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Sosban Fach Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Eclectic Penguin: I've had it confirmed that the cache is gone and there's no sign of it nearby.

Due to the "unique" nature of the container, which was themed around the cache's title and the area in which it was found, I wouldn't expect anyone else to replace this cache so I'll archive this as there's no chance of me replacing it in the near future.

Not bad though - it survived for nearly 4 years with only a couple of times needing some maintenance with glue to re-connect the inner container. Good also that it went missing with no trackables in it.

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Hidden : 7/12/2010
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:

The container is conventional in size and is on flat grassy terrain. However the storage part of the container is quite small. Please replace very carefully.

Sosban Fach

Within sight of the cache location, in the middle of the nearby roundabout, an interesting structure can be observed, placed as a welcome to the town of Llanelli - a rugby goal with an effigy of a red saucepan placed on top of each post! This in fact is one of the two original final goals that stood in Stradey Park, the home of rugby football in Llanelli from 1879 to 2008 when it was replaced by the ultra modern Parc-Y-Scarlets stadium (a mere mile from the cache location). The goal posts in the new stadium are similarly adorned.

The saucepans may seem strange objects to adorn rugby goal posts, but they are a strong reference to a song that has become synonymous not only with Llanelli RFC and more recently the Scarlets rugby team (where the song is sung by enthusiastic fans before most matches) but also Llanelli itself. The folk song is commonly known in Welsh as Sosban Fach, which translates as "Little Saucepan" and is believed to be derived from Llanelli's key role in the tinplate industry in the 19th & 20th century.

The somber, minor key melody of the song strongly resembles a Welsh hymn, especially when sung slowly but the lyrics, when understood/translated are far from being a Christian song of praise...

Sosban Fach

Welsh
Mae bys Mari Ann wedi gwywo,
A Dafydd y gwas ddim yn iach;
Mae'r Baban yn y crud yn crio,
A'r gath wedi scrapo Johnny bach

Sospan fach yn berwi ar y tân
Sosban fawr yn berwi ar y llawr
A'r gath wedi scrapo Johnny bach.

Dai bach y sowldiwr,
Dai bach y sowldiwr,
Dai bach y sowldiwr,
A chwt i grys e' mas.

Mae bys Meri-Ann wedi gwella,
A Dafydd y gwas yn ei fedd;
Mae'r baban yn y crud wedi tyfu,
A'r gath wedi huno mewn hedd.

Sosban fach yn berwi ar y tân
Sosban fawr yn berwi ar y llawr
A'r gath wedi huno mewn hedd.

Dai bach y sowldiwr,
Dai bach y sowldiwr,
Dai bach y sowldiwr,
A gwt ei grys e mas.

Aeth hen Fari Jones i Ffair y Caerau
I brynu set o lestri de;
Ond mynd i'r ffos aeth Mari gyda'i llestri
Trwy yfed gormod lawer iawn o 'de'

Sosban fach yn berwi ar y tân
Sosban fawr yn berwi ar y llawr
A'r gath wedi huno mewn hedd.
English (literal)
Mary-Ann has hurt her finger,
And Dafydd the servant is not well.
The baby in the cradle is crying,
And the cat has scratched little Johnny.

A little saucepan is boiling on the fire,
A big saucepan is boiling on the floor,
And the cat has scratched little Johnny.

Little Dave the soldier,
Little Dave the soldier,
Little Dave the soldier,
And his shirt tail is hanging out.

Mary-Ann’s finger has got better,
And Dafydd the servant is in his grave;
The baby in the cradle has grown up,
And the cat is ‘asleep in peace’.

A little saucepan is boiling on the fire,
A big saucepan is boiling on the floor,
And the cat is ‘asleep in peace’.

Little Dave the soldier,
Little Dave the soldier,
Little Dave the soldier,
And his shirt tail is hanging out.

Old Mary Jones went to the fair in Caerau,
To buy a tea set;
But Mary and her teacups ended up in a ditch,
Through drinking too much "tea".

A little saucepan is boiling on the fire,
A big saucepan is boiling on the floor,
And the cat is ‘asleep in peace’.

One story alleges that group of Welsh rugby supporters once tricked a whole platform full of Englishmen at Liverpool station into removing their hats in solemn respect to a somber rendition of 'Sosban Fach'.

Hear and see the song being sung in its native environment here at the last rugby match played in Stradey Park (and indeed see the rugby posts featured as part of this cache in their original location).

The third verse (or actually, an alternate second verse) about Mary Jones' exploits with the tea set and her inebriation by drinking too much "tea" is far less known and is rarely sung these days.

For those who have read Diana Wynne Jones' novel Howl's Moving Castle - Calcifer the fire demon sings a song in a language which Sophie, the main female protagonist of the story doesn't recognise but thinks she hears the word saucepan in it several times as he lulls her to sleep. This is never actually clarified in the book, but this and several other mutterings by Calcifer is pretty obviously from Sosban Fach, based on the culture of one of the locations the castle's doors open into especially if you're from that region...! A small spoiler for the book's story perhaps explaining Howl's original home, but think about the name "Howl" and how someone might misspell a certain Welsh person's name if not seen it written down... Sadly, this detail (and any reference the book makes to Wales) is completely lost in Hayao Miyazaki's marvelous fantastical Japanese anime reinterpretation of the story...

The cache is at the given location. Enjoy the saucepans and don't let the cat scratch you...

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Fbfona snpu... raq bs srapr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)