Welsh Verse

New edition.

The tradition of Welsh poetry stretches back to the sixth century, making it among the oldest living literatures in Europe.

In Welsh Verse Tony Conran translates a selection of work from fourteen centuries of poetry, from the epics of Taliesin and Aneirin to today's poets, Gwyn Thomas and Nesta Wyn Jones. En route he takes in sagas and carols, hymns and strict metres, Romantics and social realism.

Here are translations of Cynddelw, Owain Gwynedd, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Ann Griffiths, Pantycelyn, T. Gwynn Jones, Williams Parry and his cousin Parry-Williams, Saunders Lewis, Gwenallt and Waldo WIlliams. The poetic movements of Welsh language verse are charted in Conran's influential Introduction, in which he explains the important role of poetry in Welsh society, and how it has responded to Welsh history.

There is also a guide to the intricacies of Welsh metre, the complex rules which make Welsh poetry unique, plus a glossary and an appendix on pronunciation. Formerly The Penguin Book of Welsh Verse, this edition is completely revised and considerably expanded.

Tony Conran was born in India, but has spent most of his life in north Wales. He is a former Research Fellow in the English Department at UCNW, Bangor. An outstanding translator, he is also a prize-winning poet in his own right, often combining Welsh traditions with the English language.