Composed around 1250, the Black Book of Carmarthen is the oldest surviving book written entirely in the Welsh language. In a small volume bound in dark leather, an unknown scribe at Carmarthen Priory gathered poems that breathe with an older world: Myrddin, driven mad after the battle of Arfderydd, speaking to an apple tree and the wind; the great bard Taliesin trading riddles; Arthur conversing with an eagle; Gwyn ap Nudd, king of the otherworld, naming the souls of the dead; and the haunting stanzas of the graves of heroes. These are set beside prayers to the Trinity, verses on the Day of Judgement, and salutations to the saints of Wales and Ireland. This faithful modern-English edition opens the manuscript's meaning and spirit to today's readers, with a glossary and guidance for reading, preserving the wildness and devotion of the original. Part of The World Scriptures Library.