hought him born in an evil hour. His
counselors persuaded the father, however, to let his son draw the weir
basket this time, to try whether good luck would ever be his, and so that
he might yet gain something with which to go forth into the world. On the
next day, the 1st of May, Elphin examined the weir basket and found
nothing, yet as he went away, he saw the boat covered with the skin rest
on the post of the weir. One of the fishermen said to him, "You have never
been so unlucky as you were to-night, but now you have destroyed the
virtue of the weir basket," in which they always found a hundred pounds'
worth on the first of May. "How so?" asked Elphin. "The boat may easily
contain the worth of the hundred." The skin was lifted and he that opened
it saw the forehead of a child and said to Elphin, "See the beaming
forehead." "Beaming forehead, Taliesin, be his name," replied the prince,
who took the child in his arms and because of his own misfortune, pitied
it. He put it behind him on his charger. Immediately the child composed a
song for the consolation and praise of Elphin, and at the same time
prophesied to him his future fame. Elphin took the child into the
stronghold and showed him to his father, who asked the child whether he
was a human being or a spirit. Whereupon he answered in the following
song: "I am Elphin's first bard; my native country is the land of the
cherubim. The heavenly John called me Merddin [Merlin] and finally, every
one, King: Taliesin. I was nine months in the womb of my mother Ceridwen,
before which I was the little Gwyon, now I am Taliesin. With my Lord I was
in the world above, and fell as Lucifer into the depths of hell. I carried
the banner before Alexander. I know the names of the stars from north to
south. I was in the circle of Gwdion [Gwydi on] in the Tetragrammaton. I
accompanied the Hean into the valley of Hebron. I was in Canaan when
Abraham was killed. I was in the court of Dve before Gwdion was born, a
companion of Eli and Enoch. I was at the judgment that condemned the Son
of God to the cross. I was an overseer at Nimrod's tower building. I was
in the ark with Noah. I saw the destruction of Sodom. I was in Africa
before Rome was built. I came hither to the remains of Troy (i.e., to
Britain, for the mystical progenitor of the Britons boasted a Trojan
parentage). I was with my Lord in the asses' manger. I comforted Moses in
the Jordan. I was in the firmament with Mary Magdalene. I