We're so gratified to greet
Madrun Cwith with glad conceit
For as the Baronial seat, We see
That she supports feasts, a treat!
A Baronial helpmeet!
These plain praises observed within by smart
Gerhardt and Amalie therein
We put forth the Furisine
In Anno Sociatitas sixey one
We’ve deemeded this done and agree
To give Our Madrun such glee
This Saturday September 19th, as We decree
Wordcount 72
Illumination and Calligraphy by Cwenthryth Wine
KEY Welsh - Englyn Penfyr (pre 1300s)
Alliteration
Syllable count: 10, 7, 7
A rhyme ends the first line
A rhyme starts 2nd line
B rhyme in the first line: 8th, 9th, or 10th syllable
B rhyme ends the end of 2nd and 3rd lines
Or
-------B B or B/A
------B
10 At Stonemarches Harper's Retreat this year
7 We're gratified to greet
7 Madrun Cwith with glad conceit
10 For as the Baronial seat, We see
7 That she supports feasts, a treat!
7 A Baronial helpmeet!
10 These plain praises observed within by smart
7 Gerhardt and Amalie therein 8
7 We put forth the Furisine (Fuer-i-sin)
10 In Anno Sociatitas sixey one
7 We deem this done and agree
7 To give Our Madrun much glee
This Saturday September 19th, as We decree
-Emily Brontë
(More or less)
BLOG burned too bright for this world
-Emily Brontë
(More or less)
Research for this scroll was light. I checked my notes on the basics of an early form of Welsh poetry, Englyn Penfyr (pre 1300s) and re read class notes of a Welsh poetry class:
Wicked Welsh - The Poetry Of Gwerful Mechain. By Lord Dai Gerdwr, OW
With the form in hand I jumped into composition. Welsh Poetry is delightfully complex and I was able to give it the time I needed for composition.
VERSE ONE
10 At Stonemarches Harper's Retreat this year
Since this verse is so complex, I am breaking them down by tercets rather than line by line.
Much to my chagrin, I could not manage alliteration into the first line of the scroll. Since I wanted to get the location and event information out of the way quickly, I chose to keep the words as is.
7 We’re so gratified to greet
In the first round of composition I realized I had forgotten the interior rhyme. Going back over the verses, much to my surprised gratification, I realized I had included one! Year/We’re was already done! Done is beautiful.
7 Madrun Cwith with glad conceit
Conceit was chosen with one of its definition as in “a result of mental activity:thought”
VERSE TWO
10 For as the Baronial seat, We see
This first line has the only correct alliteration in the verse.
7 That she supports feasts, a treat!
This is where the alliteration fell away in favor of the rhyming and syllable count.I tried at least to have the sounds repeated in the second line with supports and feasts but under the way we mark alliteration at the beginning of the word, this doesn’t count. But to the ear of the listener, hearing it will seem like alliteration.
7 A Baronial helpmeet!
While Helpmeet can be used as a euphemism for wife or husband, here I am using it as an indication that this person is married to their job in the barony, so to speak, while attempting to support the positive connotations that evokes.
VERSE THREE
10 These plain praises observed within by smart
Technically the rhyme word “within” should be on the 8th, 9th or 10th syllable not on the 7th. I made the exception or justification that it is at least the third word from the end, if not within the permitted syllable spots. A better way to read this would be to read it out like a very long sentence.
7 Gerhardt and Amalie therein 8
In general, I try not to write sentences that wrap around the lines of verse. Especially in these earlier poetic forms. As the author I sometimes cheese to break the rules in order for the scroll to make sense.
This line with Their Excellencies names goes over the 7 syllable count. Sometimes with a person or a place name I will leave the extra syllable. It's a small concession to the required information of the scroll.
7 We put forth the Furisine (Fuer-i-sin)
This was a BAronial award that I was unfamiliar with. I had to reach out to the community for a common pronunciation before I could finish the poetry!
VERSE FOUR
10 In Anno Sociatitas sixey one
It’s not often that I can get Anno Sociatitas in a rhyme that flows naturally, so I will definitely take it when it happens.
7 We deem this done and agree
7 To give Our Madrun much glee
This the final verse in the scroll also came out the most successive tercit included with the scroll. There is separate alliteration in each line, the interior rhyme is clear and the end rhymes are simple and clear.
FINAL LINE
This Saturday September 19th, as We decree
Alas, as I pat myself on the back for working in Anno Societatis, I had to tack the last bits of information on the bottom of the scroll out of the rhyme scheme. I did manage to end it on a continuing rhyme, so when read out it sounds as if it belongs in the poetry.
And there it is. I enjoyed dipping my toes in Welsh poetry. I love the challenge it represents with the interior rhyme. I am very glad that I have managed to take a few classes at Pennsic concerning Welsh Poetry. These classes lead me to find better sources online that I have explored in previous scrolls. I have made mistakes in the past in this rhyme scheme, and it's always a treat to continue secure in that those mistakes are behind me as I move forward with this verse.
