahân, yn ynysu, ac felly lle y maent wedi mynd yn ddifreintiedig; lle y mae crefyddau’n gwneud cleddyfau’n hytrach na sychau; a lle nad yw gwledydd yn cyfathrebu gyda’i gilydd. | Who would be a leader, let him be a bridge! The entire world lies broken asunder in these enlightened days. It is as if King Matholwch had destroyed all the bridges, in order to protect himself against an enormous, angry giant. A broken machine – that’s what modern society is – so they say on current affairs programmes, an in newspapers throughout the entire land. At this point in time, it is a society where everybody is isolated -- young and old alike – and so, one where they have become disenfranchised; where faiths make swords rather than ploughshares; and where lands do not communicate with each other. |
| Dymchwelir pob pont gymdeithasol yn y byd, ymddengys. Mewn gwirionedd, efallai nad yw’r peth o’r enw ‘cymdeithas’ yn bodoli yn y byd go iawn, yn ôl y ddiweddar Arglwyddes Thatcher, cyn-Brif Weinidog ac felly ‘pontiwr,’ a ddylai fod yn gwybod. Bydd hon yn fan erchyll i blant y dyfodol yn bendant – os bydd byd ar ôl o gwbl. | Every social bridge in the world has been overturned, it appears. In truth, perhaps the thing called ‘society’ does not exist in the real world, according to the late Lady Thatcher, former Prime Minister and thus ‘bridge-builder,’ who should have known. This will definitely be a frightful place for the children of the future – if there is any world left at all. |
| Ond y mae dwy ochr i bob pont. Mae Cymru’n enwedig yn wlad sydd yn llawn o bontydd. Ar draws wyneb y tir y maent, ac yng ngwaed y werin hefyd. Mae digonedd o enghreifftiau, o Bontardawe i Bontcysyllte. Ymhellach, mae pobl Cymru wastad wedi bod yn codi pontydd trosiadol, drwy hanes y wlad. | But there are two sides to every bridge. Wales in particular is a country which is full of bridges. Across the face of the land they stretch, and they are in the people’s blood, too. There are plentiful examples, from Pontardawe to Pontcysyllte. Furthermore, the people of Wales have always been building metaphorical bridges, throughout the history of the land. |
| A dechrau yn niwedd Cymru annibynnol, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf oedd tywysog a phontiwr hollbwysig ymhlith teyrnasoedd y genedl. Fe’i lladdwyd ym Mrwydr Pont Irfon; ac, wrth gwrs, achosodd y digwyddiad trychinebus hwn Gwymp Cymru, wrth rymuso pont filwrol, anorchfygol rhwng Lloegr a Chymru. | To start at the end of Wales’s independence, Llywelyn Our Last Leader was a prince and crucial bridge-builder amongst the kingdoms of the nation. He was killed at the Battle of Pont Irfon; and, of course, this calamitous event caused the Fall of Wales, while fortifying an insuperable, military bridge between England and Wales. |
| Pontiwr rhwng ‘iaith y nefoedd’ a chredinwyr yng Nghymru oedd yr Esgob William Morgan. Roedd ei gyfieithiad o’r Hen Destament yn hanfodol i’r Gymraeg. Defnyddiwyd y Beibl Cymraeg i ddysgu darllen ac ysgrifennu i bobl trwy Gymru. Ar ben hynny, mae’r iaith a ddefnyddir ym Meibl Cymraeg Morgan yn felysber, ac mae’r Beibl hwn yn cael ei garu, ei darllen a’i dysgu, hyd yn oed nawr. | Bishop William Morgan was a bridge-builder between the ‘language of heaven’ and believers in Wales. His translation of the Old Testament was essential to the Welsh language. The Welsh Bible was used to teach reading and writing to people throughout Wales. As well as that, the language used in Morgan’s Welsh Bible is melodious, and this Bible is loved, read, and studied, even today. |
| Fodd bynnag, pan ddigwyddodd Brad y Llyfrau Gleision, datganwyd (yn Saesneg) mai “anfantais enfawr i Gymru yw’r iaith Gymraeg.” Serch hynny, adeiladwyd pont ddiwylliannol rhwng Hen Fyd eu tadau, a’r Byd Newydd, gan Gymry ym Mhatagonia. Ffynnu hyd heddiw mae’r Wladfa Gymreig yno. | However, when the Treachery of the Blue Books occurred, it was declared (in English) that “the Welsh language is a vast drawback to Wales.” Despite that, a cultural bridge was built between the Old World of their fathers, and the New World, by Welsh-folk in Patagonia. Even today, the Welsh Colony flourishes there. |
| Ac yn gymharol ddiweddar, Aneurin Bevan a gododd bontydd rhwng pawb sydd yn byw yn y Deyrnas Unedig, a gofal iechyd rhad ac am ddim, pan sefydlwyd y Wladwriaeth Les ar ôl yr Ail Ryfel Byd. | And comparatively recently, it was Aneurin Bevan who built bridges between everyone who lives in the United Kingdom, and free healthcare, when the Welfare State was established after the Second World War. |
| Felly, gyfeillion, Cymry, a chydwladwyr: rhowch glust imi, wedi i chi ystyried yr holl dystiolaeth hon. Byddwch ben, bob un ohonoch, neu bontiwr, o leiaf: adeiladwch bontydd. Nid oes angen bod yn gawr, fel yr oedd Bendigeidfran; na gorwedd yn y môr; na bod yn ‘Pontifex Maximus’ ychwaith, fel yr oedd Archoffeiriad y Rhufeinwyr! Nid oes ond hyn, sef: gwnewch y pethau bychain cyn amled ag y gallwch; peidiwch ag edrych am ganiatâd! Gwrandewch ar leisiau pobl eraill; estynnwch eich dwylo i gynorthwyo ac amddiffyn, pan fydd yn ddichonadwy Dechreuwch drawsnewid ein byd: ac os bydd unrhyw broblemau, fe groeswch y pontydd hynny pan ddewch atynt! | So, friends, Welsh-people, compatriots: lend me your ears, after you have considered all this evidence. Be a bridge, every one of you, or a bridge-builder, at least: build bridges. There is no need to be a giant, as was Bendigeidfran; nor to lie down in the sea; nor to be ‘Pontifex Maximus’ either, as was the High-priest of the Romans! There is only this, namely: do the little things as often as you can; do not ask for permission! Listen to the voices of other people; hold out your hands to help and to defend, when this is practicable. Begin to transform our world: and if there are any problems, we will cross those bridges when we come to them! |
| Jemmer, P (2016) Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru: Eisteddfod Sir Fynwy a’r Cyffiniau 2016: Cyfansoddiadau a Beirniadaethau (ed. W G Lewis): Cystadleuaeth y Tlws Rhyddiaith. Llandysul: Wasg Gomer. pp. 228 – 229. | |
Cafodd Patrick ei eni a’i fagu yn Abertawe, ond aeth i ffwrdd i’r Brifysgol pan oedd yn ddeunaw. Yn y pendraw, treuliodd ddeuddeg o flynyddoedd yn gweithio fel uwch-ddarlithydd mewn mathemateg yn Newcastle. Dechreuodd ddysgu’r Gymraeg yn Nhŷ Tawe, pan ddaeth adref, ac mae wedi bod wrthi ers pum mlynedd erbyn hyn. Mae’n dwli ar yr iaith Gymraeg ac ar y diwylliant Cymreig, ac mae wastad yn ceisio ymarfer, rhannu syniadau a’i gariad at yr iaith, a dysgu mwy. Mae’n hunangyflogedig ar hyn o bryd, ac mae’n dysgu gwyddoniaeth, mathemateg, a Saesneg i bobl sy’n sefyll TGAU ac arholiadau Safon Uwch, a hyd yn oed i rai sy’n fyfyrwyr mewn prifysgolion. Yma, mae’n cyflwyno ei ddarn ‘Pontydd’, a enillodd Dlws Rhyddiaith y Dysgwyr yn Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Y Fenni ym 2016.
Patrick was born and brought up in Swansea but went off to university when he was eighteen. In the end he spent twelve years working as a senior lecturer in maths in Newcastle. He began to learn Welsh in Tŷ Tawe when he came back home, and he has been working at it now for five years. He loves the Welsh language and Welsh culture, and he is always trying to practise, to share ideas and his love of the language, and to learn more. He is self-employed at present, and he teaches science, maths, and English to people who are sitting GCSEs and A-Levels, and even some to university students. Here, he presents his piece ‘Bridges,’ which won the Learners’ Prose Medal in the Abergavenny Natural Eisteddfod in 2016.
Mae’r wefan Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yn esbonio mwy am sut ddysgwyr yn gallu cystadlu. Mae e rywbeth am bob safon!
The Natonal Eisteddfod website explains more about how learners can compete. There is something for all levels!
