Grahame Davies: Tomb Raider (From Welsh)

Tomb Raider
By Grahame Davies
Translated by A.Z. Foreman
Click to hear me recite the original Welsh

Lets challenge every empire
Lets challenge Microsoft:
Rewrite the code controlling
The moves of Lara Croft.

She'll come from our cyber ghetto
On a mission even greater,
No pillager of temples
But a museum-raider.

Not swiping ancient treasures,
No English lordship's spawn
But a daughter of oppression
Shouting like a gun.

From every ancient culture
And every ravaged race
She's coming to the capitals,
A fist in the first world's face.

She's blasting through the bookshelves
To take our legends back
With guns of endless ammo,
Fluent in Welsh...and black.

Relics of ancient Egypt
Of Celts and Navajo-
She'll smash each glass display-case
To steal back what you owe.

She'll blow away the watchmen,
Blast down the iron doors.
Yo white boy! Here comes Lara
To take what isn't yours.


The Original:

Tomb Raider

Fe heriwn ymerodraethau;
fe heriwn Microsoft:
fe ail-'sgrifennwn raglen
rheoli Lara Croft.

O'n geto electronaidd
fe ddaw ar newydd wedd,
nid rheibiwr beddi mwyach
ond rheibiwr amgueddfeydd!

Nid lleidr beddi'r llwythau,
nid epil lord o Sais,
ond merch y gorthrymedig
â'u llafnau yn ei llais.

Ar ran pob hen ddiwylliant
a phob lleiafrif gwan,
fe ddaw i'r prifddinasoedd
i ddial ar ein rhan.

Mae'n dod i gipio'n chwedlau
o ffeiliau'r ysgolhaig.
Mae'n cario dryll dihysbydd.
Mae'n groenddu; mae'n Gymraeg.

Creiriau'r Celt a'r Eifftiaid,
trysorau'r Navaho;
chwelir eu cistiau gwydr,
dygir nhw yn ôl i'w bro.

Fe ddrylliai'r drysau haearn;
fe loriai filwyr lu.
Hei, Honci! Dyma Lara
i hawlio'n heiddo ni!