High up at the head of the valley
where the stream’s face hardened
under the breath of December
and where the mountain guardians
received their delivery of white cloaks
fashioned by swirling winds
and moonlight flooded
the land
the mining village nestled
in new disguise
frost nibbling away at its feet
by Geoff Jones
Nantyglo
Uchel i fyny ar flaen y cwm
lle caledai wyneb y nant
dan anadl mis Rhagfyr
a lle câi ceidwaid y mynydd
eu rhodd o fentyll gwynion
wedi’u llunio gan wyntoedd troelli
a llifai’r lloergan
y wlad
nythai’r pentref glofaol
dan rith newydd
cnoai llorrew ar ei draed
translated by Nigel Thomas
from Poetry Mine (2009)
Additional information: The poet notes ‘Nantyglo: stream of coal’.
There are a number of Geoff Jones’ on the internet so it was a little hard to find details about him. Here is a link to his Twitter account as, unfortunately, it seems his website is gone now. Here is a newspaper/news website article about him.
Nantyglo (from Welsh Nant-y-glo ‘brook of coal’) is a village in the ancient parish of Aberystruth and county of Monmouth situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Blaina and Brynmawr in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent.
Rambling At The Bridge Head 