Caiff Richard Wyn Jones ragor o hanes llenyddol ei fro enedigol yn y bennod hon wrth i ni drafod Goronwy Owen, bardd enwocaf Ynys Môn. Awgrymwn fod delfrydau llenyddol cylch y Morrisiaid i’w gweld ar eu mwyaf eglur ym marddoniaeth ‘Goronwy Ddu’, gan fod ei feistrolaeth ar y mesurau caeth wedi gwireddu i raddaeth health yr awydd i ailafael yn safonau’r beirdd Cymraeg canoloesol.

Ac wrth esbonio’r estheteg sy’n gyrru llawer iawn o’i waith, cynigiwn ddiffiniad o ‘Awgwstaniaeth’ (gyda golwg ar y llyfr a gyhoeddwyd gan Saunders Lewis yn 1924). Gwrthgyferbynnwn y cerddi cain a gyfansoddwyd ganddo sy’n mynegi’i hiraeth am Ynys Môn â’r ffaith na ddychwelodd i Gymru ar ôl iddo ymadael, gan yn gyntaf ddilyn gyrfa eglwysig yn Lloegr a diweddu’i oes yn America fel perchennog planhigyfa dybaco a phedwar o gaethweision. Trafodwn hefyd y dylanwad a gâi ei farddoniaeth ar fudiad eisteddfodol y ganrif ddilynol.

**

Hiraeth for Anglesey: Goronwy Owen

Richard Wyn Jones receives more of his native region’s literary history in this episode as we discuss, Goronwy Owen, Anglesey’s most famous poet. We suggest that the literary ideals of the Morris circle are seen most clearly in the poetry of ‘Dark-haired Goronwy’, for his mastery of the strict metres realized to a great extent the desire to bring back the stands of the medieval Welsh bards.

And as we explain the aesthetics driving much of his work, we offer a definition of ‘Augustanism’ (with an eye to the book which Saunders Lewis published in 1924). We contrast the finely-crafted poems expressing his hiraeth or longing for Anglesey with the fact that he never returned to Wales after leaving, first to follow a career in the Church in England and ending his life in America as the owner of a tobacco plantation and four slaves. We also discuss the influence which his poetry would have on the eisteddfod movement of the following century.

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones

Cynhyrchwyd gan Richard Martin i Cwmni Mimosa Cymru

Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:

- Saunders Lewis, A School of Welsh Augustans (Wrecsam, 1924)

- Branwen Jarvis, Goronwy Owen [:] Writers of Wales (Caerdydd, 1986)

- Alan Llwyd, Goronwy Ddiafael, Goronwy Ddu [:] Cofiant Goronwy Owen 1723-1769 (Llandybïe, 1997).

Ac yntau’n hogyn o sir Fôn, mae Richard Wyn Jones yn ebychu ar ddechrau’r bennod hon na chlywodd ‘un sill’ am y brodyr llengar hyn o’r Ynys pan oedd yn yr ysgol. Dyma gyfle felly i unioni’r cam wrth i ni drafod y pedwar brawd o Bentrerianell, Llanfihangel Tre’r Beirdd. Yn ogystal â Lewis, Richard, William a Siôn Morris, nodwn fod cylch ehangach y Morrisiaid yn cynnwys cymeriadau fel Evan Evans (Ieuan Fardd) a Goronwy Owen. Pwysleisiwn fod gan y Morrisiaid rychwant eang iawn o ddiddordebau, gan gynnwys y gwyddonol yn ogystal â’r llenyddol. Ac yn ogystal ag astudio hen lenyddiaeth eu gwlad, roedd rhai ohonynt yn ysgrifennu rhyddiaith a barddoniaeth wreiddiol.

Edrychwn yn benodol ar gwpl o gerddi Lewis Morris wrth i ni drafod y modd yr aeth ati i ailwampio agweddau ar yr hen draddodiad barddol Cymraeg a gwneud cyfoeth yr hen oesau yn berthnasol mewn oes newydd. Cawn gyfle i ystyried ychydig o’i ryddiaith hefyd, sy’n fodd i werthfawrogi ymhellach ei hiwmor dychanol miniog. Rhaid picio draw i Lundain hefyd wrth egluro bod rhai o’r Morisiaid yn ei chanol hi pan sefydlodd y gymdeithas Gymreig ddylanwadol honno, y Cymmrodorion.

**

The Morris Brothers of Anglesey

Seeing as he’s from Anglesey, Richard Wyn Jones exclaims at the start of this episode that he didn’t hear so much as ‘a single syllable’ about these literary-minded Brothers from the Island when he was in school. This is an opportunity to correct that lack, as we discuss the four brothers from Pentrerianell, in the parish of Llanfihangel Tre’r Beirdd. In addition to Lewis, Richard, William and Siôn Morris, we note that the wider circle of the Morrises included characters like Evan Evans (Ieuan Fardd) and Goronwy Owen. We emphasize that the Morris brothers had a wide range of interests, including the scientific as well as the literary. And in addition to studying the old literature of their country, some of them wrote original prose and poetry.

We look specifically at a few poems by Lewis Morris as we discuss how he went at it to rework aspects of the old Welsh bardic tradition and make the wealth of the old ages relevant in a new age. We also get an opportunity to consider a little of his prose, which helps us appreciate his sharp satirical humour even more. We also have to pop over to London as we explain that some of the Morris brothers were in the thick of it when that influential society, the Cymmrodorion, was founded.

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones

Cynhyrchwyd gan Richard Martin i Cwmni Mimosa Cymru

Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:

- Saunders Lewis, A School of Welsh Augustans (Wrecsam, 1924)

- Alun R. Jones, Dawn Dweud: Lewis Morris (Caerdydd, 2004)

- John H. Davies (gol.), The letters of Lewis, Richard, William, and John Morris, of Anglesey (Morrisiaid Môn), 1728-1765, dwy gyfrol (Aberystwyth, 1907-09)

Yn bell o fod yn unffurf, roedd llenyddiaeth Gymraeg y ddeunawfed ganrif yn faes ymrafael. Rydym ni’n archwilio’r canfyddiad hwnnw yn y bennod hon wrth gloi ein trafodaeth estynedig ar yr anterliwt a’i chyd-destun(au). A ninnau wedi ystyried ymosodiadau’r diwygwyr crefyddol ar y diwylliant traddodiadol hwn mewn pennod gynharach, dyma gyfle i weld yr anterliwtwyr yn taro’n ôl.

Craffwn ar ddwy anterliwt sy’n llwyfannu’r ymrafael crefyddol ac ideolegol hwn, Protestant a Neilltuwr gan Huw Jones o Langwm a Ffrewyll y Methodistiaid gan William Roberts, Llannor. Gwelwn ffyliaid y dramâu hyn yn lladd ar y Methodistiaid yn y modd mwyaf anllad a thrafodwn y ddeuoliaeth ddiddorol sy’n nodweddu’r testunau hyn. Ond wrth nodi bod yr anterliwtiau hyn yn hyrwyddo ideoleg eglwyswyr ceidwadol, sylwn hefyd fod rhai oddi mewn i’r gymuned honno yn poeni am natur y traddodiad.

**

The Fool and the Preacher: The Anterliwt (part 4)

Far from being uniform, Welsh-language literature of the eighteenth century was a contested field. We examine that realization in this episode as we conclude our extended discussion of the anterliwt and its context(s). As we have considered the attacks by religious reformers on this traditional culture in an earlier episode, here’s an opportunity to see the composers of anterliwtiau strike back.

We look at two anterliwtiau which stage this religious and ideological struggle, Protestant a Neilltuwr [Protestant (or ‘Anglican’) and Nonconformist] by Huw Jones of Llangwm and Ffrewyll y Methodistiaid [‘The Methodists’ Whip’] by William Roberts, Llannor. We see the fools of these plays belittling the Methodists in the bawdiest of ways and we discuss the interesting dualism which characterises these texts. But as we note that these anterliwtiau promote the ideology of conservative Anglicans, we also observe that some within that community worried about the nature of the tradition.

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones

Cynhyrchwyd gan Richard Martin i Cwmni Mimosa Cymru

Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:

- A. Cynfael Lake (gol), Huw Jones o Langwm (Caernarfon: Gwasg Pantycleyn, 2009).

- A Cynfael Lake (gol.), Ffrewyll y Methodistiaid William Roberts (Caerdydd: Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru, 1998)

- Dafydd Glyn Jones, ‘The Interludes’, yn Branwen Jarvis (gol.), A guide to Welsh literature c.1700-1800 (Caerdydd: Gwasg Prifsygol Cymru, 2000).

- Jerry Hunter, Llywodraeth y Ffŵl: Gwylmabsant, Anterliwt a Chymundeb y Testun, llyfr sydd yn y wasg ar hyn o bryd (Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru).

- Jerry Hunter, Safana (Talybont: Y Lolfa, 2021).

Cewch gyfle yn y bennod hon i gyfarfod â Gwagsaw, Syr Caswir, Ffowcyn Gnuchlyd a rhai o ffyliaid eraill yr anterliwtiau. Wrth graffu ar rôl y ffŵl, nodwn fod ganddo nifer o swyddogaethau mewn anterliwt draddodiadol. Yn gyntaf, mae’n agor y chwarae â’i gastiau doniol a’i eiriau dychanol er mwyn ceisio denu cynulleidfa.

Awn ati’n fwy athronyddol i awgrymu y gellid gweld gwaith y ffŵl ar ddechrau anterliwt yn nhermau troi torf afreolus gwylmabsant, marchnad neu ffair yn gynulleidfa sy’n fodlon aros yn eu hunfan a gwylio drama am ddwy neu dair awr. Ond os yw’n gorfodi trefn weithiau, mae’r ffŵl yn chwalu trefn hefyd, gan droi byd y cybydd â’i ben i waered. Wrth ystyried Hanes y Capten Ffactor gan Huw Jones o Langwm, sylwn fod y ffŵl Gwagsaw yn chwalu ffiniau’i stori a’i anterliwt ei hun, a gwelwn hon fel enghraifft o’r modd y gallai’r anterliwtwyr weithio’n greadigol oddi mewn i ffiniau’r traddodiad.

*

A Fool without Bounds: The Anterliwt (part 3)

In this episode you’ll get an opportunity to meet Gwagsaw [‘Frivolous One’], Syr Caswir [‘Sir Harsh Truth’], Ffowcyn Gnuchlyd [‘Fucking Foulke’] and other fools from the anterliwtiau. As we examine the role of the fool, we note that he has many functions in a traditional anterliwt. First of all, he begins the play with his funny capers and his satirical words in order to attract an audience.

We go on in a more philosophical vein and suggest that one could view the fool’s job at the start of an anterliwt in terms of turning the unruly crowd at a gwylmabsant, market or fair into an audience willing to stay put and watch a play for two or three hours. But if he compels order at times, the fool also destroys order, turning the miser’s world upside down. While considered ‘The History of Captain Ffactor’ by Huw Jones of Llangwm, we observe how the fool Gwagsaw destroys the boundaries of his own story and his own play, and we see this as an example of how the anterliwt-composers could work creatively within the boundaries of tradition.

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones

Cynhyrchwyd gan Richard Martin i Cwmni Mimosa Cymru

Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:

- G.G. Evans, ‘Yr Anterliwt Gymraeg’, Llên Cymru, cyf. 1, rhifyn 2 (Gorffennaf 1950).

- G. G. Evans, ‘Yr Anterliwt Gymraeg [:] II’, Llên Cymru Cyfrol II (Gorffennaf 1953).

- Dafydd Glyn Jones, ‘The Interludes’, yn Branwen Jarvis (gol.), A guide to Welsh literature c.1700-1800 (Caerdydd: Gwasg Prifsygol Cymru, 2000).

- Jerry Hunter, Llywodraeth y Ffŵl: Gwylmabsant, Anterliwt a Chymundeb y Testun, llyfr sydd yn y wasg ar hyn o bryd (Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru).

Canolbwyntiwn yn y bennod hon ar yr actorion a oedd yn perfformio mewn anterliwtiau, gan graffu ar nifer o destunau llenyddol sy’n taflu goleuni ar eu gwaith a’u hunaniaeth.

Yn debyg i gwmni drama heddiw, roedd cwmni anterliwt yn y ddeunawfed ganrif yn teithio o le i le ac yn llwyfannu perfformiadau mewn nifer o wahanol gymunedau. Dengys y dystiolaeth mai ‘llanciau’ oedd yr actorion hyn, dynion ifainc a gefnodd ar eu swyddi arferol dros dro er mwyn ‘canlyn anterliwt’. Awgrymwn fod yr anterliwt yn faes ffrwythlon i’r sawl sydd am astudio seiliau materol diwylliant Cymraeg y cyfnod. Awgrymwn ei fod yn faes ffrwythlon ar gyfer dadansoddiadau anthropolegol hefyd.

*

‘Talented men following a play’: The Anterliwt (part 2)

We concentrate in this episode on the actors who performed in anterliwtiau, examining a number of different literary texts which throw light on their work and their identity.

Like a theatre company today, an anterliwt company in the eighteenth century travelled from place to place and staged performances in different communities. The evidence shows that these actors were ‘lads’, young men who left their normal jobs temporarily in order to ‘follow an anterliwt’. We suggest that the anterliwt is a fruitful field for those who want to study the material foundations of Welsh culture in the period. We also suggest that it’s a fruitful field for anthropological interpretations.

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones

Cynhyrchwyd gan: Richard Martin

Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:

- Jerry Hunter, ‘Gwerth Oferedd’, Taliesin 50 (Gaeaf 2011).

- G.G. Evans, ‘Yr Anterliwt Gymraeg’, Llên Cymru, cyf. 1, rhifyn 2 (Gorffennaf 1950).

- G. G. Evans, ‘Yr Anterliwt Gymraeg [:] II’, Llên Cymru Cyfrol II (Gorffennaf 1953).

- Dafydd Glyn Jones, ‘The Interludes’, yn Branwen Jarvis (gol.), A guide to Welsh literature c.1700-1800 (Caerdydd: Gwasg Prifsygol Cymru, 2000).

Dyma’r gyntaf mewn cyfres o benodau sy’n archwilio gwahanol agweddau ar draddodiad yr anterliwt. Mae Jerry Hunter newydd orffen ysgrifennu llyfr am y pwnc ac “yn llosgi am y stwff `ma”, chwedl ei gyd-gyflwynydd, ac erbyn diwedd y bennod hon mae Richard Wyn Jones yntau’n “ysgwyd ei gynffon” gyda chyffro. Awn ati i ddiffinio’r anterliwt yn fras, gan egluro’i bod hi’n ddrama fydryddol gyda cherddoriaeth, canu, dawnsio a chwffio slap-stic yn greiddiol i berfformiadau a oedd yn debygol o barhau am ddwy neu dair awr. Pwysleisiwn fod agweddau traddodiadol iawn ar y testunau anterliwt niferus sydd wedi goroesi yn ogystal â’r straeon gwreiddiol a ddewiswyd gan y beirdd a’u lluniodd. Gan ystyried yr hiwmor masweddus sy’n ganolog i’r rhan fwyaf ohonynt, cyfeiriwn at ymosodiadau’r diwygwyr crefyddol ar yr anterliwt a’r wylmabsant a oedd yn gyd-destun ar gyfer y fath sioe.

* *

Dirty Jokes and Moral Lessons: The Anterliwt (part 1)

This is the first in a series of episodes which examine various aspects of the anterliwt tradition. Jerry Hunter has just finished writing a book about the subject and “is on fire to discuss this stuff”, as his co-presented says, and by the end of this episode Richard Wyn Jones is “shaking his tail” with excitement as well. We provide a basic definition of the anterliwt, explaining that it was a metrical play with music, singing, dancing and slap-stick fighting central to performances which likely lasted for two or three hours. We stress that the numerous anterliwt texts which have survived are characterized by very traditional aspects as well as the original stories chosen by the poets who fashioned them. While considering the bawdy humour which is central to most of them, we refer to the attacks of the religious reformers on the anterliwt and the gwylmabsant festival which provided a context for this kind of show.

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones

Cynhyrchwyd gan: Richard Martin

Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:

- E. G. Evans, ‘Er Mwyniant i’r Cwmpeini Mwynion’ [:] Sylwadau ar yr Anterliwtiau’, Taliesin 51 (1985), 31-43.

- G. G. Evans, Elis y Cowper (Caernarfon: Gwasg Pantycelyn, 1995)

- A. Cynfael Lake, Huw Jones o Langwm (Caernarfon: Gwasg Pantycleyn, 2009).

- Dafydd Glyn Jones, ‘The Interludes’, yn Branwen Jarvis (gol.), A guide to Welsh literature c.1700-1800 (Caerdydd: Gwasg Prifsygol Cymru, 2000), 210-55.

- Anterliwtiau Huw Jones o Langwm, wedi’u golygu gan A. Cynfael Lake, ar wefan Prifysgol Abertawe: baledihuwjones.swan.ac.uk.

Cewch gyflwyniad yn y bennod hon i faledi’r ddeunawfed ganrif, un o ffurfiau llenyddol Cymraeg mwyaf poblogaidd y cyfnod. Yn wir, o ystyried y nifer uchel ohonynt sydd wedi goroesi, mae’n bosib dadlau mai’r faled oedd ffurf fwyaf poblogaidd y ddeunawfed ganrif.

Ar ôl ymgodymu ychydig â’r diffiniad, awgrymwn mai’r cysylltiad rhwng y math hwn o gerdd a’r wasg argraffu yw’r ffordd orau o ddiffinio’r faled. Cerddi i’w canu oedd y baledi hyn, ffaith sy’n codi cwestiynau diddorol am y berthynas rhwng y cyfrwng llafar a phrint. Wrth ystyried cyfansoddiad gan Als Williams, nodwn fod baledwragedd yn ogystal â baledwyr, a bod merched wedi hawlio lle yn y diwydiant cyhoeddi newydd hwn.

Edrychwn ar ddwy faled gan Huw Jones o Langwm hefyd, y naill am ddaeargryn Lisbon (1755) a’r llall am ei helyntion ei hun. Cewch glywed ychydig o hanes Richard Wyn Jones yn astudio Jôb yn yr ysgol Sul pan oedd yn hogyn ifanc hefyd.

***

The Ballads of the Eighteenth Century

In this episode you’ll get an introduction to the ballads of the eighteenth century, one of the most popular Welsh-language literary forms of the period. Indeed, considering the high number of them which have survived, it’s possible to argue that the ballad was the most popular form of the eighteenth century.

After wrestling a little with the definition, we suggest that the connection between this kind of poem and the printing press is the best way to define the ballad. These ballads were poems to be sung, a fact which raises interesting questions about the relationship between the oral medium and print. While considering a composition by Als Williams, we note that that there are ballads by women who claimed a place in this new publishing industry.

We also look at two ballads by Huw Jones of Llangwm, one about the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and the other about his own problems. You’ll also hear a little about Richard Wyn Jones studying the Book of Job in Sunday school when he was a young lad.

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones

Cynhyrchwyd gan: Richard Martin

Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:

- E. G. Millward (gol.), Blodeugerdd Barddas o Gerddi Rhydd y Ddeunawfed Ganrif (Llandybïe, 1991).

- Cathryn Charnell-White (gol.), Beirdd Ceridwen [:] Blodeugerdd Barddas o Ganu Menywod hyd tua 1800 (Llandybïe, 2005).

- Siwan Roser, Y Ferch ym Myd y Faled [:] Delweddau o’r Ferch ym Maledi’r Ddeunawfed Ganrif (Caerdydd, 2005).

Baledi Huw Jones o Langwm, wedi’u golygu gan A. Cynfael Lake, ar wefan Prifysgol Abertawe: baledihuwjones.swan.ac.uk.

Mae’r penodau diwethaf wedi canolbwyntio ar y Diwygiad Methodistiaidd a’r hyn a enillwyd yn sgil y trawsffurfiad crefyddol, cymdeithasol a llenyddol hwnnw, gan edrych yn benodol ar waith William Williams, Pantycelyn. Edrychwn yn y bennod hon ar yr hyn a gollwyd wrth i Ymneilltuaeth Gymreig wthio rhai agweddau traddodiadol ar ddiwylliant a llenyddiaeth Cymru i’r cysgodion.

Awgrymwn y dylid ystyried llwyddiant yr emyn Methodistaidd ochr yn ochr â hen fathau o ganu crefyddol Cymraeg a nychodd oherwydd y llwyddiant hwnnw, gan gynnwys y canu plygain a’r halsing. I’r perwyl hwnnw, darllenwn ychydig o garol Nadolig hir gan Edward Samuel, bardd o Benmorfa, sir Gaernarfon, a fu farw yn 1748. Caiff yr wylmabsant sylw gennym wedyn, sef math o ŵyl gymunedol leol a oedd yn gyd-destun ar gyfer pob math o arferion gwerin a pherfformiadau diwylliannol, traddodiad yr aeth pregethwyr ymneilltuol ati’n egnïol i’w ladd.

* * *

The Other Side of the Coin

Recent episodes have concentrated on the Methodist Revival and the things which Wales won because of that religious, cultural and literary transformation, looking specifically at the work of the William Williams, Pantycelyn. In this episode we look at that which was lost as Welsh Nonconformism pushed some traditional features of the culture and literature of Wales into the shadows.

We suggest that the success of the Methodist hymn should be considered side by side with old types of Welsh religious song which languished because of that success, including the plygain song and the halsing. To that end, we read some of a long Christmas carol by Edward Samuel, a poet from Penmorfa, Caernarfonshire, who died in 1748. The gwylmabsant comes under consideration then, a type of local community festival which was the context for all kinds of folk customs and cultural performances, a tradition which nonconformist preachers attempted energetically to kill.

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones

Cynhyrchwyd gan: Richard Martin

Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:

- Geraint Jenkins, Hanes Cymru yn y Cyfnod Modern Cynnar 1530-1760 (Caerdydd, 1983).

- E. G. (gol.), Blodeugerdd Barddas o Gerddi Rhydd y Ddeunawfed Ganrif (Llandybïe, 1991).

Rydym ni’n gorffen trafod yr emynydd mawr yn y bennod hon trwy ofyn cwestiwn a fydd o bosib yn annisgwyl i’r rhan fwyaf o’n dilynwyr, sef a oedd Pantycelyn yn fardd diofal? Dyfynnwn nifer o ysgolheigion o’r ugeinfed ganrif sy’n awgrymu hyn, gan gynnwys Saunders Lewis a ddywedodd nad oedd William Williams yn parchu geiriau o gwbl. Ac wrth ystyried perthynas y bardd â’r iaith Gymraeg awn ni i drafod ei berthynas â’r traddodiad barddol Cymraeg gan bwysleisio y byddai’n well ei gweld ar un olwg fel diffyg perthynas.

Nodwn wrth fynd heibio bod barddoniaeth Gymraeg y ddeunawfed ganrif yn amrywiol iawn a bod llawer o wahanol feirdd wrthi yn y cyfnod yn defnyddio’r hen fesurau caeth, er bod Pantycelyn wedi anwybyddu’r gynghanedd yn gyfan gwbl. A yw’n bosib felly dweud mai ef oedd y bardd modern cyntaf yng Nghymru?

*

A Careless Poet?: Williams Pantycelyn (3)

We finish discussing the great hymnist in this episode by asking a question which might come as a surprise to most of our listeners, namely, was Pantycelyn a careless poet? We quote a number of twentieth-century scholars we suggest that, including Saunders Lewis who said that William Williams did not respect words at all. And while considering the poet’s relationship with the Welsh language we discuss his relationship with the Welsh poetic tradition, emphasizing that it is perhaps best to see it as the lack of a relationship.

We note in passing that Welsh poetry of the eighteenth century is characterized by a great deal of variety and that many different poets in the period were using the old traditional metres, although Pantycelyn ignored cynghanedd completely. Is it thus possible to say that he was the first modern poet in Wales?

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones

Cynhyrchwyd gan: Richard Martin

Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:

- Saunders Lewis, Williams Pantycelyn (1927 [adargraffiad 1991]).

Ymdreiddiwn ychydig yn ddyfnach i emynau Pantycelyn yn y bennod hon, gan ganolbwyntio ar un thema. Ar ôl trafod yr emyn poblogaidd sy’n dechrau ‘Pererin wyf mewn anial dir’, nodwn nad dyna oedd yr unig dro na’r tro cyntaf i Williams ddechrau cyfansoddiad gyda’r ddau air hyn. Ar ôl dangos y modd y bu iddo ailgylchu elfennau o’i waith ei hun trwy gydol ei yrfa lenyddol faith, awn ati i ystyried ystyr ac arwyddocâd y ‘pererin’ – fel thema, fel delwedd ac fel persona – yn ngwaith yr emynydd Methodistaidd mawr.

Mae hyn yn ein harwain i drafod dylanwad John Bunyan a’i lyfr Taith y Pererin ar waith Pantycelyn ac ar emynyddiaeth Gymraeg yn gyffredinol. Ac bu’n rhaid crybwyll barn Saunders Lewis am Williams ac am Bunyan wrth fynd heibio hefyd!

**

‘I am a Pilgrim’: Williams Pantycelyn (part 2)

We dive a little deeper into Pantycelyn’s hymns in this episode, concentrating on one theme. After discussing the popular hymn beginning ‘Pererin wyf mewn anial dir’ (‘I am a pilgrim in a desert’), we note that that was neither the only time nor the first time that Williams begun a composition with these two words. After demonstrating the fact that he recycled elements of his own work throughout his long literary career, we get down to considering the meaning ans significance of the ‘pilgrim’ – as a theme, as an image and as a persona – in the work of the great Methodist hymnist.

This leads us to discuss the influence of John Bunyan and his book Pilgrim’s Progress upon Pantycelyn’s work and upon Welsh hymnology in general. And we had to mention Saunders Lewis’ views on Williams and Bunyan in passing as well!

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones

Cynhyrchwyd gan: Richard Martin

Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:

- Derec Llwyd Morgan, Meddwl a Dychymyg Williams Pantycelyn (1991).

- Kathryn Jenkins, ‘Y Llenor o Bantycelyn’, Efrydiau Athronyddol , IV (1992).

- Glyn Tegai Hughes, Williams Pantycelyn [Writers of Wales], (1983).