Welsh highs and lows

I've not missed a Welsh clas syet! Not recently, anyway. Not because of busy work. I think it's important and I like it so I make time for my Welsh classes. But I temporarily stopped climbing, and with that I accidentally reduced the practice I get. Eifion, the chairman of the climbing club, is the only person I know outside the Welsh learning community with whom I speak Welsh unless there is a particular reason not too. He single-handedly raises my level!

I was just contemplating this when my phone rang. It was an unknown number, so I didn't answer. A voicemail was left, though. I checked; it was Radio Cymru. The lady on the other side started rattling at me at top speed. It was clear to me there was something remarkable happening with an auction and Anne Frank, but I couldn't follow what. Then I asked her to slow down; that helped. it was a poem by Anne Frank that would be auctioned off! And the starting price was €30.000. What did I think of it? Would I be willing to talk about it on the radio the next day at 6PM? I hesitated; I knew nothing about the topic, and I wasn't sure yet if I would be available at that time. I said I would ask any other Dutchies if they were more keen.

Later I got another call. Had I found any Dutchies? Well, no. But the interview would now be at 7:55AM; I would be free then. I said I'd do it! I had some time to google the topic. I even tried a translation of the poem in question.

In Welsh class Elwyn helped me with the translation; I had been a bit clunky in places. But then I got a text from the radio people; they cancelled the interview. Bunch of weathervanes! Oh well.

It would have been fun to do this interview, but well, I got several phone calls in Welsh done over it, and I still find these scary. Phone calls tend to be the last thing you're comfortable with in a foreign language!

And I didn't get the interview, but I did end up with a nice poem in Welsh: find it below! And if anyone wants to pay €30.000 (or $148.000, as it went for) for this one: I promised Elwyn to split the profits!

Os nad ydych chi wedi gwneud ech gwaith yn dda,

Wedi colli amser gwerthfawr,

Ailgyddwch ynddi unwaith eto,

Yn well na chynt.

Os ydy pobl eraill wedi eich ceryddu chi

Ynghylch eich camwedd,

Gofalwch bod chi’n ei wella fo,

Hynny ydy ateb.