Search the Community

Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry Welsh Verse Features of the Welsh Meters Welsh Codified Divisions Englyn lleddfbroest, én-glin lléd-uhv-broyst (diphthong half rhymed englyn), the 7th codified Official Welsh Meter, an Englyn, is close to impossible to emulate in English. Therefore, if you want to give this one a try, consider yourself successful if you get sort of close to these sounds. As the on-line site Kalliope says "in English, cheat". The elements of the englyn lleddfbroest are: stanzaic, written in any number of quatrains. syllabic, 7 syllable lines. rhymed, all of the lines half rhymes but the four half-rhymes must be the diphthongs ae, oe, wy, and ei in whatever order. x x x x x x ae x x x x x x oe x x x x x x wy x x x x x x ei or ai Llawen dan glaerwen len laes, lleddfolwg gloyn amlwg glwys, llathrlun manol a foleis, llarieidd foneddigeidd foes. ---- Einion Offeiriad 15th century Absolute Nonsense by Judi Van Gorder Sorry, even cheating fails, to try writing Welsh forms foils artistry and yet appeals to poets creating howls. The Agave Cactus by Stephen Arndt Rings of fleshy leaves are joined About the stalk they surround; Its five-meter height attained, Not a bud is there to find. Half a century devoid Of blooms that would make you proud, When they flower, long delayed, Yellow suns rise, open-eyed. These gold flowers you enjoy Took you fifty years, and now You at last have had your day It is time for you to die. I have fifty years of toil, And though they've not yet grown foul, I have hopes they will not fail Before they have bloomed a while.