Calon Lân

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1890s Welsh traditional song

title: "Calon Lân" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["welsh-christian-hymns", "hymn-tunes", "wales-national-rugby-union-team", "welsh-patriotic-songs"] description: "1890s Welsh traditional song" topic_path: "society/religion" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calon_Lân" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1890s Welsh traditional song ::

is a Welsh hymn, the words of which were written in the 1890s by Daniel James (Gwyrosydd) and sung to a tune by John Hughes.{{cite web | url=http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/h/u/g/hughes_j_2.htm | title=John Hughes | access-date=2008-02-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127195751/http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/h/u/g/hughes_j_2.htm | archive-date=2012-01-27 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z9f8tfr | title=Calon Lan the rugby anthem | work=BBC Guides | access-date=2018-04-10 | archive-date=2018-04-01 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401011132/http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z9f8tfr ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Calon_Lan_-20_Uchaf_Emynau_Cymru-_The_Top_20_Best.ogg" caption="The opening few bars of Calon Lân, sung by [[Stuart Burrows"] ::

In 2012, the Welsh group Only Boys Aloud sang "Calon Lân" on the British ITV show Britain's Got Talent, coming third in the final. It has since become the most watched Welsh-language video on YouTube.

"Calon Lân" is unusual among the most popular Welsh traditional songs in that an English-language version of the words is virtually never sung (unlike, for example, Cwm Rhondda), but the tune does appear, for example, in the British Methodist hymn book Hymns and Psalms, set to the lyrics of "I will Sing the Wondrous Story" by Francis Harold Rowley. Hymn 223, The English singing translation by Rees Harris (1874–1954) appeared in The Abingdon Song Book in 1937.

A Spanish-language version of the song exists, sung mostly by Welsh Argentines in Y Wladfa, the former Welsh colony in Patagonia.

On 10 September 2019, the song was sung in the UK House of Commons by Plaid Cymru and Welsh Labour members of parliament who were protesting about Brexit and the prorogation controversy.

The Calon Lân Centre is based at Mynyddbach Chapel, the burial place of Daniel James. The chapel and grounds were at the point of dereliction until 2011 but have been restored.

Lyrics

| Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus, Aur y byd na'i berlau mân: Gofyn wyf am galon hapus, Calon onest, calon lân.

:Calon lân yn llawn daioni :Tecach yw na'r lili dlos: :Dim ond calon lân all ganu, :Canu'r dydd a chanu'r nos.

Pe dymunwn olud bydol, Hedyn buan ganddo sydd; Golud calon lân, rinweddol, Yn dwyn bythol elw fydd.

Hwyr a bore fy nymuniad Gwyd i'r nef ar adain cân Ar i Dduw, er mwyn fy Ngheidwad, Roddi i mi galon lân. | I don't ask for a luxurious life, The world's gold or its fine pearls: I ask for a happy heart, An honest heart, a pure heart.

:A pure heart full of goodness :Is fairer than the pretty lily: :None but a pure heart can sing, :Sing in the day and sing in the night.

If I wished for worldly wealth, It would swiftly go to seed; The riches of a virtuous, pure heart Will bear eternal profit.

Evening and morning, my wish Rising to heaven on the wing of song For God, for the sake of my Saviour, To give me a pure heart. |attr1=|attr2=}}

Alternative words in the Welsh version:

  • Verse 1, line 3: Gofyn wyf am fywyd hapus
  • Verse 2, line 2: Chwim adenydd iddo sydd
  • Verse 2, line 2: Adain buan ganddo sydd
  • Verse 3, line 2: Esgyn ar adenydd cân
  • Chorus, line 3: Does ond calon lân all ganu

Music

{ \new PianoStaff \language "english" \new Staff \new Voice \relative c' { \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 80 \voiceOne \clef treble \key bf \major \time 3/4 \partial 8*2 f8 bf d4. bf8 c d bf4 f g8 a bf4. g8 ef' d d4( c) \bar "" \break f,8 bf d4. bf8 c d bf4 g bf8 a16( g) f4. bf8 bf a bf2 \bar "" \break d8. bf16 f'4. d8 c bf bf4 a c8. d16 ef4. ef8 d c d2 \bar "" \break f,8 f g4. g8 a a bf4 c bf8 c d4. bf8 c16( bf) a8 bf2 } \addlyrics {\set stanza = #"1. " Nid wy'n go -- fyn by -- wyd moe -- thus, Aur y byd na'i ber -- lau mân: Go -- fyn wyf am ga -- lon ha -- pus, Ca -- lon on -- est, ca -- lon lân. } \addlyrics {\set stanza = #"2. " Pe dym -- u -- nwn o -- lud by -- dol, He -- dyn bu -- an gan -- ddo sydd; Go -- lud ca -- lon lân, rin -- we -- ddol, Yn dwyn by -- thol el -- w fydd. Ca -- lon lân yn llawn dai -- o -- ni, Te -- cach yw na'r li -- li dlos: Dim ond ca -- lon lân all ga -- nu Ca -- nu'r dydd a cha -- nu'r nos. } \addlyrics {\set stanza = #"3. " Hwyr a bor -- e fy ny -- mun -- iad Gwyd i'r nef ar a -- dain cân Ar i Dduw, er mwyn fy Nghei -- dwad, Ro -- ddi i mi ga -- lon lân. } \new Voice \relative c' { \voiceTwo d8 d f4. d8 ef f f4 d ef8 ef d4. ef8 g f f2 d8 f f4. f8 f bf f4 ef g8 f16( ef) d4. f8 f f f2 f8. f16 bf4. bf8 a bf f4 f f8. bf16 a4. a8 bf a bf2 f8 f ef4. ef8 f f f4 f d8 ef f4. f8 f f f2 } \new Staff \new Voice \relative c' { \clef bass \key bf \major \time 3/4 \voiceOne bf8 bf bf4. bf8 bf bf d4 bf bf8 c bf4. bf8 bf bf bf4( a) bf8 bf bf4. d8 ef f d8( bf) bf4 bf8 bf bf4. d8 c ef d2 bf8. d16 d4. f8 f f d( c) c4 a8. bf16 c4 f f8 f f2 bf,8 bf bf4. c8 c ef d4 c bf8 bf bf4. d8 ef16( d) c8 d2 } \new Voice \relative c { \voiceTwo bf8 bf bf4. bf8 bf bf bf4 bf ef8 c g'4. ef8 c d16( ef) f2 f8 d bf4. bf8 bf bf bf( d) ef4 ef8 ef f4. f8 f f bf2 bf8. bf16 bf4. bf,8 c d f4 f f8. f16 f4. f8 f f bf2 d,8 d ef4. c8 f f bf4 a g8 gf f4. f8 f f bf,2 } }

References

References

  1. (12 March 2008). "Join Codi Canu choirs to sing for Wales {{!}} Press {{!}} S4C". [[S4C]].
  2. (2012-05-12). "Here's what Only Boys Aloud just sang on Britain's Got Talent". [[Media Wales]].
  3. (1983). "Hymns and Psalms". Methodist Publishing House.
  4. "I Seek Not Life's Ease and Pleasures".
  5. (2007-05-25). "Comrades in Patagonia". [[Tindle Newspaper Group]].
  6. (2016-05-03). "La huella de los colonos galeses en la Patagonia". [[Clarin Group]].
  7. (2019-12-10). "Brexit: MPs sing Calon Lân in Parliament shutdown protest". [[BBC]].
  8. "About the Calon Lân project".

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