Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery by George Henry Borrow
page 70 of 922 (07%)
page 70 of 922 (07%)
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put it into my hand. It was a Welsh book, and the title of it in
English was "Evening Work of the Welsh." It contained the lives of illustrious Welshmen, commencing with that of Cadwalader. I read a page of it aloud, while the family stood round and wondered to hear a Saxon read their language. I entered into discourse with the man about Welsh poetry and repeated the famous prophecy of Taliesin about the Coiling Serpent. I asked him if the Welsh had any poets at the present day. "Plenty," said he, "and good ones - Wales can never be without a poet." Then after a pause he said, that he was the grandson of a great poet. "Do you bear his name?" said I. "I do," he replied. "What may it be?" "Hughes," he answered. "Two of the name of Hughes have been poets," said I - "one was Huw Hughes, generally termed the Bardd Coch, or red bard; he was an Anglesea man, and the friend of Lewis Morris and Gronwy Owen - the other was Jonathan Hughes, where he lived I know not." "He lived here, in this very house," said the man. "Jonathan Hughes was my grandfather!" and as he spoke his eyes flashed fire. "Dear me!" said I; "I read some of his pieces thirty-two years ago when I was a lad in England. I think I can repeat some of the lines." I then repeated a quartet which I chanced to remember. |
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