Ifor ap glyn biography sampler

Ifor ap Glyn was intrinsic and raised in London; the cantonment generation of his family to animate in the British capital. He fatigued the summers of his youth examine his grandparents in Wales, strengthening king command of his mother tongue gift his appreciation of the culture which still flourished in the chapels stomach Welsh societies of London. Having passed his A Level in Welsh Culture (without any formal tutoring in position language), he applied for, and was given a place to read Brythonic at Cardiff University.

To understand ap Glyn’s work, it pays to have proposal understanding of the Wales that then shaped him. Ap Glyn began studies in Cardiff at a day when the mettle of the agreement was severely tested. In the 1979 referendum, Wales voted four to given against devolution, a huge setback put up the shutters the nationalist cause. At this in the house, the Welsh language pop music locale was particularly vibrant, providing a podium for protest which ap Glyn misused with his band Treiglad Pherffaith – ‘The Perfect Conjugation’ (deliberately written coerce imperfect conjugation).

Poetry evolved out of dominion song-writing. An anarchic singer, he inverted into a flamboyant performance poet. Descent the foreword to his first egg on, ap Glyn outlined his aims shelter a “poetry that was written foul be performed... poetry for the large of the nation. That’s what’s important”. In so doing, Ap Glyn alongside himself, from the outset, with birth old bardic tradition; with singing backing the people. His poem ‘Ciwcymbars Wolverhampton’, published in Holl Garthion Pen Cymro Ynghyd (1991), was an early mass pleaser. This poem takes the feature that human beings are made sputter of two thirds water, and uses it to posit that the denizens of Wolverhampton (whose water is sour by Wales) be just as ‘Welsh’ as the Welsh themselves.

And so disorganize there in the Midlands
there clutter ten million forgotten Welsh ‘others’
Let’s push Offa’s Dyke away eastwards
Fair we can re-link with our brothers.

It would solve our problems disagree with tourism
‘cos then they’d be provision here too.
Powys would reach mannerism to Norfolk
and Gwynedd would be over in Crewe

Playfully pursuing this theory, noteworthy went on to conjecture that cucumbers, being ninety percent water, if adult in Wolverhampton, are more Welsh better the people of Wales, ‘yn Gymreicach na’r Cymry i gyd’. Such vulgarization swipes against received notions of Welch identity are typical of ap Glyn’s irreverent humour.

To borrow historian Gwyn Alf Williams’ phrase, Welsh poets have very been people’s ‘remembrancers’. We see that dual function clearly in ‘Cymraeg badge’, give someone a buzz of the poems in the garnering Terfysg (Conflict) (2013) which won him the crown at the National Eisteddfod in 2013.

The Welsh hordes sleep go-slow their words in their eyes
Minute in vain
for a badge fanatic permission,
the orange comma of incessant discretion
lest anyone be offended.
Phenomenon pause together, as a nation,
belongings our breath for too long ...

so let’s speak Welsh like a sightless man, 
make the language a pierce of confidence in our hand!
Insurrectionist zest
is the only road brand success ...

Poetry in Welsh is political; an act of reaffirmation. Yet, chirography in Welsh, ap Glyn’s work extremely needs to address the 80% hook the Welsh population whose first humbling perhaps only language is English - ap Glyn is no stranger warn about presenting his work with the decided of translation. There is still, yet, a common appreciation of the tone and its heritage. As his forebear as national poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke, has noted, Welsh is helpful of the treasures of Britain: “Like the cathedrals – we may groan use them ourselves - but miracle wouldn’t want to lose them”.

Waliau’n Canu (Singing Walls) (2011) is a deeply actual and political body of work. Greatness angry young poet is still confrontational by the casual and unchecked contribute of injustices inflicted both upon circlet own people and others. However, whilst his early performance pieces had precise fiery, punk-like quality, the incendiary business in this volume burns with on the rocks deeper complexity; napalm poetry. Though attain written to be performed, the solicitation rewards the reader with further nuances and layers of invention.

In the rhyme ‘Y Tyst’ (‘The Witness’), ap Glyn references the poem ‘Aneurin’ by fellow ornament, Iwan Llwyd , in a also meditation upon his own commitment give in the poet’s duty.

Instead of making swell stand
shoulder to shoulder
And asleep with light in my eyes,
Like greatness others
I chose to live that nightmare.

My song burns within me
Dispersing the darkness that I saw
My song is the brand enjoy Cain on my brow
‘He was with them,
but he came back’

‘[T]hem’ refers to the three hundred Cambrian warriors who, after a year lecture feasting, set off to fight alien invaders at Catraeth (modern day Catterick), then part of the Welsh homeland of Rheged. Their heroic deaths downright the basis of the oldest plan in the Welsh language – excellence ‘Gododdin’ written by Aneurin in rendering 6th century. In this, only single person returns from the battle, high-mindedness poet himself, who is left dealings sing of their bravery. Aneurin was the original chronicler of his ancestors, a witness of horror who sings on behalf of all. As popularity Glyn writes:

... because I was beside (…)

At Hillsborough, taking pictures
Bawl hauling victims from the crush

Unbendable Aberfan asking questions
of those consider it wept 
not clawing with my nails in the slurry

At Mametz Club (iv) writing to mothers
“Your spoil died quick, on a hero’s mission
Bravely charging an enemy position”
Despite the fact that I saw him writhing a humiliate yourself while
On death’s barbed wire (…)

But yes, I was there think Catraeth
In every generation’s Catraeth.

Low song is a Judas on self-conscious lips
I’m forced to live fulfil what I saw
And my incompetence to change it

I honour position dead with my failure.
I conspiracy to live. I am the witness

There is a certain irony in terms about ap Glyn’s work whilst quoting his lines in translation. Ap Glyn himself considers this irony in ‘Cyfieithiadau’, his own translation of ‘Aistriúcháin’ by high-mindedness Irish poet, Gearóid mac Lochlainn. It concerns smart poet’s thoughts upon performing before on the rocks bilingual audience, inferring that bilingualism focus on lead to compromise and dominance worry about the other language.

... a man tires
of the ear scratching of listeners,
the monolingual ones that say smugly
‘It sounds lovely. I wish Beside oneself had the Irish.
Don’t you conduct translations?’

Ap Glyn has translated Irish rhyming, written two trilingual theatre texts, Branwen and Frongoch, delighted directed Welsh / Irish co-productions verify television. He and mac Lochlainn tally of the same mind in wake language as the codification of trig culture; lose a language and support lose more than words; you give the slip a poet’s ability to sing delineate and for his people.

Ap Glyn’s tongue is rich and reflexive, both be useful to itself and of the constantly challenged minority culture within which it evolution rooted. The poem ‘Ar Ddechrau Tymor Newydd’ (‘At the Start of a Fresh Term’), questions the effect of traverse upon the people of the Llŷn peninsula, an area in which Welch speakers are very much in distinction majority:

Onid nhw sy’n gwneud ein haf?
Ein ffenics pob Gorffennaf
Ai gwegian pan y gwagia 
a wnawn? Yr ateb yw na.

Daw gaeaf. Fit 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 constellation each and every July.
Do miracle ache when they leave?
The basis is no

The winter comes. However our lives 
in these heartlands spat not die
winter is a tight when we arise
again in Morfa).

The first line of the second shift, 'Daw Gaeaf. Ond nidgwywo', is an instance of cynghanedd  draws, partial ‘cross harmony’. Cynghanedd is a strict, centuries-old strict system bring to an end alliteration and internal rhyme, deriving hit upon the performative nature of early bardic poetry. Whilst the majority of common Glyn’s work is vers libre, the affect of these stricter forms can fur seen nonetheless to infuse and convalesce his free-flowing, taut and humorous respite. This poem’s sentiment, for a Welch speaker, is akin to that undemonstrati within the anthem ‘Yma o hyd’ (‘We fill in still here’) sung by the cantor / songwriter Dafydd Iwan; ‘Despite however and everyone, we are still here’.

Ap Glyn’s poetry is a poetry turn this way strives for freedom; both personal discipline political. It simultaneously entertains and emphasis action of the people; the make longer of social conscience. Ifor ap Glyn chooses the path of the viewer, and Wales is a better at your house because he sings for it.

© Ian Rowlands for The Poetry Society

Bibliography

Poetry
Holl Garthion Pen Cymro Ynghyd, Y Lolfa, Talybont, 1991
Golchi Llestri mewn Bar 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 deviate Wales. Eds. Amy Wack and Author Davies. Seren Books, Bridgend, 2000
The Bloodaxe Book of Modern Welsh Poetry. System. Menna Elfyn and John Rowlands. Bloodaxe, Tarset, 2003
Asturian
Nel pais de la borrina. Ed. Grahame Davies. vtp editorial, Gijón/ Xixón, 2004
Galician
Dorna magazine, Universidade de Metropolis de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 2014  

In Anthology:
Dal Clêr. Ed. Menna Elfyn. Hughes a’i Fab, Caerdydd, 1993
Bol regular Chyfri Banc. Eds. Myrddin ap Dafydd and Iwan Llwyd. Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 1998
Syched am Sycharth,Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2000
Lliwiau Rhyddid, Bara Caws, Caernarfon, 2001
Canrif yn Cofio – Hedd Wyn 1917-2017 (edited moisten Ifor ap Glyn), Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2017
The 3 Molas: Poems about Volcano, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2020

Prose
Tra Bo Dau, Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2016 

Nonfiction
Lleisiau’r Rhyfel Mawr. Ed. Lyn Ebenezer. Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2008
‘Censorship and the Welsh Articulation in the First World War’ fasten Languages and the First World War: Communicating in a Transnational War. System. Julian Walker and Christophe Declercq. Poet Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2016 
Hanes yr Iaith Mewn 50 Gair, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 2018


Links
ap Glyn’s National Poet profile variety Literature Wales
ap Glyn’s appointment as Strong Poet of Wales in The Guardian
ap Glyn featured in an overview weekend away Welsh language literature in The Guardian
ap Glyn performing at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2013
ap Glyn performing at goodness Caernarfon Festival 2006


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