In life, it’s better not to live too hard,
Easy days, summer hot,
Beer mug full, food in the pot.
Grateful for the poor man’s lot.
Long in death enshrined, shrouded in the soil,
Root bound, with rot endowed,
To earth returned, insect ploughed,
All religions disavowed.
Life and Death - (two englynion)
-
- Perspicacious Poster
- Posts: 2185
- Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2006 9:36 am
- Location: Brisbane, Australia
Gidday
These are very well worked out, Barrie.
In the first, the rhyming was simple but I wasn't sure about the word poor in the last line. Too comfortable to be poor perhaps.
Beer mug full, food in the pot.
Grateful for the poor man’s lot.
The rhyming in the second was more complex and had a better feel to it than the first. It had a more olde worlde feel to it - the sort of thing one might read on an epitaph.
Long in death enshrined, shrouded in the soil,
Root bound, with rot endowed,
To earth returned, insect ploughed,
All religions disavowed.
I found very little on this form of verse and it is very basic. Up until now I have only found one example in English, and really no information about the different parts or forms. So almost in your words, "But what's the 'cynghanedd'?" Is it in all forms of the englyn? (I don't even know what form I tried.) There is probably more detailed information somewhere. Perhaps I was just being lazy by not looking in enough places.
Cheers
Dave
These are very well worked out, Barrie.
In the first, the rhyming was simple but I wasn't sure about the word poor in the last line. Too comfortable to be poor perhaps.
Beer mug full, food in the pot.
Grateful for the poor man’s lot.
The rhyming in the second was more complex and had a better feel to it than the first. It had a more olde worlde feel to it - the sort of thing one might read on an epitaph.
Long in death enshrined, shrouded in the soil,
Root bound, with rot endowed,
To earth returned, insect ploughed,
All religions disavowed.
I found very little on this form of verse and it is very basic. Up until now I have only found one example in English, and really no information about the different parts or forms. So almost in your words, "But what's the 'cynghanedd'?" Is it in all forms of the englyn? (I don't even know what form I tried.) There is probably more detailed information somewhere. Perhaps I was just being lazy by not looking in enough places.
Cheers
Dave
Cheers
Dave
"And I'm lost, and I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
" [Tom]
Dave
"And I'm lost, and I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
" [Tom]
- Swing of the sea
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:12 pm
- Location: Middlesex
The first one is a bit too "Campaign for Real Ale" for me, but the second one is magic. Although the best phrase in it, in my view, isn't "Long in death enshrined" which to me sounds too "funeral parlour" or is it "stone mason"? The rest of it is perfect and very clever as well.
Cheers
DG
Cheers
DG
- Jester
- Preponderant Poster
- Posts: 1139
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 4:35 pm
- antispam: no
- Location: Manchester, England
- Contact:
Barrie
I don't give a tinkers whether it's a proper Englyn or not. It's a bloody good read. I can't make head nor tail of the descriptions of englyns I've found.......bet the Germans 'd find it easier. I'm still struggling with my next peculiar sonnet .
Mick
I don't give a tinkers whether it's a proper Englyn or not. It's a bloody good read. I can't make head nor tail of the descriptions of englyns I've found.......bet the Germans 'd find it easier. I'm still struggling with my next peculiar sonnet .
Mick
Dave and DG - Interesting that you should mention epitaphs and funeral parlours - According to bardic researchers, the englyn forms were derived from the Latin inscriptions on tombstones - Maybe I'm getting there.
Mick - It's supposed to be impossible to write true englyn in English - I certainly wouldn't like to try writing one in German. The different forms of 'cynghanedd' (harmony) are interesting, they serve to complicate things nicely.
Kris - It was just something I (half-jokingly) suggested to Dave when I commented on his villanelle.
Thanks all
Barrie
Mick - It's supposed to be impossible to write true englyn in English - I certainly wouldn't like to try writing one in German. The different forms of 'cynghanedd' (harmony) are interesting, they serve to complicate things nicely.
Kris - It was just something I (half-jokingly) suggested to Dave when I commented on his villanelle.
Thanks all
Barrie
Thanks Lia - Glad to see that you''ve had a go too. I'm glad Dave took me up on the englyn thing - since he wrote that first one we've had a flurry of activity - I'm surprised that Mick's not tried one, maybe he's working on it.
They are quite complicated when written properly - but that takes years to master. (So the Welsh say).
Maybe I'll work on a 'proper' one.
cheers
Barrie
They are quite complicated when written properly - but that takes years to master. (So the Welsh say).
Maybe I'll work on a 'proper' one.
cheers
Barrie