Waldo Williams
Encyclopedia
Waldo Williams (30 September 1904 – 20 May 1971) was one of the leading Welsh language
poet
s of the twentieth century. He was also a notable pacifist
, anti-war campaigner, and Welsh nationalist.
, Pembrokeshire
. His father, a primary school teacher from Pembrokeshire, spoke Welsh and his mother spoke English
. In his early years he himself spoke only English.
In 1911 his father was appointed headteacher of the primary school at Mynachlog-ddu
, Pembrokeshire
and it was there that Waldo Williams learnt to speak Welsh. In 1915 Williams's father moved to be headteacher of Brynconin School, the primary school at Llandysilio, Pembrokeshire
.
After attending the Grammar School at Narberth
, Pembrokeshire
he studied at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
where he graduated in English in 1926. Afterwards he trained as a teacher and worked in various schools in Pembrokeshire
, the rest of Wales
and England
. He also taught night classes organised by the Department of Extre-Mural Studies, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
.
Williams married in 1941, but his wife died in 1943, and he did not remarry.
During the Korean War
he refused to pay his income tax on pacifist
grounds. He continued his protest until the ending of compulsory military service
in 1963. During his campaigning he was sent to prison.
He stood as a parliamentary candidate for Plaid Cymru
in the Pembrokeshire constituency
at the 1959 General Election
when he won 4.32% (2.253) of the votes.
He died in 1971 at St. Thomas's Hospital, Haverfordwest
, Pembrokeshire
and is buried at Blaenconin Chapel burial ground in Llandysilio.
and Walt Whitman
to Welsh hymns and the strict alliterative metres of traditional Welsh poetry, known as cynghanedd
.
Williams belongs, first of all, to the Welsh tradition of the bardd gwlad (=folk poet), a poet who served his locality by celebrating its life and people in verse.
But he was also a poet inspired by the mystic
revelation he had as a youth about the unity of the whole of humankind. This revelation was realised in the cooperative and harmonious living he witnessed amongst the farming communities in the Preseli Hills
and reflected in feelings of belonging, knowing, and a desire that people should live together in peace – constant themes in his poetry. It inspired some of his greatest poetry, including Mewn dau gae (=In two fields) (1956), perhaps his greatest poem of all, which celebrates the very moment of this revelation.
Other well-known poems by Williams include Cofio (=Remembering) (before 1936), Y tangnefeddwyr (=The peacemakers) (1941), Preseli (1946), and Pa beth yw dyn? (=What is it to be human?) (1952).
Waldo Williams memorial, Rhos-fach, Mynachlog-ddu.
Cerddi Waldo Williams (=The poems of Waldo Williams), 1992, a selection of his poetry edited by J. E. Caerwyn Williams
.
Waldo Williams: rhyddiaith (=Waldo Williams: prose), 2001, a selection of his prose writings edited by Damian Walford Davies. Includes writing in both Welsh and English.
Cerddi'r plant (=Poems for children), 1936, a volume of poetry including the work of Williams and E. Llwyd Williams.
The old farmhouse, 1961, Williams's translation of Yr hen dy ffarm by D. J. Williams (1953).
by Tony Conran. See References.
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...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s of the twentieth century. He was also a notable pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
, anti-war campaigner, and Welsh nationalist.
Welsh nationalism
Welsh nationalism emphasises the distinctiveness of Welsh language, culture, and history, and calls for more self-determination for Wales, which may include more Devolved powers for the Welsh Assembly or full independence from the United Kingdom.-Conquest:...
Life
Williams was born in HaverfordwestHaverfordwest
Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales and serves as the County's principal commercial and administrative centre. Haverfordwest is the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,367 in 2001; though its community boundaries make it the second most populous...
, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
. His father, a primary school teacher from Pembrokeshire, spoke Welsh and his mother spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. In his early years he himself spoke only English.
In 1911 his father was appointed headteacher of the primary school at Mynachlog-ddu
Mynachlog-ddu
Mynachlog-ddu is a village, and community in the Preseli Hills, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The community also includes the parish of Llangolman.There are two places of worship in the village: the Anglican church of St...
, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
and it was there that Waldo Williams learnt to speak Welsh. In 1915 Williams's father moved to be headteacher of Brynconin School, the primary school at Llandysilio, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
.
After attending the Grammar School at Narberth
Narberth, Pembrokeshire
Narberth is a town in Pembrokeshire, Wales. . It was founded around a Welsh court, but later became a Norman stronghold on the Landsker Line. It became the headquarters of the hundred of Narberth. It was once a marcher borough...
, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
he studied at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University is a university located in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. As of late 2006, the university had over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.The university was founded in 1872 as...
where he graduated in English in 1926. Afterwards he trained as a teacher and worked in various schools in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
, the rest of Wales
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...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He also taught night classes organised by the Department of Extre-Mural Studies, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University is a university located in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. As of late 2006, the university had over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.The university was founded in 1872 as...
.
Williams married in 1941, but his wife died in 1943, and he did not remarry.
During the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
he refused to pay his income tax on pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
grounds. He continued his protest until the ending of compulsory military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
in 1963. During his campaigning he was sent to prison.
He stood as a parliamentary candidate for Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
in the Pembrokeshire constituency
Pembrokeshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Pembrokeshire was a parliamentary constituency based on the county of Pembrokeshire in Wales. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.- History :...
at the 1959 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
when he won 4.32% (2.253) of the votes.
He died in 1971 at St. Thomas's Hospital, Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales and serves as the County's principal commercial and administrative centre. Haverfordwest is the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,367 in 2001; though its community boundaries make it the second most populous...
, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
and is buried at Blaenconin Chapel burial ground in Llandysilio.
Poetry
Williams's poetry shows many influences from William WordsworthWilliam Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
and Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
to Welsh hymns and the strict alliterative metres of traditional Welsh poetry, known as cynghanedd
Cynghanedd
In Welsh language poetry, Cynghanedd is the basic concept of sound-arrangement within one line, using stress, alliteration and rhyme. The various forms of cynghanedd show up in the definitions of all formal Welsh verse forms, such as the awdl. Though of ancient origin, cynghanedd and variations of...
.
Williams belongs, first of all, to the Welsh tradition of the bardd gwlad (=folk poet), a poet who served his locality by celebrating its life and people in verse.
But he was also a poet inspired by the mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
revelation he had as a youth about the unity of the whole of humankind. This revelation was realised in the cooperative and harmonious living he witnessed amongst the farming communities in the Preseli Hills
Preseli Hills
The Preseli Hills or Preseli Mountains are a range of hills in north Pembrokeshire, West Wales...
and reflected in feelings of belonging, knowing, and a desire that people should live together in peace – constant themes in his poetry. It inspired some of his greatest poetry, including Mewn dau gae (=In two fields) (1956), perhaps his greatest poem of all, which celebrates the very moment of this revelation.
Other well-known poems by Williams include Cofio (=Remembering) (before 1936), Y tangnefeddwyr (=The peacemakers) (1941), Preseli (1946), and Pa beth yw dyn? (=What is it to be human?) (1952).
Important events in Williams's life
- 1911 - Moves to Mynachlog-dduMynachlog-dduMynachlog-ddu is a village, and community in the Preseli Hills, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The community also includes the parish of Llangolman.There are two places of worship in the village: the Anglican church of St...
when his father becomes headteacher of primary school. - 1915 - Moves to Llandysilio, PembrokeshirePembrokeshirePembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
when his father is appointed headteacher of primary school. - 1917 - Attends grammar school at NarberthNarberth, PembrokeshireNarberth is a town in Pembrokeshire, Wales. . It was founded around a Welsh court, but later became a Norman stronghold on the Landsker Line. It became the headquarters of the hundred of Narberth. It was once a marcher borough...
. - 1923 - Begins study at University College of Wales, AberystwythUniversity of Wales, AberystwythAberystwyth University is a university located in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. As of late 2006, the university had over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.The university was founded in 1872 as...
. - 1926 - Graduates in English and trains as a teacher.
- 1928 - Begins to teach in at various primary schools in PembrokeshirePembrokeshirePembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
. - 1936 - Publication of Cerddi'r plant (=Poems for children)
- 1941 - Marries Linda Llewellyn.
- 1942 - Moves from Pembrokeshire to teach in north-west Wales.
- 1943 - Linda Llewellyn dies.
- 1944 - Moves to teach at KimboltonKimboltonKimbolton could be:*Kimbolton, Herefordshire*Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire**Kimbolton School**Kimbolton Castle**Kimbolton Airfield*Kimbolton Fireworks, the UK's only fireworks manufacturer*Kimbolton, Ohio*Kimbolton, New Zealand...
, HuntingdonshireHuntingdonshireHuntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
. - 1946 - Moves to Lyneham, WiltshireWiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. - 1949 - Returns to Wales.
- 1950 - The Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
; resigns from teaching to begin protest of non-payment of income tax against the war. Protest continues after the war until the end of compulsory military serviceMilitary serviceMilitary service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
in 1963. - 1953 - Leaves the BaptistBaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church to join the Religious Society of FriendsReligious Society of FriendsThe Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
, commonly known as Quakers. - 1956 - Publication of Dail pren (=The leaves of the tree).
- 1959 - Stands as the Plaid CymruPlaid Cymru' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
candidate in the PembrokeshirePembrokeshirePembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
constituency at the General Election. - 1960 - Imprisoned for six weeks for non-payment of income tax.
- 1961 - Imprisoned for a further period for non-payment of income tax.
- 1963 - Resumes teaching at various primary schools in PembrokeshirePembrokeshirePembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
.
Waldo Williams memorial, Rhos-fach, Mynachlog-ddu.
Published works
Dail pren (=The leaves of the tree), 1956, was the only volume of poetry published by Williams during his lifetime. A new edition was published in 1991 by Gwasg Gomer, ISBN.Cerddi Waldo Williams (=The poems of Waldo Williams), 1992, a selection of his poetry edited by J. E. Caerwyn Williams
J. E. Caerwyn Williams
J. E. Caerwyn Williams FBA , was a Welsh scholar. His fields of study included the literatures of the Celtic languages, especially Welsh and Irish literature. He has published books in both English and Welsh.Caerwyn Williams was born in Gwauncaegurwen, Glamorgan in 1912 into a coal-mining family...
.
Waldo Williams: rhyddiaith (=Waldo Williams: prose), 2001, a selection of his prose writings edited by Damian Walford Davies. Includes writing in both Welsh and English.
Cerddi'r plant (=Poems for children), 1936, a volume of poetry including the work of Williams and E. Llwyd Williams.
The old farmhouse, 1961, Williams's translation of Yr hen dy ffarm by D. J. Williams (1953).
Translations of his work
A significant collection of his poems have been translated into EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by Tony Conran. See References.
External links
- Information and pictures of Williams from the Puncheston School website. Williams was a teacher at the school.
- Listen to Williams's voice on the BBC Wales Cymru ar yr awyr website. This site is in Welsh.