poem of the day

There is exactly one poem that I can recite from beginning to end, word perfect, from memory. I know lots of bits and pieces of others, but only this one sticks with me in its entirity, and it is a poem I learned when I was studying A'level Welsh, ten years ago.

Rhyfel
Hedd Wyn (1887-1917)
(War - by Hedd Wyn)

Gwae fi fy myw mewn oes mor ddreng,
A Duw ar drai ar orwel pell;
O'i ôl mae dyn, yn deyrn a gwreng,
Yn codi ei awdurdod hell.

Pan deimlodd fyned ymaith Dduw
Cyfododd gledd i ladd ei frawd;
Mae sŵn yr ymladd ar ein clyw,
A'i gysgod ar fythynnod tlawd.

Mae'r hen delynau genid gynt
Yng nghrog ar gangau'r helyg draw,
A gwaedd y bechgyn lond y gwynt,
A'u gwaed yn gymyg efo'r glaw.

It is a beautiful poem.

Of course, Welsh and English having no relationship with one another at all, linguistically speaking, it is very hard to translate this into English - the poem it written to a very strict rhyming meter, and the sense of the words doesn't always have a direct equivalent in English. Lucky for me I can read it in the original Welsh and understand the words without having to translate...

The poem was written during and about the First World War by a young man who died in the trenches. His thoughts about the war still feel kind of relevant looking at the world today.

poem of the day

There is exactly one poem that I can recite from beginning to end, word perfect, from memory. I know lots of bits and pieces of others, but only this one sticks with me in its entirity, and it is a poem I learned when I was studying A'level Welsh, ten years ago.

Rhyfel
Hedd Wyn (1887-1917)
(War - by Hedd Wyn)

Gwae fi fy myw mewn oes mor ddreng,
A Duw ar drai ar orwel pell;
O'i ôl mae dyn, yn deyrn a gwreng,
Yn codi ei awdurdod hell.

Pan deimlodd fyned ymaith Dduw
Cyfododd gledd i ladd ei frawd;
Mae sŵn yr ymladd ar ein clyw,
A'i gysgod ar fythynnod tlawd.

Mae'r hen delynau genid gynt
Yng nghrog ar gangau'r helyg draw,
A gwaedd y bechgyn lond y gwynt,
A'u gwaed yn gymyg efo'r glaw.

It is a beautiful poem.

Of course, Welsh and English having no relationship with one another at all, linguistically speaking, it is very hard to translate this into English - the poem it written to a very strict rhyming meter, and the sense of the words doesn't always have a direct equivalent in English. Lucky for me I can read it in the original Welsh and understand the words without having to translate...

The poem was written during and about the First World War by a young man who died in the trenches. His thoughts about the war still feel kind of relevant looking at the world today.

(no subject)

In my next life, I'm gonna be a bear

(no subject)

In my next life, I'm gonna be a bear