Cywydd

Cywydd (cuh’-with) is a flexible verse form with four variations. It was developed by Dafydd ap Gwylym , leading Welsh poet in the fourteenth century and one of the foremost poets of medieval Europe. The cywydd was the leading Welsh poetic form from the 14th to early 17th centuries, experiencing revivals in the mid-18th century (thanks to Goronwy Owen and others of the classical school of Welsh poets) and again in the 19th century. It still finds favour with contemporary Welsh poets.

There is no accurate translation for the word cywydd, but the cywydd forms have been among the most popular in Welsh poetry. The measure gave its name to the whole group of 13th and 14th-century poets, who became known as the cywyddwyr or cywydd-men.

The four cywydd forms are:

Awdl Gywydd

Pronounced ‘owdl gow-widd’. Seven syllable quatrains with end rhymes and couplet binding. Mid-line rhymes a and c can be various forms of rhyme but the end of line rhyme b should be perfect rhyme.

xxxxxxa
xxaxxxb (a can be 3rd or 4th syllable)
xxxxxxc
xxcxxxb (c can be 3rd or 4th syllable)

Cywydd deuair hyrion

The most common variation is the cywydd deuair hyrion (cuh’-with day’-air her’-yon). It is made up of rhyming couplets of seven syllables each, with the accent differing on the rhyming words. This differing accentuation is called cynghanedd, which is a term for a system of alliteration and internal rhyme. There may be any number of couplets. The first line finishes with a stressed syllable and the second with an unstressed syllable. There is no set length.

x x x x x x a
x x x x x x a
x x x x x x b
x x x x x x b
etc

Cywydd deuair fyrion

This form is very rarely seen outside manuals. It consists of couplets of four syllable lines. There is no set length.

x x x a
x x x a
x x x b
x x x b
x x x c
x x x c
etc

Cywydd llosgyrnog

A sestet consisting of an eight-syllable rhymed couplet followed by a seven-syllable line that has cross-rhyme to the couplet in the middle and rhymes with the sixth line of the couplet followed by another eight-syllable couplet and seven-syllable line with cross rhyme to lines four and five. According to one authority, the cross-rhyming must be in the middle of lines three and six. According to others it can shift slightly, probably from the third through fifth syllables.

x x x x x x x a
x x x x x x x a
x x a x x x b
x x x x x x x c
x x x x x x x c
x x c x x x b


For my example I chose the Cywydd deuair fyrion - four syllable lines with rhyming couplets. At first glance it may seem like I chose the easiest version, but I actually find it harder to write shorter lines than longer ones.


Ascension

The way began
much sooner than
I had hoped for,
yet still it tore
my spirit free
and now I see
what lies ahead
without the dread
that kept me bound
to flesh newfound.
My soul explores
the distant shores
of other realms.
It overwhelms
my purpose here.
I have no fear
of how this ends -
my soul ascends.