Text: Alan Stivell. Before Landing. Dugelezh Vreizh (The Breton Duchy).

Warlec'h bloaz naw c'hant e teuas ar Vikinged
Da voud startoc'h a' dizoujusoc'h
Deit int a-benn da dorr pep aozadur 'barzh Breizh

Pa teuas ar peoc'h endro, a-drugarez d'Alan Varweg
Kultur ha yezh ar C'Hallaoued en-oa gwraet un toull bras 'ba'Breizh
Ba'vro ur bern renerien 'oa doh kultur a' doh yezh estren
"Duc-souverain" Alan en em hanwas : n'oa ket prest da voud debret Breizh gant
broiou all
Dugelezh Vreizh ur vro dizalc'h 'jomas e-pad c'hwec'h kant bloawezh c'hoazh
distag doc'h Bro-C'Hall

Politikerezh estren Breizh 'genboueze etre 'n diw vro vras
Politikerezh estren Breizh 'oa etre Bro-Saoz ha Bro-C'Hall
'Wid Frans 'n aristokrated, hag an dud vihan 'oa 'wid 'Saozon
N'oa ket don 'barzh o c'halon abegou-se ar bobl vreton

'Bern breseliou 'so bet gant ar Vretoned
Eneb d'ar Saozon hag eneb d'ar C'Hallaoued

Met Breizh 'jomas ar vro aet ar pellan war hent an demokrasiezh ba'n Europa
"Den-gentil" oa galwet pep Breizhad 'wid diskouezh 'n-oa pep kouer skoazell al
lezenn
N'eus ket anawet hon tud-kozh na servaj na Bresel-kant-bloazh
Pladou arc'hant 'barzh pep ti-plouz oa araog trec'h an arme c'hall
E bloawezhiou diwezhan pa oa c'hoazh hor bro-ni dishual
Ba' vroiou pinwidikan ha war vor ba'mesk ar re krenvan.

Nine hundred years after the birth of Jesus
In Vikings ships down from the North and merciless
Invaders came and they tried to smash
Our Breton ways, all we loved best.

And when we had won victory, led by Alan Bready to peace,
Though bitterly we fought and died, now had come the French in their place,
In our country landlords now gave us orders in foreign speech.

But our Duke Alan said
Brittany would not be fare for conquerors
From France or elsewhere.
Six hundred years we stood
Free and in liberty, bowing no king,
His burdens to bear.

Standing in a balance of power in between our two great neighbours,
Standing in a balance of power in between the English and French,
The people looked to England and to France the lords and their ladies,
Not because they were close but for allies and to give themselves strength.

And so we fought often with Englishmen and
Then we changed sides fighting for then against the French.

All this time Brittany
Led the whole Western world in democracy
And we were free.
"Dudgentil" - gentlemen -
Was every poor man's name, so that he could know
The law was for him.
So there was no Breton serfdom and we missed the Hundred Years War.
Silver dishes in every farm till the French had won victory.
Before losing our freedom we knew great prosperity
Making ships of our navy the envy of all the world.