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Tag: cannon ball

Dic Dywyll by Mike Jenkins

I have banished God

further than the Antipodes

since my so-called accident.

He was the owner

of those mills of death,

his manager the old Cholera.

The preaching of Cheapjack remedies:

holding up heaven as a cure.

 

They took my eyes

and struck them

into cannon-balls.

My mask and its perpetual night

is known to the pit-ponies.

 

Crossing the Iron Bridge

I hear the river’s voice

bring tune to my ballads,

the hooves of canal-horses

count beats and pauses come

as I breathe the welcome wind

from the west and eventual sea.

 

Night arrives and they all

share my mask: punchy drunkards,

rousing rebels and laughing ones

who sup to conquer daytime.

 

My daughter is the blackbird

giving flames to the begging hearth

of our basement with her song;

and I am the owl, I turn

to face their sufferings,

call them out to chase away

the chimney’s shadows. Masters

I magic to mice

under the death’s-head moon.

 

by Mike Jenkins

from Invisible Times


Fun fact: Richard Williams, better known as Dic Dywyll (Blind Dick) but also sometimes as Bardd Gwagedd (The Bard of Folly) was a renowned ballader in nineteenth century Merthyr, who was blinded working at the Crawshay ironworks. His daughter, Myfanwy, was immortalised in Joseph Parry‘s song.

This link gives you a little bit more information about Dic Dywyll if you’re interested: http://yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s-WILL-RID-1790.html

 

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Posted on June 12, 2018June 12, 2018Categories Literature, Poetry, Wales, WelshTags accident, Antipodes, as i breathe, ballad, ballader, banish, bardd gwagedd, basement, beats, begging, begging hearth, blackbird, blind, blinded, breathe, bring tune, bring tune to my ballads, call them out, canal horse, cannon ball, chase, chase away, cheapjack, cheapjack remedies, chimney, chimney's shadows, cholera, conquer, conquer daytime, count beats, Crawshay ironworks, crossing, crossing the iron bridge, cure, daughter, daytime, death, death's head, dic dywyll, drunkards, eventual, eventual sea, eyes, flame, from the west, giving flames, God, hearth, heaven, her song, holding up heaven as a cure, hoove, hooves of canal horses, i am the owl, i have banished God, i turn to face their sufferings, invisible times, iron bridge, John Parry, known to the pit ponies, laughing, laughing ones, magic, magic to mice, manager, mask, master, masters, Merthyr, mice, mike jenkins, mill, mills, mills of death, moon, Myfanwy, night, night arrives, old cholera, owl, pauses, perpetual, perpetual night, pit ponies, pit pony, preaching, punchy, punchy drunkards, rebels, remedies, richard williams, River, river's voice, rousing, rousing rebels, sea, shadow, share, share my mask, so called, so called accident, Song, suffering, they all share my mask, they took my eyes, they took my eyes and stuck them into cannon balls, took my eyes, tune, turn to face, under the death's head moon, voice, wales, welcome, welcome wind, Welsh, welsh poem, welsh poet, welsh poetry, who sup, windLeave a comment on Dic Dywyll by Mike Jenkins
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