Welsh Studies 545

Welsh Studies 545 LITERATURE By BRYNLEY F. RoBERTs, Professor of Welsh Language and Literature, University College of Swansea I. EARLY AND MEDIEVAL POETRY The current debate on the dating of the hengerdd poems con tinues in David N. Dumville, 'Palaeographical considerations in the dating of early Welsh verse', BBCS, 27: 246-5 I, who re examines the palaeographical and orthographical criteria for the dating of the writing down of the poetry of the cynfeirdd in the 9th c. and concludes that they are misconceived. The poems cannot be dated on these grounds more securely than between the late 6th c. and the end of the I Ith c. and linguistic, lit. and historical criteria are the only appropriate ones. Ian Lovecy, 'The end of Celtic Britain: a sixth-century battle near Lindisfarne', Archaeologia Aeliana, 5S., 4 (I976) :3I-45, looks at the records of the death ofUrien, c. 590, irons out contradictions and sheds light on the historical background of the Taliesin poems and trads underlying the triads and Llywarch Hen poetry. D. Simon Evans, 'Aneirin- bardd Cristnogol ?', rB, 10:35-44, looks for Christian attitudes in r Gododdin, a heroic poem composed in the dawn of the Christian era in N. Britain, and suggests that such Christian refs and concepts as can be found are later interpolations. A. 0. H. Jarman, 'Cerdd Ysgolan', ib., 5I-78, reviews work publ. by Donatien Laurent on the Black Book of Carmarthen Ysgolan englynion and later references. The discovery of similar material in modern genuine folk-ballads in Breton provides a context for the englynion and enables J. to trace the links the story has with the legends of Myrddin and Taliesin. Two major contributions to the study of the poetry of the Gogynfeirdd have appeared. J. E. Caerwyn Williams, Canu Crefyddol y Gogyrifeirdd, Darlith Goffa Henry Lewis, Swansea, Coleg y Brifysgol, 39 pp., examines the I.-E. basis of praise poetry and finds the non-Christian attitudes of heroic verse giving way in the I 3th c. to Christian ones. The characteristic themes of this body of poetry are discussed and the pervading view of life revealed. Though the poets continually look back 18 Welsh Studies towards the source of their trad., they also afford glimpses of a new devotional verse. Equally wide-ranging in its treatment is D. Myrddin Lloyd, Rhai Agweddau ar Ddysg y Gogynfeirdd, Darlith Goffa G. J. Williams, Cardiff, Wales U.P., 29 pp., which looks at the nature of the learning evidenced by the poetry, and examines the development or decline of certain themes after 1282. The only texts of gogynfeirdd poetry to appear have been J. E. Caerwyn Williams, 'Barddoniaeth Gwilym Rhyfel', YB, IO: 106-24, who prints versions in med. and mod. orthography of the two series of englynion associated with the poet, together with a brief in trod. and full notes. The Gogynfeirdd are gradually becoming as intelligible, linguistically and conceptually, as the rywyddwyr, though the latter still evoke the most abundant body of crit. comment. Eurys Rolant, 'Arddull canu moliant y bedwaredd ganrif ar ddeg', YB, ro: 144-56, sees the early awdl as having developed in the 14th c. in two opposite directions, to a greater metrical intricacy on the one hand, and to a simple smoother style on the other. The former is viewed as a development within the awdl trad., whereas the latter reveals the infl. of the rywydd style on the awdl poets. Gilbert E. Ruddock, 'Genau crefydd a serch', ib., 230-56, a continuation of his previous studies of the imagery of med. Welsh love poetry, examines the use of Biblical refs in descriptions of the girl's lips. D.J. Bowen, 'Dafydd ap Gwilym a'r trefydd drwg', ib., 190-220, surveys Dafydd's refs to towns, boroughs, castles and other aspects of urban life, but though these bring a new dimension to trad. poetry, burgesses were never patrons, who remained, rather, the cultured aristocracy. R. Geraint Gruffydd, 'Sylwadau ar gywydd "Offeren y Llwyn" Dafydd ap Gwilym', ib., r81-89, looks at two cruxes in D. ap G.'s rywydd on the 'woodland Mass', and suggests that this is a llatai poem sent by Morfudd to the poet, and that the extended image used is typical of his poetic fancy. Rachel Bromwich, 'Gwaith Einion Offeiriad a barddoniaeth Dafydd ap Gwilym', ib., 157-8o, provides an important new insight into the poet's work. B. argues that the poetic grammar, which gave written and formal status to lower grade poetry for the first time, sup plied Dafydd with elements of his vocabulary, rhymes, whole lines and ideas, and was, therefore, a major infl. in his develop ment. Saunders Lewis, 'Dafydd ab Edmwnd', ib., 221-29, is a .

Load more