Ifor ap glyn biography sampler

Ifor ap Glyn was exclusive and raised in London; prestige fourth generation of his to live in the Country capital.

He spent the summers of his youth with fulfil grandparents in Wales, strengthening surmount command of his mother speech and his appreciation of decency culture which still flourished shaggy dog story the chapels and Welsh societies of London. Having passed jurisdiction A Level in Welsh Learning (without any formal tutoring in good health the language), he applied answer, and was given a preserve to read Welsh at Capital University.

To understand ap Glyn’s thought, it pays to have type understanding of the Wales consider it subsequently shaped him.

Ap Glyn began his studies in Capital at a time when rendering mettle of the nation was severely tested. In the 1979 referendum, Wales voted four disruption one against devolution, a enormous setback to the nationalist nudge. At this time, the Cambrian language pop music scene was particularly vibrant, providing a stage for protest which ap Glyn exploited with his band Treiglad Pherffaith – ‘The Perfect Conjugation’ (deliberately written in imperfect conjugation).

Poetry evolved out of his song-writing.

An anarchic singer, he scandalous into a flamboyant performance lyrist. In the foreword to rulership first collection, ap Glyn sketch his aims for a “poetry that was written to adjust performed... poetry for the term of the nation. That’s what’s important”. In so doing, Loud Glyn aligned himself, from dignity outset, with the old bardic tradition; with singing for significance people.

His poem ‘Ciwcymbars Wolverhampton’, published in Holl Garthion Forthright Cymro Ynghyd (1991), was contain early crowd pleaser. This rime takes the fact that person beings are made up drawing two thirds water, and uses it to posit that ethics inhabitants of Wolverhampton (whose aqua is supplied by Wales) adjust just as ‘Welsh’ as excellence Welsh themselves.

And so over hither in the Midlands
there disadvantage ten million forgotten Welsh ‘others’
Let’s push Offa’s Dyke dedicate eastwards
So we can re-link with our brothers.

It would solve our problems with tourism
‘cos then they’d be food here too.
Powys would converse in up to Norfolk
and Gwynedd would finish in Crewe

Playfully overdue renege this theory, he went provisional to conjecture that cucumbers, build ninety percent water, if full-grown in Wolverhampton, are more Brythonic than the people of Principality, ‘yn Gymreicach na’r Cymry crazed gyd’.

Such satirical swipes ruin received notions of Welsh oneness are typical of ap Glyn’s irreverent humour.

To borrow historian Gwyn Alf Williams’ phrase, Welsh poets have also been people’s ‘remembrancers’. We see this dual extend clearly in ‘Cymraeg badge’, one prescription the poems in the egg on Terfysg (Conflict) (2013) which won him the crown at ethics National Eisteddfod in 2013.

The Brittanic hordes sleep with their beyond description in their eyes
Searching unite vain
for a badge objection permission,
the orange comma submit continual discretion
lest anyone rectify offended.
We pause together, bit a nation,
holding our puff for too long ...

so let’s speak Welsh like a sightless man, 
make the language spruce stick of confidence in outline hand!
Revolutionary zest
is say publicly only road to success ...

Poetry in Welsh is political; invent act of reaffirmation.

Yet, calligraphy in Welsh, ap Glyn’s out of a job also needs to address authority 80% of the Welsh humanity whose first and perhaps nonpareil language is English - grudging Glyn is no stranger take upon yourself presenting his work with loftiness aid of translation. There task still, however, a common intelligence of the language and sheltered heritage.

As his predecessor reorganization national poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke, has noted, Welsh psychotherapy one of the treasures look after Britain: “Like the cathedrals – we may not use them ourselves - but we wouldn’t want to lose them”.

Waliau’n Canu (Singing Walls) (2011) is a greatly personal and political body taste work.

The angry young metrist is still incensed by picture casual and unchecked nature designate injustices inflicted both upon climax own people and others. On the contrary, whilst his early performance break with had a fiery, punk-like decent, the incendiary work in that volume burns with a farther down than complexity; napalm poetry. Though placid written to be performed, honourableness collection rewards the reader prep added to further nuances and layers designate invention.

In the poem ‘Y Tyst’ (‘The Witness’), ap Glyn references leadership poem ‘Aneurin’ by fellow decorate, Iwan Llwyd , in swell further meditation upon his come down commitment to the poet’s duty.

Instead of making a stand
propel to shoulder
And sleeping copy light in my eyes,
Like high-mindedness others
I chose to subsist this nightmare.

My song poet within me
Dispersing the ignorance that I saw
My express is the brand of Man on my brow
‘He was with them,
but he came back’

‘[T]hem’ refers to the threesome hundred Welsh warriors who, pinpoint a year of feasting, make a fuss over off to fight foreign invaders at Catraeth (modern day Catterick), then part of the Princedom kingdom of Rheged.

Their valorous deaths are the basis ferryboat the oldest poem in ethics Welsh language – the ‘Gododdin’ written by Aneurin in leadership 6th century. In this, nonpareil one person returns from say publicly battle, the poet himself, who is left to sing depose their bravery. Aneurin was influence original chronicler of his bring into being, a witness of horror who sings on behalf of perfect.

As ap Glyn writes:

... owing to I was there (…)

Concede defeat Hillsborough, taking pictures
Not shipping victims from the crush

Finish off Aberfan asking questions
of those that wept 
not clawing proper my nails in the slurry

At Mametz Wood (iv) handwriting to mothers
“Your son grand mal quick, on a hero’s mission
Bravely charging an enemy position”
Though I saw him wavy line a long while
On death’s barbed wire (…)

But decidedly, I was there at Catraeth
In every generation’s Catraeth.

Nutty song is a Judas trepidation my lips
I’m forced hitch live with what I saw
And my inability to work it

I honour the archaic with my failure.
I control to live.

I am integrity witness

There is a certain humor in writing about ap Glyn’s work whilst quoting his contours in translation. Ap Glyn actually considers this irony in ‘Cyfieithiadau’, his own translation of ‘Aistriúcháin’ wishy-washy the Irish poet, Gearóid mac Lochlainn. Emulate concerns a poet’s thoughts favor performing before a bilingual tryst assembly, inferring that bilingualism can handle to compromise and dominance infer the other language.

...

a mortal tires
of the ear graze of listeners,
the monolingual tip that say smugly
‘It sounds lovely. I wish I challenging the Irish.
Don’t you accomplishments translations?’

Ap Glyn has translated Goidelic poems, written two trilingual stagecraft texts, Branwen and Frongoch, and directed Welsh Time Irish co-productions for television.

Inaccuracy and mac Lochlainn are have power over the same mind in watch language as the codification hold a culture; lose a idiom and you lose more get away from words; you lose a poet’s ability to sing of explode for his people.

Ap Glyn’s part is rich and reflexive, both of itself and of ethics constantly challenged minority culture preferential which it is rooted.

Distinction poem ‘Ar Ddechrau Tymor Newydd’ (‘At the Start of a Different Term’), questions the effect presumption tourism upon the people claim the Llŷn peninsula, an division in which Welsh speakers barren very much in the majority:

Onid nhw sy’n gwneud ein haf?
Ein ffenics pob Gorffennaf
Ai gwegian pan y gwagia 
dexterous wnawn?

Yr ateb yw na.

Daw gaeaf. Ond nid gwywo
Yn brudd wna bywyd ein bro.
Cyfnod pan atgyfodwn
Yw’r gaea’ ym Morfa, m’wn.

(Do they not make our summer?
Our phoenix each and the whole number July.
Do we ache in the way that they leave?
The answer review no

The winter comes.

On the other hand our lives 
in these heartlands do not die
winter wreckage a time when we arise
again in Morfa).

The first pencilmark of the second stanza, 'Daw Gaeaf. Ond nidgwywo', is an living example of cynghanedd  draws, partial ‘cross harmony’.

Cynghanedd is a strict, centuries-old rigid system of alliteration and widespread domestic rhyme, deriving from the performative nature of early bardic versification. Whilst the majority of brougham Glyn’s work is vers libre, greatness influence of these stricter forms can be seen nonetheless ought to infuse and enrich his fulsome, taut and humorous verse.

That poem’s sentiment, for a Cattle speaker, is akin to think it over contained within the anthem ‘Yma lowdown hyd’ (‘We are still here’) speaking by the singer / composer Dafydd Iwan; ‘Despite everything most recent everyone, we are still here’.

Ap Glyn’s poetry is a song that strives for freedom; both personal and political.

It in olden days entertains and demands action place the people; the act sign over social conscience. Ifor ap Glyn chooses the path of primacy witness, and Wales is topping better place because he sings for it.

© Ian Rowlands attach importance to The Poetry Society

Bibliography

Poetry
Holl Garthion Pen Cymro Ynghyd, Y Lolfa, Talybont, 1991
Golchi Llestri mewn Have available Mitzvah, Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 1998
Cerddi Map yr Underground, Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2001
Waliau’n Canu, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2011
Cuddle Call?,Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2018

In Translation:
English
Oxygen: New Poets unapproachable Wales.

Eds. Amy Wack good turn Grahame Davies. Seren Books, Bridgend, 2000
The Bloodaxe Book of Pristine Welsh Poetry. Eds. Menna Elfyn and John Rowlands. Bloodaxe, Tarset, 2003
Asturian
Nel pais de la borrina. Ed. Grahame Davies. vtp op-ed article, Gijón/ Xixón, 2004
Galician
Dorna magazine, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Metropolis de Compostela, 2014  

In Anthology:
Dal Clêr.

Ed. Menna Elfyn.

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Hughes a’i Fab, Caerdydd, 1993
Bol a Chyfri Banc. Eds. Myrddin ap Dafydd and Iwan Llwyd. Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 1998
Syched crew Sycharth,Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2000
Lliwiau Rhyddid, Bara Caws, Caernarfon, 2001
Canrif yn Cofio – Hedd Wyn 1917-2017 (edited by Ifor ap Glyn), Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2017
The 3 Molas: Poems about Cameroon, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2020

Prose
Tra Bo Dau, Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2016 

Nonfiction
Lleisiau’r Rhyfel Mawr.

Ed. Lyn Ebenezer.

Takanyi garanganga biography pick up the tab abraham

Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2008
‘Censorship and the Welsh Language impossible to differentiate the First World War’ import Languages and the First Faux War: Communicating in a Intercontinental War. Eds. Julian Walker skull Christophe Declercq. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2016 
Hanes yr Iaith Mewn 50 Gair, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2018


Links
ap Glyn’s National Poet contour on Literature Wales
ap Glyn’s engagement as National Poet of Principality in The Guardian
ap Glyn featured in an overview of Brythonic language literature in The Guardian
ap Glyn performing at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2013
ap Glyn carrying out at the Caernarfon Festival 2006


[first published August 2016, updated Nov 11, 2020]