Welsh Poems: Sixth Century to 1600

Gwyn Williams' Welsh Poems: Sixth Century to 1600 presents a millennium of Welsh poetry, translated into English with a focus on its signature "burning tree" mood and its interlaced knotwork and stone circle themes. It includes heroic laments, courtly innovators, and new stanzas and worldly subjects, while also orienting newcomers to metrics and historical reference. The result is an anthology and argument that Welsh literatures "dispersed design" offers a durable alternative modernity, alive to paradox and resistant to flattening.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 129 pages
Publication date: 15 December 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

Welsh Poems: Sixth Century to 1600 by Gwyn Williams is a comprehensive collection of Welsh poetry spanning a millennium, from ancient heroic laments to late Renaissance works. Williams skillfully translates the poetry into English, capturing its vibrant and evocative spirit. In his lucid introduction, Williams explores the defining "burning tree" mood of Welsh poetry, which combines contrasting elements such as battle and desire, spring and winter, sanctity and transgression. This sensibility shapes both the form and the emotional impact of the poetry. Unlike classical design, early Welsh compositions unfold like intricate knotwork and stone circles, with recurring themes that intertwine and create a time-defying experience for the listener. Alongside the heroic figures who sacrifice their lives for mead, Williams introduces the courtly innovators of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, such as Dafydd ap Gwilym and Hywel ab Owain, who blend love, landscape, and liturgy in their works. Later poets experiment with new stanzas and diverse subjects while maintaining the strict discipline of cynghanedd, the intricate consonance and rhyme patterns of the language. Williams' translations strike a balance between preserving the original sound and conveying the clear meaning of the poetry. He introduces the major forms of Welsh poetry, such as englyn, cywydd, and awdl, and provides insights into the cultural world that produced them. His notes offer guidance on metrics and historical references, while the introduction places Welsh poetics within the context of Greco-Roman conventions and English analogues, from The Seafarer to Donne and Dylan Thomas. The result is a remarkable anthology that showcases the diversity and richness of Welsh literature while also making a compelling argument for its enduring relevance in the modern world. Welsh poetry's "dispersed design" offers a refreshing alternative to modernity, embracing paradox and resisting flattening. This collection is essential for anyone interested in exploring the depth and beauty of Welsh poetry.

Dimension: 203 x 133 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520319486