Lewys Glyn Cothi
Encyclopedia
Lewys Glyn Cothi also known as Llywelyn y Glyn, was a prominent Welsh
poet who composed numerous poems in the Welsh language
. He is one of the most important representatives of the Beirdd yr Uchelwyr ("Poets of the Nobility") or Cywyddwyr ("cywydd
-men"), the itinerant professional poets of the period between the 1284 Statute of Rhuddlan
and c. 1600.
in south-west Wales: he took his bardic name from the nearby forest of Glyn Cothi in the Cothi
valley. His given name was Llewelyn, but he generally used the name "Lewys" in his verse, and is more usually known by this name. One of his manuscripts suggests that he may have received some education at Carmarthen
Priory, but his early life is otherwise rather obscure.
Lewys lived through the Wars of the Roses
, in which he was an adherent of the Lancastrian party, becoming an outlaw as a result after the Battle of Mortimer's Cross
. He likely witnessed the battle himself in the company of Owen ap Gruffudd ap Nicolas, the son of a prominent Carmarthenshire
esquire, and subsequently Owen and Lewys spent time as outlaws in Snowdonia
. Lewys was a supporter of Jasper Tudor, the Earl of Pembroke, and later of Henry Tudor
. Although many of his poems are addressed to pro-Lancastrian gentry, he was not above praising Yorkist patrons when occasion demanded it, such as the Vaughan family of Hergest, Herefordshire
, with whom his name is often associated.
There is a story, originating in a note on a manuscript copy of his poetry, that Lewys settled at Chester
and was later ejected from the city by its burgesses for marrying a widow without their consent. Other stories attached to different manuscripts state that he was driven out of the staunchly Yorkist city for making a verse prophecy that Henry Tudor would become king. Although unconfirmed, it seems certain that something occurred to make him a laughing-stock of Chester's citizens and to spur him to satirise them mercilessly in an awdl
, describing them as the offspring of "eight kinds of intercourse in the bushes" ("cyw wythryw cyfathrach — dan lwyn") and calling the vengeance of a pro-Lancastrian Welsh noble, Rheinallt ap Gruffydd ap Bleddyn of Mold
, on their heads.
He travelled widely in Wales, visiting the houses of various patrons, and seems to have had a particular affection for Anglesey
, where he paid tribute to the hospitality he received, writing "Gorddu yw brig Iwerddon / gan fwg ceginau o Fôn" ("Blackened are the trees of Ireland / by the smoke of the kitchens of Anglesey").
He is known to have had at least one son, John, whose death at the age of 5 led Lewys to write one of his most powerful poems, the elegy Marwnad Siôn y Glyn, part of which runs, in a translation by the academic and poet Gwyn Williams
, as:
A tradition states that Lewys, who appears to have died around 1490, was buried at Abergwili
, but his place of burial and exact date of death remain unconfirmed. One of his last poems is addressed to Henry Tudor after the latter had been crowned as King Henry VII.
: about 230 of his poems have survived in various manuscript sources. Although his strict-metre style is not as polished as some, it has been characterised as "fluent and natural". His work ranges from elaborate poems of praise and devotional verse to broad humour, the latter particularly when begging patrons for various items. He was an accomplished scribe, and is thought to have been responsible for compiling much, if not all, of Llyfr Gwyn Hergest (the White Book of Hergest
), an important late-medieval Welsh manuscript which disappeared in the early 19th century (he also added several poems to the Red Book of Hergest
, which is now in the National Library of Wales
). Lewys was also an expert on heraldry
, and compiled several treatises on the subject. The manuscript Peniarth 109, which contains over a hundred of his poems in his own hand, was illustrated by him with the arms of many Welsh noble families.
His entire works were published in 1953 through the cooperation of the National Library of Wales
and the University of Wales Press
Board, and were edited by E. D. Jones
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
poet who composed numerous poems in the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
. He is one of the most important representatives of the Beirdd yr Uchelwyr ("Poets of the Nobility") or Cywyddwyr ("cywydd
Cywydd
The cywydd is one of the most important metrical forms in Welsh traditional poetry.There are a variety of forms of the cywydd, but the word on its own is generally used to refer to the cywydd deuair hirion as it is by far the most common type.The first recorded examples of the cywydd date from the...
-men"), the itinerant professional poets of the period between the 1284 Statute of Rhuddlan
Statute of Rhuddlan
The Statute of Rhuddlan , also known as the Statutes of Wales or as the Statute of Wales provided the constitutional basis for the government of the Principality of North Wales from 1284 until 1536...
and c. 1600.
Life
He was born in c.1420, possibly at Pwllcynbyd farm, near the remote hamlet of Rhydycymerau in the parish of LlanybydderLlanybydder
Llanybydder is a market town straddling the River Teifi in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, West Wales, with a population of 1,423, almost three quarters of whom are Welsh-speaking according to the United Kingdom Census 2001. The nearest university is the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David,...
in south-west Wales: he took his bardic name from the nearby forest of Glyn Cothi in the Cothi
River Cothi
The River Cothi is the largest tributary of the River Tywi in south Wales. It is noted for its trout and sea trout fishing and for its beautiful scenery.-Dolaucothi:...
valley. His given name was Llewelyn, but he generally used the name "Lewys" in his verse, and is more usually known by this name. One of his manuscripts suggests that he may have received some education at Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
Priory, but his early life is otherwise rather obscure.
Lewys lived through the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
, in which he was an adherent of the Lancastrian party, becoming an outlaw as a result after the Battle of Mortimer's Cross
Battle of Mortimer's Cross
The Battle of Mortimer's Cross was fought on 2 February 1461 near Wigmore, Herefordshire . It was part of the Wars of the Roses....
. He likely witnessed the battle himself in the company of Owen ap Gruffudd ap Nicolas, the son of a prominent Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
esquire, and subsequently Owen and Lewys spent time as outlaws in Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
. Lewys was a supporter of Jasper Tudor, the Earl of Pembroke, and later of Henry Tudor
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
. Although many of his poems are addressed to pro-Lancastrian gentry, he was not above praising Yorkist patrons when occasion demanded it, such as the Vaughan family of Hergest, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, with whom his name is often associated.
There is a story, originating in a note on a manuscript copy of his poetry, that Lewys settled at Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
and was later ejected from the city by its burgesses for marrying a widow without their consent. Other stories attached to different manuscripts state that he was driven out of the staunchly Yorkist city for making a verse prophecy that Henry Tudor would become king. Although unconfirmed, it seems certain that something occurred to make him a laughing-stock of Chester's citizens and to spur him to satirise them mercilessly in an awdl
Awdl
An awdl is a long poem written in Welsh in one of the twenty-four strict metres, using cynghanedd. Such poems are considered among the finest work that a poet can aim to produce, and prizes are given at eisteddfodau for the best awdl....
, describing them as the offspring of "eight kinds of intercourse in the bushes" ("cyw wythryw cyfathrach — dan lwyn") and calling the vengeance of a pro-Lancastrian Welsh noble, Rheinallt ap Gruffydd ap Bleddyn of Mold
Mold
Molds are fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae. Molds are not considered to be microbes but microscopic fungi that grow as single cells called yeasts...
, on their heads.
He travelled widely in Wales, visiting the houses of various patrons, and seems to have had a particular affection for Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, where he paid tribute to the hospitality he received, writing "Gorddu yw brig Iwerddon / gan fwg ceginau o Fôn" ("Blackened are the trees of Ireland / by the smoke of the kitchens of Anglesey").
He is known to have had at least one son, John, whose death at the age of 5 led Lewys to write one of his most powerful poems, the elegy Marwnad Siôn y Glyn, part of which runs, in a translation by the academic and poet Gwyn Williams
David Gwyn Williams
Professor David Gwyn Williams, usually known simply as Gwyn Williams was a Welsh poet, novelist, translator and academic.He was born in Port Talbot and educated at the University College of Wales and Jesus College, Oxford. As an academic he taught at Cairo, Alexandria, Benghazi, and Istanbul,...
, as:
- Siôn's death stands near me
- like two barbs in my breast.
- My son, child of my hearth,
- my breast, my heart, my song,
- my one delight before my death,
- my knowing poet, my luxury.
- Yngo y saif angau Siôn
- yn ddeufrath yn y ddwyfron.
- Fy mab, fy muarth baban,
- fy mron, fy nghalon, fy nghân,
- fy mryd cyn fy marw ydoedd,
- fy mardd doeth, fy moeth im oedd
A tradition states that Lewys, who appears to have died around 1490, was buried at Abergwili
Abergwili
Abergwili is a village in Carmarthenshire, West Wales, lying near to the junction of River Towy and River Gwili.- Bishop's Palace :It is known for its Bishop's Palace, home to the Bishop of St David's since 1542, when Bishop William Barlow transferred his palace from St David's to Abergwili,...
, but his place of burial and exact date of death remain unconfirmed. One of his last poems is addressed to Henry Tudor after the latter had been crowned as King Henry VII.
Work
Lewys was a prolific poet, writing many celebratory poems and elegiesElegies
is the Hello! Project 2005 shuffle group consisting of Ai Takahashi and Reina Tanaka of Morning Musume, along with Melon Kinenbi's Ayumi Shibata and Country Musume's Mai Satoda. The name comes from the word elegy. They released the single "" on June 22, 2005....
: about 230 of his poems have survived in various manuscript sources. Although his strict-metre style is not as polished as some, it has been characterised as "fluent and natural". His work ranges from elaborate poems of praise and devotional verse to broad humour, the latter particularly when begging patrons for various items. He was an accomplished scribe, and is thought to have been responsible for compiling much, if not all, of Llyfr Gwyn Hergest (the White Book of Hergest
White Book of Hergest
The White Book of Hergest was an important Welsh manuscript compiled in c. 1450. It contained many Welsh poems and prose texts and was a significant source for several antiquaries of the 17th and 18th centuries, but disappeared in the early 19th century, probably being destroyed in a fire in a...
), an important late-medieval Welsh manuscript which disappeared in the early 19th century (he also added several poems to the Red Book of Hergest
Red Book of Hergest
The Red Book of Hergest is a large vellum manuscript written shortly after 1382, which ranks as one of the most important medieval manuscripts written in the Welsh language. It preserves a collection of Welsh prose and poetry, notably the tales of the Mabinogion, Gogynfeirdd poetry...
, which is now in the National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
). Lewys was also an expert on heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
, and compiled several treatises on the subject. The manuscript Peniarth 109, which contains over a hundred of his poems in his own hand, was illustrated by him with the arms of many Welsh noble families.
His entire works were published in 1953 through the cooperation of the National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
and the University of Wales Press
University of Wales Press
The University of Wales Press was founded in 1922 as a central service of the University of Wales. It publishes academic journals and around sixty books a year in the English and Welsh languages, based around a core of six subjects: History; Political Philosophy and Religious Studies;Welsh and...
Board, and were edited by E. D. Jones
E. D. Jones
Evan David Jones PhD, FSA, was the Librarian of the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth from 1958 to 1969.Dr. Jones was appointed Librarian of the National Library of Wales, the national legal deposit library of Wales, in 1958 A biographer, Jones wrote articles on Evan Lewis, David Jones and...
.