The traditional Welsh poetic meters consist of twenty four different types of poetic meter, called Y Pedwar Mesur ar Hugain in Welsh

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...

. They are all written in 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...

 of varying degrees of complexity.

Although called "traditional," they were compiled - and later redefined at least once - in the Late Middle Ages

Late Middle Ages

The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....

 and omit some of the older forms such as the englyn milwr. Only a few of them were widely used by the professional poets (Beirdd yr Uchelwyr), and the use of some of the more complicated ones is confined to occasional poems of technical virtuosity dating to the end of the Middle Ages.

The twenty four traditional Welsh poetic meters are:

• Awdl-gywydd
• Byr-a-thoddaid
• Cadwynfyr
• Clogyrnach
• Cyhydedd Fer
• Cyhydedd Hir
• Cyhydedd Naw Ban
• Cyrch-a-chwta
• Cywydd Deuair Fyrion
• Cywydd Deuair Hirion: see 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...
  
  
• Cywydd Llosgyrnog
• Englyn Proest Cyfnewidiog
• Englyn Proest Cadwynog
• Englyn Unodl Crwca
• Englyn Unodl Union: see Englyn
  Englyn
  Englyn is a traditional Welsh and Cornish short poem form. It uses quantitative metres, involving the counting of syllables, and rigid patterns of rhyme and half rhyme. Each line contains a repeating pattern of consonants and accent known as cynghanedd.- The Eight Types :There are eight types of...
  
  
• Gorchest Beirdd
• Gwawdodyn Byr
• Gwawdodyn Hir
• Hir-a-thoddaid
• Rhupunt Byr
• Rhupunt Hir
• Rhupunt Hwyaf
• Tawddgyrch Cadwynog
• Toddaid

See also

• Welsh poetry
  Welsh poetry
  Welsh poetry may refer to poetry in the Welsh language, Anglo-Welsh poetry, or other poetry written in Wales or by Welsh poets.-History:Wales has one of the earliest literary traditions in Northern Europe, stretching back to the days of Aneirin Welsh poetry may refer to poetry in the Welsh...
  
  
• Welsh literature
  Literature of Wales (Welsh language)
  After literature written in the classical languages literature in the Welsh language is the oldest surviving literature in Europe. The Welsh literary tradition stretches from the 6th century to the twenty-first. Its fortunes have fluctuated over the centuries, in line with those of the Welsh...
  
  
• Eisteddfod