The Mirror (poem)
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The Mirror (poem)
"The Mirror" (Welsh: ''Y Drych'') is a poem in the form of a ''cywydd'' by the 14th-century bard Dafydd ap Gwilym, widely seen as the greatest of the Welsh poets. The poem describes how Dafydd, languishing with lovesickness for an unnamed Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd woman, is appalled by the wasted appearance of his face in the mirror. "The Mirror" can be grouped with several other of Dafydd's poems, possibly early ones, set in Gwynedd, or alternatively with the many poems in which he expresses his love for a woman he calls Morfudd. It has been called "perhaps Dafydd's greatest masterpiece in the genre of self-deprecation". Summary Much to his surprise the poet's mirror has told him that he is not handsome but – on account of a girl – sallow-faced, sharp-nosed and hollow-eyed, and his hair is falling out. He either longs for his own death or wishes ill on the mirror, depending on which of the two is at fault. The mirror is the work of magicians, and he calls it "cold ...
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Dafydd Ap Gwilym - Frontispiece John Parry's The Welsh Harper
Dafydd is a Welsh masculine given name, related to David, and more rarely a surname. People so named include: Given name Medieval era :''Ordered chronologically'' * Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd (c. 1145-1203), Prince of Gwynedd * Dafydd ap Gruffydd (1238–1283), Prince of Wales ** Dafydd Goch, said to be the illegitimate son of Dafydd ap Gruffydd * Dafydd ap Gwilym (c. 1315/1320–c. 1350/1370), Welsh poet * Dafydd ap Llywelyn (1215–1246), Prince of Gwynedd and first Prince of Wales ** Dafydd ap Dafydd ap Llywelyn (born between 1240 and 1246-?), illegitimate son of Dafydd ap Llywelyn * Dafydd Bach ap Madog Wladaidd (fl. 1340-1390), Welsh poet * Dafydd Benfras (fl. 1230-1260), Welsh court poet * Dafydd Ddu o Hiraddug (died 1371), Welsh poet, grammarian and cleric * Dafydd Gam (1380-1415), Welsh soldier and nobleman who died at the Battle of Agincourt * Dafydd ab Ieuan or David Holbache (died 1422/3), Welsh politician * Dafydd Gorlech (c. 1410-c. 1490), Welsh poet * Dafydd Llwyd ap Llyw ...
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Mallwyd
Mallwyd () is a small village at the most southern end of Gwynedd, Wales in the Dinas Mawddwy community, in the valley of the River Dyfi. It lies on the A470 approximately halfway between Dolgellau and Machynlleth, and forms the junction of the A458 towards Welshpool. The nearest villages are Dinas Mawddwy, two miles to the north, and Aberangell a similar distance to the south. The River Dugoed flows into the River Dyfi near the village. History The village is situated near the boundary between the historic counties of Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire. The village is situated in the parish of Mallwyd in the district of Mawddwy. This was the region of the Red Bandits of Mawddwy, which is remembered in the village pub, ''The Brigands''. Railway In 1867, the Mawddwy Railway was opened, connecting Dinas Mawddwy with Cemmaes Road. A small station was provided to serve Mallwyd, though it was nearly a mile from the village. Passenger services on the railway were withdrawn in 1931, ...
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Lunete
In Arthurian legend, Lunete (also known as Luned or Lunet) is a handmaiden and advisor to the Lady of the Fountain (Laudine). It is she who is responsible for convincing Laudine to accept Ywain in marriage. She is described in Chrétien de Troyes' ''Yvain, the Knight of the Lion'' as "a charming brunette, prudent, clever and polite..."Chretien de Troyes, ''Yvain Or The Knight With The Lion'', Kessinger Publishing, June 30, 2004. When Esclados the Red (Laudine's first husband) is mortally wounded and killed by Ywain, he finds himself trapped in Laudine's castle (Castle of Landuc near Brocéliande). Lunete offers him shelter and agrees to aid him in escaping the villagers who want to avenge their lord's death. During his escape from the castle, Ywain sees Esclados' widow and falls in love with her. Ywain, with Lunete's help, wins Laudine's hand and marries her. Lunete grows to become a close friend and confidant to the Lady of the Fountain. Ywain and the Lady of the Fountain are marr ...
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Enide
Enide ( cy, Enid) is a character in Arthurian romance. She is the wife of Erec in Chrétien de Troyes' ''Erec and Enide'', and the wife of Geraint in the Welsh romance of ''Geraint and Enid'' analogous to Chrétien's version. Some scholars believe the French and Welsh tales derive from a lost common source, but it seems more likely ''Geraint'' derives directly or indirectly from ''Erec'', though Chrétien may have had a Welsh or Breton source. In the common story, Enide and her lover meet while the hero is on a mission to defeat a cruel knight, and her family provides him with armor and food. They fall in love and marry, but the hero begins to forsake his social and chivalric duties for domestic bliss. Rumors spread, and Enide blames herself. One night, her husband overhears her crying about damaging his reputation. In Chrétien's version, Erec begins to question Enide's love, but in ''Geraint'' the protagonist misunderstands her sobs and thinks she has been unfaithful to him. ...
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Mabinogion
The ''Mabinogion'' () are the earliest Welsh prose stories, and belong to the Matter of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, created c. 1350–1410, as well as a few earlier fragments. The title covers a collection of eleven prose stories of widely different types, offering drama, philosophy, romance, tragedy, fantasy and humour, and created by various narrators over time. There is a classic hero quest, "Culhwch and Olwen"; a historic legend in "Lludd and Llefelys," complete with glimpses of a far off age; and other tales portray a very different King Arthur from the later popular versions. The highly sophisticated complexity of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi defies categorisation. The stories are so diverse that it has been argued that they are not even a true collection. Scholars from the 18th century to the 1970s predominantly viewed the tales as fragmentary p ...
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Three Welsh Romances
The Three Welsh Romances (Welsh language, Welsh: ') are three Middle Welsh tales associated with the ''Mabinogion''. They are versions of Arthurian tales that also appear in the work of Chrétien de Troyes. Critics have debated whether the Welsh Romances are based on Chrétien's poems or if they derive from a shared original. The Romances survive in the White Book of Rhydderch and the Red Book of Hergest, both from the 14th century, though the material is at least as old as Chrétien. The Three Welsh Romances are: * ''Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain''; which corresponds to Chrétien's ''Yvain, the Knight of the Lion'' * ''Geraint and Enid'', which corresponds to Chrétien's ''Erec and Enide''. * ''Peredur, son of Efrawg'', which corresponds to Chrétien's ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'' ''Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain'' ''Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain'' is analogous to Chrétien de Troyes' Old French poem ''Yvain, the Knight of the Lion''. It survives in the Wh ...
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Madog Benfras
Madog Benfras (i.e. Madog "Greathead") (fl. 1340) was a Welsh poet. He is otherwise known from involvement in legal cases at Wrexham in 1340. Life and works He was a son of Gruffydd ab Iorwerth of Marchwiail, and had two brothers; Llywelyn Llogell (Marchwiail parish priest), and Ednyfed. The so-called "Brodyr Marchwiail" from Marchwiel Marchwiel ( cy, Marchwiail) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is about 2 miles south-east of Wrexham city on the A525 road towards Bangor-on-Dee. The community has an area of 1,488 hectares and a population of 1,4 ... played a part in a 14th-century revival of Welsh poetry. Iolo Morganwg cites their teacher as Llywelyn ap Gwilym of Emlyn. Madog Benfras has also been associated with the "Eisteddfods of the Renaissance", where he allegedly won a chair and wreath of birch for his love poem. He was a friend of Dafydd ap Gwilym. Dafydd introduced him into one of his poems as the priest of his mock marriage with Morfud ...
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Eliezer Williams
Rev. Eliezer Williams (baptised 4 October 1754 – 20 January 1820) was a Welsh clergyman and genealogist, who served the Earl of Galloway as a family tutor and genealogical researcher. Life Williams was born in Pibwr-lwyd, Llangynnwr, Carmarthenshire, Wales to a Methodist minister and his wife. He was educated at Carmarthen grammar school and Jesus College, Oxford ( matriculated 1775, BA 1778, MA 1781). He was ordained deacon in 1777 and priest in 1778. He was a curate of Trelech, Carmarthenshire before becoming curate of Tetsworth, Oxfordshire. Williams became second master at the grammar school in Wallingford, Berkshire) and curate of the nearby village of Acton. Then, in 1780, he was made chaplain of under the command of Keith Stewart (son of the Earl of Galloway). He also tutored Lord Garlies, Stewart's nephew, who was a midshipman. After a few years, the Earl of Galloway asked Williams to become the family tutor. He also assisted with research into the Galloway ...
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Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ''Odes'' as just about the only Latin lyrics worth reading: "He can be lofty sometimes, yet he is also full of charm and grace, versatile in his figures, and felicitously daring in his choice of words."Quintilian 10.1.96. The only other lyrical poet Quintilian thought comparable with Horace was the now obscure poet/metrical theorist, Caesius Bassus (R. Tarrant, ''Ancient Receptions of Horace'', 280) Horace also crafted elegant hexameter verses (''Satires'' and '' Epistles'') and caustic iambic poetry ('' Epodes''). The hexameters are amusing yet serious works, friendly in tone, leading the ancient satirist Persius to comment: "as his friend laughs, Horace slyly puts his finger on his every fault; once let in, he plays about the heartstrin ...
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Odes (Horace)
The ''Odes'' ( la, Carmina) are a collection in four books of Latin lyric poems by Horace. The Horatian ode format and style has been emulated since by other poets. Books 1 to 3 were published in 23 BC. A fourth book, consisting of 15 poems, was published in 13 BC. The ''Odes'' were developed as a conscious imitation of the short lyric poetry of Greek originals – Pindar, Sappho and Alcaeus are some of Horace's models. His genius lay in applying these older forms to the social life of Rome in the age of Augustus. The ''Odes'' cover a range of subjects – Love, Friendship, Wine, Religion, Morality, Patriotism; poems of eulogy addressed to Augustus and his relations; and verses written on a miscellany of subjects and incidents, including the uncertainty of life, the cultivation of tranquility and contentment, and the observance of moderation or the " golden mean." The ''Odes'' have been considered traditionally by English-speaking scholars as purely literary works. Recent eviden ...
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Robert De Lisle Psalter Illumination
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honour, praise, renown" and '' berht'' "bright, light, shining"). It is the second most frequently used given name of ancient Germanic origin. It is also in use as a surname. Another commonly used form of the name is Rupert. After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England in its Old French form ''Robert'', where an Old English cognate form (''Hrēodbēorht'', ''Hrodberht'', ''Hrēodbēorð'', ''Hrœdbœrð'', ''Hrœdberð'', ''Hrōðberχtŕ'') had existed before the Norman Conquest. The feminine version is Roberta. The Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish form is Roberto. Robert is also a common name in many Germanic languages, including English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Scots, Danish, and Icelandic. It ...
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Wynnstay
Wynnstay is a country house within an important landscaped park 1.3 km (0.75 miles) south-east of Ruabon, near Wrexham, Wales. Wynnstay, previously Watstay, is a famous estate and the family seat of the Wynns. The house was sold in 1948 and is under a private ownership as of 2020. The estate remains under the ownership of the Williams-Wynn family. During the 17th century, Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet, inherited the Watstay Estate through his marriage to Jane Evans (daughter of Eyton Evans of Watstay), and renamed it the Wynnstay Estate. The gardens were laid out by Capability Brown. Wynnstay was Brown's largest commission in Wales, work beginning in 1774 and completed in 1784, a year after his death. He replaced the older formal gardens with lawns which swept right up to the house overlooking the lake. Famous occupants of the house and estate included Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet. During the 19th century, Princess Victoria stayed there with her mother, the Duchess ...
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