For my IB exam (i'm not a native English speaker, i'm Dutch) we have to write several written tasks. Each task must have something to do with the topics we discussed in class. We just finished the topic of 'the history of the English language'. I came up with the idea to write a poem about the history of the English language. The fun part was that i would put the translation of the language the text spoke about next to the poem, so that you can see how the English developed. The poem naturally starts with Celtic, because this was the language that was first spoken in England. I tried to translate it word by word, but I think the sentences don't make much sense now anymore. Can someone please help me to translate a little bit of text to Celtic? I know there are many variations nowedays of Celtic, but any help is welcome. Of course the text does not need to rhime at all, I just need the translation.
I would be very very thankfull if someone would help me.
The stanza i wrote that has to be translated into Celtic is:
A long time ago, around 449 AD
The Celtic tribes of Britain were surprised by an event they could not foresee
Peacefully cultivating their lands and herding their cattle
They found themselves suddenly a component of battle
Three tribes: the Saxons, the Jutes and the Angles,
Were the cause for a whole lot of wrangles
The natives and the invaders fought a huge fight
But although still feeling very much despite
The battle ended after a few years
And the old Celtic language gradually disappears
Saxon, Jute and Angle melted together and give birth to
What we now call Old English, the mother of the language we speak hitherto

Many thanks in advance

The Celtic language that we specialise in here (Irish Gaelic) is not going to be particularly relevant here, I’m afraid.

By AD 449, the last remnants of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages had already been pushed out of Britain and on to the island of Ireland by the Romans. The only Celtic languages left by that time would be Brythonic languages, i.e., the predecessors of Welsh, Cornish, and Breton (of which Breton is no longer spoken in Britain, only in Brittany in France, and Cornish is extinct, though being revived).

So if you’re going for accuracy, it would make more sense to have your poem translated into Welsh than into Irish, I’d say.

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Not a native speaker.

Always wait for at least three people to agree on a translation, especially if it’s for something permanent.

My translations are usually GU (Ulster Irish), unless CO (Standard Orthography) is requested.

Were Goidelic languages ever spoken in Great Britain (before Scottish Gaelic, which came from Ireland later anyway)? As far as I know we have no evidence of that.



Breton was never spoken in GB either, actually people from GB moved to Brittany and brought their language (close to Welsh then) with them. And their language developed on its own there and it was then called Breton.

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

I don’t think there’s any direct evidence, no; but it’s generally assumed that the sub-split of Insular Celtic into Goidelic and Brythonic happened (or at least started to happen) in Britain, rather than after the move to Ireland. Details (and memories) on this are very vague here, but I believe there are some very early Goidelic loan words (dealing with plant and animal names, I think?) into the Brythonic languages that seem to indicate coexistence side by side in the same area, rather than the more trade-oriented later Goidelic loan words that are typical of more distantly coexistent languages.


Very true, of course. I meant that out of the three still extant Brythonic languages, one (Breton) continues a branch that is no longer even to be found in Britain, and another (Cornish) is extinct as a natural language.

_________________
Not a native speaker.

Always wait for at least three people to agree on a translation, especially if it’s for something permanent.

My translations are usually GU (Ulster Irish), unless CO (Standard Orthography) is requested.