Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry Welsh Verse Features of the Welsh Meters Welsh Codified Divisions
Cyhydedd Naw Ban, cuh-hée-dedd naw ban, is the 17th codified ancient Welsh Meter, an Awdl merter. Poems using this meter often have lengthy sequences of couplets without change of rhyme.
The elements of the Cyhydedd Naw Ban are:
written in any number of rhymed couplet.
made up of 9 syllable lines.
rhymed, aa etc.
x x x x x x x x A
x x x x x x x x A
Wrthyt greawdyr byt bid vygobeith
Wrthyf byd drugar hywar hyweith
Yth arge neud gwae nyt gwael y gweith
Wrth dynyon gwylon y bo goleith
Wrht hynny Duw vry vrenhin pob ieith
yth archaf dagnef keinllef kanlleith.
Einion 15th century
News Images by Judi Van Gorder
They stand tall with bravado and yet,
covered faces deny who we've met.
Rockets, AKAs, swords, held in threat,
brow of hapless hostage exudes sweat.
No games played here, you will lose the bet,
mistakes of the past, lead to regret.