Transcription
Mormon:THE TRANSLATION OF THEBOOK OF MORMON INTO WELSHRONALD D. DENNISO that we, the Welsh, might haveThe Book of Mormon in our own tongue,So that we might have greater lightAnd comforts on our sojourn.Also, the Book of the DoctrinesWhich would certainly provide teachingTo the officers of the church of JesusAnd the monoglot Saints in their midst.In June 1850, Thomas Conway, a member of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in NorthWales, expressed in the above verse the longing ofmany Welsh Saints to have the Book of Mormonand the Doctrine and Covenants in a language theycould understand.1 At that time the Welsh convertsto the church numbered more than 4,000, the vastmajority of whom could not read or speak English.Latter-day Saint missionaries proselytized inWales for more than a decade without the benefit ofa Welsh translation of the Book of Mormon, a keytool for conversion. In the fall of 1840 the firstbranch of the church was established in the littletown of Overtoil in North Wales, very near the border with England.2 The Welsh language was notwidely spoken in this farming community and surrounding areas, so a Welsh Book of Mormon wasnot needed.Just over two years later, when Elder LorenzoSnow sent William Henshaw to the heartland ofWales, to the industrial town of Merthyr Tydfil,3there was a definite need for proselytizing materialsin Welsh. Not only did Elder Henshaw go about hismissionary work without such Welsh-languagetools, but he did not speak a word of the ancientCeltic tongue. Fortunately, however, Merthyr Tydfilwas becoming quite cosmopolitan and had a fair0 na feddem ni, y Cymry,Bin Llyfr Mormon yn ein iaith,Pel y caffem fwy o 'leuniA chysuron ar ein iaith;Hefyd, Llyfr yr Athrawiaethau,Hwn yn ddiau roddai ddysg1 swyddogion eglwys lesu,A'r Saint uniaith yn eu mysg.number of English speakers. Many of these Englishspeaking residents, such as William R. Davies,1 camefrom among the native Welsh. Davies, his wifeRachel, and their two teenaged sons, George andJohn, were all baptized in February 1843, the firstfruits of Elder Henshaw's efforts.Davies and his sons were instrumental in theconversion of some of their fellow coal miners, themajority of whom spoke only Welsh. New membersintroduced family members and friends to the church,and within a few months there was a growing nucleusof the church in Merthyr Tydfil. However, with theexception of one small pamphlet in Welsh on thefirst principles of the gospel,5 the only church literature available to the branch members was in English.The person who would eventually initiate theprinting of Welsh-language materials was CaptainDan Jones. On 11 May 1843, four months afterbeing baptized in the Mississippi River and onemonth after meeting the Prophet Joseph Smith, DanJones was called to serve a mission to Wales." Morethan a year later, shortly before the Prophet JosephSmith was martyred, he told Jones: "I have a checkin the house for 1200; as soon as I can get it cashedyou shall have 1100 of it, and the start for Wales,not with your fingers in your mouth but prepared tobuy a press, and do business aright."7JOURNAL OF BOOK OF MORMON STUDIES45
setting the type for someof Dan Jones's early pubP LLYFR MORMON;lications, Davis took afM*tserious interest in thedoctrinesof the churchHANES WEDI EI YSGRIFENU GANandrequestedbaptism.LAW MORMON,Five years later he wouldtranslate the Book ofUFKJU » GfHHEBHYD C UFHSS SEPHI,Mormon into Welsh.During hisfirstmisAM hyny, y oiw yn dalfyriad n 2»f-l\-fr poitl Ncptii, a'r Lnainnhid befyd;»e ti ei y«nOmi at y i/airomwid, y rhai )il}»t wtildill w ity Israel; acsion,Dan Jones producedliefytl at luddt-w a Ciicnedl-iMyn; »fdi tt ystmfrmi menu flurdd oorcbymyri, » hi'fyd tnvy ysljryrt y tmiphwutoli.n'l!; ;t riar.Mtitsjt,,-;!. HY'hei yitriftim *'i wlio i fy«y. u'i Rudiiio i'r Arjilttyrtij, IVI i;n (hliiiystrid efavarietyof publications:\l *Haii trwv ddawii n nutlii Dmr er ei jyflelUiad : ivctii 1-1 eeJiouaitlaw M«rw»ij a'i giitidio i'r Arnlwidd, i liijf«it :ill;m mtwn aimt-r cyfaOila severalpamphlets,a 580irwy law Ceneiil-tltiju; y cyfittlhad o hcmo i foti Itwy tiOaifn Dtiw :Hffyd ina« J» rfalfyriari o Lyfr Etlif r, yr Ini-n syid s:of-Jvfr o bobl Jar«it.pageperiodicaltitledy'rhai a wa;inr«vrt yn yr anifer y cymmy*ROdd yr Arglwydd iaiib y tioMpin yr oeilrtynt yn addladu t«r i fyued i'r ncfoedd ; yr liyn *ydd i iStlanso Prophet of the Jubilee, ai w*iirti!i iyj«.rae) pa bcthan en maiiit u wiiatfh ;r Aiplnydd cr mwvtt ttiudaii; sc fel y irwypum Ryfauiinodau yr Ar lwydrj, iiaii ydjut hwjtliauwrdi tit hwiw yinaitii yn (]ia»ywj«ld ; HC betyd t-r ar yhoeddl yr ludclcw288-page scriptural coma'r Cettc U-i1ilyn uiai IESL- yw y CKJST, y Duw TKAB VIVYHBUI,, yiiczlitro ei !t'"i i'r hoi! peiicilloedd.—Ac n .mr, «s ocs t«-i:m. t»ri;iii »t)iiionmentary, a 104-page hisydynt; »'» hyiiy, »a ciioinli:i»niwc!i butliau DU-A, ft-! j c;;tJ r cbwi ynildifrjcbeiilyd gcrlKim iirscdiifaiiic Crisi.tory of the church, and asmall hymnal." NoticeablyBAM JOSEPH SMITH, IEU.;absent from this impressive list is a Welsh transG A S J O H N DAVIS.lation of the Book ofMormon. Jones undoubtMEETHYR-TYDFIL :edly wanted to make thisCTHOBPDWID AC Ali WEitTH CAN J. ItATlS, GEOUGETOWN istandard work of hisGin y Saint yit llliivyr.faith available to his felK y y De?u aT (low countrymen, nearly1852.4,000 of whom hadAfter so long a silence ITitle page of the Welsh translation of the Book of Mormon. Courtesyreceived baptism into thetake the liberty thus toL. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brighamchurchbefore Jones'sreintroduce myself, and Young University, Provo, Utah.releasefromhis missionsend you & each of theat the end of 1848. HadTwelve, a copy of theJonespublishedtheBookofMormon in Welsh durWelsh translation of yr [your] "Proclamation,"inghisfirstmissiontoWales,it would have been thetho' now near midnight, tis but a few minutesfirsttranslationofthatbookbesidesJoseph Smith'ssince I finished printing 4000, with my ownoriginalEnglishtranslation.Perhapssufficient fundshand, on a borrowed Press.9were not available for that undertaking, or perhapsJones's church leaders in Liverpool were simply reThe "borrowed Press" belonged to Jones's brotherluctant to authorize such a huge, pioneering project.John, an ordained Congregationalist minister inOddly enough, the Doctrine and CovenantsRhydybont, a village near Llanybydder, Carmarthenappearedin the Welsh language before the Book ofshire. Other members of the Welsh clergy irreverentlyMormon.12 John Davis, selected to oversee all printreferred to the Reverend John Jones's press as theing activities for the church in Wales when Dan"prostitute press" because he allowed LDS materialsJones emigrated in early 1849, announced in Augustto be printed on it.1"1850 that he had been "counseled" to translate andWith the exception of his first pamphlet, all ofpublishthe Doctrine and Covenants. His announceDan Jones's church publications during hisfirstmismentappearedin Udgorn Seion (Zion's Trumpet),sion (1845-49) were printed on his brother's press atthe official Mormon periodical in Wales and succesRhydybont. Working at the press during the lattersor to Prophet of the Jubilee." His intention was topart of 1845 and the first part of 1846 was a 23-yearsend out a 16-page "signature" of the Doctrine andold employee by the name of John S. Davis. WhileBecause of the confusion resulting from themartyrdom, the promised money was nevergiven to Dan Jones.However, Brigham Youngsent an order for 500 tothe Liverpool office ofthe church, and Joneswas permitted to drawfrom that fund to coverhis living and publishingexpenses as a missionaryin Wales.In April 1845, justthree months after beginning his mission, ElderJones published his firstpamphlet, a 48-page treatise on the immutabilityof the kingdom of God,printed by the WilliamBayley press in Wrexham,North Wales.8 Eightmonths later he wrote toBrigham Young aboutanother publication:46VOLUME 11, 2002cfDI'R:,A1 .'.U.C
Covenants in Welsh every other week with an issueof the periodical. He proudly announced in the 22February 1851 issue of Zion's Trumpet that the firstsignature of the Llyfr Athmwiaeth a Chyfammodauwas off the press. He also wrote, "If the Saints ingeneral wish it to be published every week instead ofevery fortnight for one-and-a-half pence, let usknow."" The response to Davis's idea was positive,for in 27 weeks from that time the 20th and finalsignature was sent out with the 23 August 1851Zion's Trumpet. These 20 signatures were then to bebound together for the final product.About a month before finishing the Doctrineand Covenants, Davis announced the following inthe 26 July 1851 Zion's Trumpet: "We wish for all thePresidents and the Distributors to gather subscriptions for the Book of Mormon without delay. It willcome out in the same manner as the 'Doctrine andCovenants,' until it is complete, for a penny and ahalf per signature. It will probably contain from 30to 32 signatures."15 Sent out with that issue of theperiodical was a flyer containing a list of publications in Welsh on one side and a prospectus for theBook of Mormon on the other. In the prospectus,Davis outlined the procedure for producing histranslation and proudly stated, "The entire book willbe printed with completely new type, and on goodpaper, and each Signature will contain more readingthan the Signatures of the 'Doctrine and Covenants.'""'In Zion's Trumpet John Davis offered strongencouragement to his team of distributors andchurch leaders throughout Wales to be very aggressive in obtaining a large number of subscriptions:9 August 1851—Now is the time for thePresidents and the Distributors, and all theSaints, to strive for the sale of the Book ofMormon among our nation; be as one man. Wehave begun to translate it, and pray for us thatwe might have every gift necessary for such animportant task. Let us know, without fail, by the31st of August, what number will be received ineach place. Do not neglect this. It is quite likelythat a signature will come out every week,although we cannot promise that every time.176 September 1851—BOOK OF MORMONAGAIN.—We are sorry that we have but 1,223subscribers at this point. We must delay untilmore are obtained. The little branch ofPontytypridd has requested 138, which represents true effort; and if every branch and conference were to do as this branch has done, wewould have over 5,000 subscribers. Brethren,strive harder; our Father is all-wealthy, and hewill give money to you.1820 September 1851—BOOK OF MORMON.—The number of subscriptions for the Book ofMormon has almost reached 1500, not countingthe order from Liverpool for 200 after it is finished. The 1st Signature will come out with thisTrumpet; and if the number of subscribersincreases to two thousand by the 1 Oth signature,the signatures from the 20th on will be priced atone penny each! Please take note, brethren."After receiving the first few signatures of theWelsh translation of the Book of Mormon, ThomasConway sent John Davis his appreciation in verse:Rejoice, all you monoglot Welshmen,We shall have the wish of us all,Namely the translation of the BOOK OF MORMONInto our harmonious and unfading language:The fulness of times has come,For the God of heaven to give to us,The secrets he gave to Mormon,And his dear associates.Here is the book that for many years,Namely for fourteen hundred,Was in the earth at Cumorah,Like some fair and beautiful treasure;It was like the setting sunFor such a long time:Now it is like the shining sunRising to do its work.Its light is spreading,Through different languages of the world,Now it is coming to the Welsh,Oh, how lovely it gladdens our hearts;"And at that day the deafWill hear the words of this book,The eyes of the blind will see outOf the cloud and darkness," I know.The light of the Book is so dazzling,JOURNAL OF BOOK OF MORMON STUDIES47
That it darkens the weak eyes,But the eyes will grow strong again,They will see better presently;An object of great surprise to the Welsh,Will be the Book of Mormon when it comes,In the language of their birth;Now it is almost here.2"Two weeks after Thomas Conway's letter andpoem, John Davis also expressed his enthusiasm forthe project:BOOK OF MORMON.—We would like to notifythe subscribers of the Book of Mormon, that itssignatures, from the 20th on, will be a pennyeach! We congratulate our brethren for the effortthey have made in its behalf. We think it best torefrain from cutting its pages before binding it,lest some of them be lost, and that some will notbe in order. Since it will be out in about sixmonths, it is best for the most careless not toread it, rather put the signatures safely aside forbinding, and after that to remember to read it.21In the 21 February 1852 issue of Zion's Trumpet,Davis inserted the following notice:BOOK OF MORMON.—We wish to notify thedistributors of the Book of Mormon that theprofit from the 20th signature to the end will bethe same as for the Trumpet; and generally theprofit with respect to the Welsh Book of Mormon,to all the distributors, will be more than that forthe English."Finally, on 17 April 1852, 31 weeks after the distribution of the initial signature, Davis sent out thefinal signature with his periodical. He proudlyannounced:We are happy to inform our readers that the lastnumber of the Book of Mormon, in Welsh, isbeing sent out with this TRUMPET; and we feelgratitude in our hearts to God, for providing uswith health and abilities to complete a task thatwas so important in our sight. The Welsh nationhas reason to rejoice, that they have this treasurein their own language, and that they now inmany respects stand equal with others of theirbrethren in privileges. We believe that publicthanks should be given to God for his goodnesstoward us as a nation.2348VOLUME 11, 2002He also gave some advice concerning the binding procedure:Since the ink in new books requires time to dry,it will not be wise to bind the Book of Mormontoo soon, unless you warn the binder not topush too hard on it, so as not to cause it to beprinted double. We will receive the Book ofMormon here to bind it, the same as we did forthe "Doctrine and Covenants," and for about thesame price; and whoever wishes to get a handsome and inexpensive binding done in Londonmay send us the volume, and we shall endeavorto take care of it. We will need to raise the pricefor those who do not come to request their volumes promptly, after we have let them know oftheir arrival from London, for we have to pay forthem when we receive them.2'1At that time the periodical appeared every twoweeks, so an average of two signatures of the Bookof Mormon in Welsh accompanied each issue ofZion's Trumpet.Two interesting sidelights to the translation arepreserved in a biographical sketch of John Davis inOrson F. Whitney's History of Utah: first, the entiretranslation was written with one quill pen; second,Samuel Evans, editor ofSeren Corner (Star of Corner),a Baptist periodical for which Davis worked beforebecoming a Latter-day Saint, said that it was a "pitysuch valuable labor in producing so perfect a translation had been bestowed upon so worthless a workas the Book of Mormon."25In his foreword to the Welsh edition of the Bookof Mormon, titled "Foreword to the Welsh" anddated 6 April 1852, Davis stated that the translationwas "the best that could be done under disadvantages which the majority of translators do not laborunder." He explained that "perspicuity and plain language" had been sought more than "any kind ofadornment." Davis also declared to the antagonistsof Mormonism in Wales: "Many of you have freelygiven your opinion of this book and condemned itwithout ever having seen it; but now after [our]laboring so long under disadvantages, you can readit for yourselves and see whether your former opinions were correct."26 Davis did not specify what thosedisadvantages were. Perhaps he had reference to thelack of qualified typesetters and proofreaders fromamong church members, the vast majority of whomhad but little formal education. Or perhaps he
meant the very cramped conFebruary 1851 to 23 August1851, Davis published all 20ditions where the press waslocated in his home on John'ssignatures of the DoctrineStreet, in an area of Merthyrand Covenants. And in the 31Tydfil known as Georgetown.weeks from 20 SeptemberJohn Davis was one of1851 to 17 April 1852, hepublished all 31 signatures ofthe most highly educatedthe Book of Mormon. Duringconverts to the church inmid-19th-century Wales. Histhis period of time, Daviseducation came not as muchmarried Elizabeth Phillips on30 December 1850, movedfrom years of formal schooling as it did from years offrom Nantygwenith Street tosetting type and readingJohn's Street by 11 Januaryproof of numerous publica1851,27 became a father on 8tions in both Welsh andDecember 1851, and servedEnglish. He became a printas counselor to William S.er's apprentice at the age ofPhillips during his five-year13. During his apprenticeshiptenure as mission president ofhis exposure to proper gramthe Church of Jesus Christ ofmar, to exposition of ideas,Latter-day Saints in Walesto logic in arguing points offrom January 1849 toview, and to the world ofDecember 1853. He emigratedprinting in general equippedto Utah in 1854, where hehim well to serve as editor ofcontinued as a printer andJohn S. Davis almost single-handedly translated the Bookof Mormon into Welsh. Courtesy Ronald D. Dennis.the church's Welsh-languagelater as a merchant. Orson Eperiodical in 1849 and toWhitney characterizes Johnassume at that time theDavis as being of "a retiringresponsibility for all church publications in hisdisposition, gentle but impressive in manner, a delibnative tongue.erate thinker, and a vigorous writer."28When permission was granted to prepare aDavis's work in translating and publishing thetranslation of the Doctrine and Covenants in AugustDoctrine and Covenants and the Book of Mormon1850, Davis had already produced 18 issues of Udgornis nothing short of remarkable, especially considerSeion, 21 pamphlets of various sizes, a dozen poems,ing the narrow time frames and the labor-intensivea large register book for keeping membership records,conditions.29 No further Welsh translations of eitherand a 104-page hymnal. In the 27 weeks from 22of these volumes of scripture have been made.3" IBJOURNAL OF BOOK OF MORMON STUDIES49
Oddly enough, the Doctrine and Covenants appeared in the Welsh language before the Book of Mormon.12 John Davis, selected to oversee all print-ing activities for the church in Wales when Dan Jones emigrated in early 1849, announced in August 1850 that he had been "counseled" to translate and publish the Doctrine and Covenants. His announce-
