Nantyglo by Geoff Jones

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.

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Tawny Owl by Gillian Clarke

Plain song of owl

moonlight between cruciform

shadows of hunting.

 

She sings again

closer

in the sycamore,

 

her coming quieter

than the wash

behind the wave,

 

her absence darker

than privacy

in the leaves’ tabernacle.

 

Compline. Vigil.

Stations of the dark.

A flame floats on oil

 

in her amber eye.

Shoulderless shadow

nightwatching.

 

Kyrie. Kyrie.

 

by Gillian Clarke

from New Poems

Silver by Walter de la Mare

Slowly, silently, now the moon

Walks the night in her silver shoon;

This way, and that, she peers, and sees

Silver fruit upon silver trees;

One by one the casements catch

Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;

Couched in his kennel, like a log,

With paws of silver sleeps the dog;

From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep

Of doves in silver feathered sleep

A harvest mouse goes scampering by,

With silver claws, and silver eye;

And moveless fish in the water gleam,

By silver reeds in a silver stream.

 

by Walter de la Mare (1873 – 1956)