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Sunday, August 12, 2012

For Real Toads: Cyhydedd Hir

The River Wye, the 1816 road bridge,
and the 
castle at Chepstow, Wales.
The river forms the boundary between
 MonmouthshireWales (left) and GloucestershireEngland (right).
Wikipedia photo

Kerry’s challenge for the online writers’ group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads this weekend has been the Welsh poetry form Cyhydedd Hir (pronounced cu-hée-dedd heer).
Kerry says the basis of Cyhydedd Hir is a single line of 19 syllables, and two rhymes, set out as follows:
  
x x x x A x x x x A x x x x A x x x B
(where x is a single syllable)
   
"The final poem should consist of the basic 19-syllable variation repeated four times with new rhymes introduced within each section," she said. So I did it.
  
As you can see, I had a bit of fun with my 19-syllable lines. Kerry did say we don't have to use 19 syllables per line: we could write couplets, tercets or quatrains of 19 syllables, but I chose to use 19-syllable lines, forming 38-syllable couplets, with a twist. (I seldom do exactly as I'm told.)
    
    
VOCABULARY, a Cyhydedd Hir
by Kay L. Davies, August, 2012
    
equanimity, perspicacity, reciprocity, each a big word
parsimonious, multifarious, impecunious, big as a herd
  
matriculation, peregrination, corroboration, every word
satisfactory, propitiatory, conciliatory, wants to be heard
  
antithetical, preternatural, ecumenical, just for the sound
cornucopia, misanthropia, pre-utopia, going around

qualifications, congratulations, to all the nations, every one
contemporary, apothecary, fiduciary, now we are done

14 comments:

Janine Bollée said...

You're a wicked woman!
Driving us to the dictionary. Each word needs a direct link to its definition. [Kidding]

Fun idea. We live just down the road from there and I will need to go and stand on that bridge and declaim your stanzas, to the utter confusion of the passers-by :-)

Kay L. Davies said...

@ Aprille — a beautiful part of the world you live in!
K

Margaret said...

It is like a tongue twisting Dr. Seuss for grown-ups :)

Maude Lynn said...

This is so clever! Wow!

Lorna Cahall said...

My mother's mother, Kathryn Perboyr Moss, came from Ross-on-Wye. I visited her town and church. So delightful for a Yank to see some of her roots! Thanks.

Madeleine Begun Kane said...

Clever indeed!

Madeleine Begun Kane

Susan said...

I laughed as I tried to Gilbert&Sullivan all these words aloud. The first line was the hardest. I love that "fiduciary" is the last word: an economic adjective from the Latin for "faith" and "trust"! (As you can see, I looked up a few words too and then chased down some roots for good measure.)

Anonymous said...

Very cleverly done! Multi-syllables taken to an almost Welsh degree. k.

Kerry O'Connor said...

A hearty round of applause: You are a true wizard of the words, Kay!

Daryl said...

well done!

Friko said...

that's much too complicated for my simple mind.

Clever you.

PS re ragwort; I think it's bad for any creature.

Scarlet said...

How clever to use all these words..ha..ha..I love it ~

Sherry Blue Sky said...

You are so clever. I am too busy to even count to 19 today, I applaud you!

Jenn Jilks said...

How beautiful!
http://mymuskoka.blogspot.ca/2012/08/perth-garlic-festival.html