() is a metre of Welsh poetry which exists in two forms. The more common ("short ") is a four-line stanza with lines of 9, 9, 10, and 9 syllables. It consists of a couplet in the 9-syllable metre ("nine-part length") followed by a couplet.Morris-Jones (1925), pp. 340–341.

The less common ("long ") is a six-line stanza with lines of 9, 9, 9, 9, 10, and 9 syllables, that is to say, two couplets followed by a couplet.Morris-Jones (1925), pp. 341–342.

In both cases, the same main rhyme is used throughout the stanza, but in the penultimate line, as is usual in a , the main rhyme comes one, two, or three syllables before the end of the line and is followed by an additional word or words called a , which rhymes with the word before the caesura in the last line. In writing there is usually a dash before the . In Dafydd ap Gwilym, the most often has two syllables, less often one syllable, and least often three syllables.Crawford (1990), pp. 305, 321.

Each line of a stanza is ornamented with the Welsh system of internal rhyme and alliteration known as . There may also be , meaning that the same initial letter is used throughout the stanza.Parry (1961), p. 183.

Each line has a caesura or break (Welsh or "pausing place"), usually after the fifth syllable, but sometimes after the 4th.Morris-Jones (1925), p. 311; Crawford (1990), pp. 304–5. There are two accents in each half-line.Morris-Jones (1925), p. 273: ("In a line of nine syllables there are always four beats").

Both forms of are included in the list of 24 traditional Welsh poetic metres whose use is specified in competitions for the bardic chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

The name is derived from "hymn of praise, eulogy"., s.v. .

An example from Dafydd ap Gwilym The metre is used in two poems by the 14th-century poet Dafydd ap Gwilym. One is ("Praise of Hywel, Dean of Bangor").dafyddapgwilym.net] poem 8. In this, three stanzas of begin the poem, before the metre changes to for another eight stanzas.Crawford (1990), p. 319. Throughout these eight stanzas the main rhyme is -aidd and almost every line begins with "N". This feature, in which the same letter is repeated at the beginning of each line, is known as .Morris-Jones (1925), p. 291.

The other poem is ("Praise of Ieuan Llwyd ab Ieuan Fwyaf"),dafyddapgwilym.net] poem 7. which consists of 12 four-line stanzas written entirely in the metre. The main rhyme -aeth is continued throughout the poem. The lines of the first four stanzas all start with "N", the lines of stanzas 5 to 8 all start with "G", and the lines of stanzas 9 to 12 all start with "D".

The first stanza is as follows:

In the above verse, in addition to the obligatory end-rhymes (-aeth and -awdd, with cross-rhyming in the second couplet), the poet has ornamented each line with (S), which combines internal rhyme and consonance. Thus the first line has -ai dérf / -ai dárf; the second line has -ydd w(ýdd) / -ydd w(éydd); the third line has -edn ganéd / -edn ganiád.

The fourth line contains a full (C), in which all the consonants of the first half-line (excepting the last one) are repeated in the second half and are arranged in the same way around the stressed vowel. But in addition, the and 4th line together make an extended with alternating rhyme and consonance -awdd neudmeaihéur / -awdd neudmauhír.

Each line has a caesura or break after the fifth syllable. There is also Morris-Jones (1925), p. 291. in that all the lines in the stanza begin with Neud m- (stress).

An example from William Llŷn

Occasionally an additional rhyme is introduced in the third line of a stanza, with the word before the caesura in line 3 rhyming with the as well as with the word before the caesura in line 4, making a triple rhyme. The following example is by William Llŷn (16th century):Morris-Jones (1925), p. 341.

The used here is (S) = , (C) = . The is "A" at the beginning of each line.

This metre, which is less common, is made by adding another couplet of in front of a to make a stanza of 6 lines. An example of this metre is found in the 18th-century poet Goronwy Owen's ode ("Elegy for John Owen"), a work demonstrating the use of all of the 24 Traditional Welsh poetic metres.Marwnad John Owen.

Contrary to the style of Dafydd ap Owen and William Llŷn, Goronwy Owen here uses (C) in every line. This is expected, since after the 14th century, became less common, and more common.Crawford, T. D. (1985). "The englynion of Dafydd ap Gwilym". , 22(1), 235-285; p. 251. As with the previous examples, the last line and a half, taken together, make an extended . The caesura is sometimes after the 4th syllable, sometimes after the 5th.A 4th-syllable caesura is also sometimes found in Dafydd ap Gwilym: Crawford (1990), pp. 304–5.

According to John Morris-Jones, this longer form of the metre was very rarely used in the 14th century, but became more common in the 15th and 16th.J. Morris-Jones (1925), , pp. 341-2.

Bibliography

Morris-Jones, John (1925). . Oxford. (In Welsh) Parry, Thomas (1961). "The Welsh metrical treatise attributed to Einion Offeriad". (British Academy documents)

References