Dafydd ab Edmwnd
Encyclopedia
Dafydd ap Edmwnd was one of the most prominent Welsh language
poets of the Later Middle Ages.
, in Flintshire
(now Wrexham County Borough), north-east Wales
. As a freeman and landowner within Welsh society he was not, like most of his contemporaries, dependent upon patronage.
Dafydd was the bardic disciple of Maredudd ap Rhys
and was in turn, the bardic tutor of Tudur Aled
and Gutun Owain
.
. His best-known poems include the following cywydd
au:
Unlike many of his contemporaries, such as Guto'r Glyn
or Lewys Glyn Cothi
, Dafydd eschewed the Wars of the Roses
and politics. However, Dafydd was moved to compose an elegy for his friend, the harpist Siôn Eos, who was hanged for killing a man in a tavern brawl. In this, arguably his finest poem, Dafydd expresses his own anti-English sentiment, and regrets that Siôn Eos could not have been tried under the more humane Laws of Hywel Dda
, resulting in compensation being paid to the victim’s family under the old Welsh law rather than the capital punishment of “cyfraith Lundain” (="London’s law").
. This was achieved with a cywydd
in praise of the Trinity
, which exemplified the 24 metres of Welsh bardic poetry reformed by Dafydd, previously codified by Einion Offeiriad
and Dafydd Ddu o Hiraddug
. He deleted two metres and replaced them with the more complicated Gorchest y Beirdd and the Cadwynfyr.
The 24 metres presented by Dafydd at the Eisteddfod became widely adopted throughout Wales. While the training of poets had always been kept within bardic circles, with the craft handed down fron tutor to pupil, Dafydd’s reforms of the metres subsequently increased the segregation between the “professional elite” and the amateur poets. However the consequence of this, and of Dafydd in particular, was that greater emphasis was placed upon the bardic craft with its adherence to the stricter metres rather than on the content and theme of the poems. The passion and intensity of Dafydd ap Gwilym
and Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen
tended to be lost.
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...
poets of the Later Middle Ages.
Life
Dafydd was born into a family of Norman ancestry in HanmerHanmer
Hanmer is a village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. At the 2001 Census the population of the Hanmer community area, which includes Hanmer village itself, Horseman's Green and Arowry along with a number of small hamlets,...
, in Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
(now Wrexham County Borough), north-east 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...
. As a freeman and landowner within Welsh society he was not, like most of his contemporaries, dependent upon patronage.
Dafydd was the bardic disciple of Maredudd ap Rhys
Maredudd ap Rhys
Maredudd ap Rhys was a Welsh language poet and priest from Powys.Maredudd composed poems on themes of love, religion and nature.He is thought to have been the bardic tutor to Dafydd ab Edmwnd.-References:...
and was in turn, the bardic tutor of Tudur Aled
Tudur Aled
Tudur Aled was a late medieval Welsh poet, born in Llansannan, Denbighshire.He is regarded as one of the finest poets of his period and was a master of cynghanedd....
and Gutun Owain
Gutun Owain
Gutun Owain was a Welsh language poet. Gutun Owain was born near Oswestry in what is now north Shropshire and was a student of Dafydd ab Edmwnd....
.
Poetry
The main themes of Dafydd’s poetry were love and nature in the tradition of Dafydd ap GwilymDafydd ap Gwilym
Dafydd ap Gwilym , is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and amongst the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Dafydd ap Gwilym (c. 1315/1320 – c. 1350/1370), is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and amongst the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Dafydd ap Gwilym...
. His best-known poems include the following 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...
au:
- Cywydd Merch (="To a girl")
- I Wallt Merch (="A lady’s hair")
- Enwi’r Ferch (="Naming the girl")
Unlike many of his contemporaries, such as Guto'r Glyn
Guto'r Glyn
Guto'r Glyn was a Welsh language poet and soldier of the era of the Beirdd yr Uchelwyr or Cywyddwyr , the itinerant professional poets of the later Middle Ages...
or Lewys Glyn Cothi
Lewys Glyn Cothi
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 or Cywyddwyr , the itinerant professional poets of the period between the 1284 Statute of...
, Dafydd eschewed 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...
and politics. However, Dafydd was moved to compose an elegy for his friend, the harpist Siôn Eos, who was hanged for killing a man in a tavern brawl. In this, arguably his finest poem, Dafydd expresses his own anti-English sentiment, and regrets that Siôn Eos could not have been tried under the more humane Laws of Hywel Dda
Hywel Dda
Hywel Dda , was the well-thought-of king of Deheubarth in south-west Wales, who eventually came to rule Wales from Prestatyn to Pembroke. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, through his father Cadell, Hywel was a member of the Dinefwr branch of the dynasty and is also named Hywel ap Cadell...
, resulting in compensation being paid to the victim’s family under the old Welsh law rather than the capital punishment of “cyfraith Lundain” (="London’s law").
- Marwnad Siôn Eos (=The Death of Sion Eos)
1450 Eisteddfod and its Legacy
In 1450 Dafydd won the silver chair at an eisteddfod held at CarmarthenCarmarthen
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....
. This was achieved with a 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...
in praise of the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
, which exemplified the 24 metres of Welsh bardic poetry reformed by Dafydd, previously codified by Einion Offeiriad
Einion Offeiriad
Einion Offeiriad was a Welsh language poet and grammarian.Einion lived in Ceredigion, where he was a chaplain to Sir Rhys ap Gruffudd ap Hywel ap Gruffudd ab Ednyfed Fychan, a wealthy nobleman...
and Dafydd Ddu o Hiraddug
Dafydd Ddu o Hiraddug
Dafydd Ddu o Hiraddug , also known as Dafydd Ddu Athro o Hiraddug, was a Welsh language poet, grammarian, and cleric in the diocese of Llanelwy...
. He deleted two metres and replaced them with the more complicated Gorchest y Beirdd and the Cadwynfyr.
The 24 metres presented by Dafydd at the Eisteddfod became widely adopted throughout Wales. While the training of poets had always been kept within bardic circles, with the craft handed down fron tutor to pupil, Dafydd’s reforms of the metres subsequently increased the segregation between the “professional elite” and the amateur poets. However the consequence of this, and of Dafydd in particular, was that greater emphasis was placed upon the bardic craft with its adherence to the stricter metres rather than on the content and theme of the poems. The passion and intensity of Dafydd ap Gwilym
Dafydd ap Gwilym
Dafydd ap Gwilym , is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and amongst the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Dafydd ap Gwilym (c. 1315/1320 – c. 1350/1370), is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and amongst the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Dafydd ap Gwilym...
and Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen
Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen
Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen was a Welsh language court poet from Merionethshire, in the north west of Wales.Llywelyn is credited, along with Iolo Goch, with introducing and popularizing the cywydd metre in the north of Wales....
tended to be lost.