Alan Llwyd-Nid Myfi yw Myfi Fy Hun

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-Once upon a time,

-a young boy played on this beach.

-Porth Ceiriad beach at the far end

-of the Lleyn Peninsula.

-"He throws stones

-on Porth Ceiriad beach.

-"They dance as they hit the water.

-"Is the same boy

-who climbed the rocks,

-"Now looking on, as a man?"

-"Why does a boy from a '50s summer

-come to play here?

-"Making his way here and there.

-"Why don't his shoes

-leave tracks,

-"As he walks and runs

-along the beach?

-"I try to call him.

-"But a voice from his future

-greets his past.

-"I appear mute.

-"The words of tomorrow cannot reach

-the young boy who remains here.

-"I follow his tracks

-but he runs away.

-"He disappears

-every time I approach.

-"Two time dimensions separate us.

-"And with every year

-they both grow further apart."

-The boy on the beach

-was called Alan Lloyd Roberts.

-There is no entry under 'Father'

-on his birth certificate.

-Of the many adjectives he could have

-used to describe his predicament...

-..he decided to describe himself

-as an illegitimate child.

-When you become more aware

-of yourself...

-..and get older

-and start asking questions...

-..you wonder why

-you're different from everyone else.

-Then, you realise

-that you're an illegitimate child.

-Amongst some people, there used

-to be a stigma about such things.

-It's all changed now.

-I don't think I ever felt inferior

-because of it...

-..although some people

-would make you feel inferior.

-I did feel I was different.

-That was the only way to be...

-..especially when you were

-surrounded by aunts and uncles...

-..who weren't real aunts and uncles.

-From the age of five onwards Alan

-Lloyd Roberts was raised...

-..by his aunt and uncle on Nant y

-Big farm, near Pont Ceiriad beach.

-They became his mother and father.

-John, his cousin,

-became his brother.

-In his poem 'Gwynedd', he pays

-tribute to his adopted father.

-It also recalls the complex and

-unusual nature of that inheritance.

-"The succession of his lineage

-and his surroundings fell to me.

-"I felt connected among

-the strangeness of my uncles.

-"I felt an affinity among strangers.

-"They were the veins of belonging."

-My situation

-could be problematic, at times.

-It was more than

-just a feeling of embarrassment.

-It caused me great pain.

-I remember very little about

-the early years at Ysgol Botwnnog.

-I only remember one thing

-about the first day.

-That one thing

-has remained with me ever since.

-A teacher was quizzing the pupils

-to get to know them better.

-He asked whether they had

-brothers or sisters in the school.

-I innocently said that I had.

-He asked my name.

-"Alan Lloyd Roberts," I replied.

-The teacher asked me

-if I had a brother or sister.

-I said, "Yes, John Gwilym Jones".

-I didn't think twice about it.

-It was the truth.

-He hit me and said, "Don't try

-to be funny with me, boy!"

-That was a harrowing experience...

-..for a shy boy

-on his first day at school.

-He has more pleasant memories

-of his time at Ysgol Botwnnog.

-He discovered

-a new, exciting world...

-..when he was taught 'cynghanedd'

-by his Welsh teacher...

-..T Emyr Pritchard.

-'Cynghanedd', and poetry

-in general, were in his blood.

-It came naturally to him.

-The rules of 'cynghanedd'

-and the finer points of poetry...

-..flowed through his veins.

-It was quite frightening,

-to be honest.

-You were in the presence

-of something and someone...

-..whom you didn't fully understand.

-The boy was a genius -

-a genius in the making.

-You had a shock at times.

-Here's an example.

-I was marking some books one morning

-before the morning service.

-Someone knocked on my door.

-This boy walked in - it was Alan.

-He had a sheet of paper in his hand.

-He was in the fourth form

-at the time.

-I asked him what he had in his hand.

-His response was astonishing.

-"An awdl", he replied.

-After learning the rules

-of 'cynghanedd'...

-..I composed 'cynganeddion'

-and 'englynion' myself.

-It all started from there.

-I had an enthusiastic interest

-in poetry at this point.

-I read every book available to me

-in school.

-I bought a library of books.

-Abersoch library was selling

-its entire collection.

-I bought the lot and I read the lot.

-I had an infectious enthusiasm.

-During his college days,

-and after he'd started working...

-..he matured as a poet.

-He won the Chair and the Crown...

-..at the Dyffryn Clwyd

-National Eisteddfod in 1973.

-He was the first person

-to achieve the double...

-..since T H Parry-Williams in 1912.

-After the National Eisteddfod...

-..Alan Lloyd Roberts

-became Alan Llwyd.

-He changed his identity...

-..and according to some, he changed

-the direction of Welsh poetry...

-..through his column in Y Cymro.

-His column in Y Cymro

-was essential.

-It inspired

-a number of young poets.

-It was also the inspiration...

-..for a number of 'ymryson y beirdd'

-- poetry challenges.

-It was Alan's idea to establish

-an 'ymryson y beirdd' league.

-He didn't see that through

-but it was his idea.

-The 'talwrn' has developed

-over the last few years.

-We now have a 'stomp' -

-and 'ymrysonau' are held in pubs.

-He started it all.

-"I am here now,

-because I'm a fool!"

-LAUGHTER

-Following the success

-of his column in Y Cymro...

-..the Barddas Society was formed.

-When Barddas was formed in 1976...

-..I was responsible

-for Y Cymro's poetry column.

-The idea for Barddas

-came from that poetry column.

-I wanted to rein in

-all the enthusiasm...

-..that had been created through

-the column and create a society...

-..on a par with

-the Cerdd Dant society.

-Strict metre poetry, with

-the exception of the 'englyn'...

-..was stuck in a rut at the time.

-Something needed to be done.

-Some critics were predicting

-the death of 'cynghanedd'.

-Euros Bowen was experimenting

-with poetic styles.

-They weren't very successful.

-I was hoping to revive

-'cynghanedd' in Barddas.

-I was hoping to see strict metre

-and free verse poetry...

-..of the very highest standard.

-I opened it up to free verse

-in the early days.

-Alan played a large part in

-the revival of strict metre poetry.

-To a great extent,

-it's all because of Alan's work.

-There's so much interest in the

-craft and that interest is growing.

-Establishing Barddas

-wasn't his only highlight...

-..in the Cardigan Eisteddfod.

-After winning the Crown earlier

-in the week...

-..he was offered the Chair.

-Alan's 'awdl' was a close second

-to Dic Jones'.

-But Dic Jones had broken one of the

-Eisteddfod's fundamental rules...

-..by competing whilst a member

-of the Eisteddfod's working party.

-Alan Llwyd was persuaded to accept

-the Chair against his own wishes.

-He accepted, after presenting

-the Eisteddfod's officials...

-..with a number of conditions.

-The Eisteddfod declined to honour

-any of his conditions.

-The Eisteddfod in Cardigan

-was an awkward Eisteddfod for me.

-It was also an exciting

-and a strange Eisteddfod for me...

-..and it was also the year

-I got married.

-I did have one pleasant occasion

-that year.

-Otherwise,

-it was a very strange year.

-Two years later, Alan and Janice

-started to raise a family.

-In 1978, their son Ioan was born.

-Four years later, Dafydd was born.

-On a high,

-during the year of Dafydd's birth...

-..he would soon

-be courting controversy once more.

-Alan Llwyd published a critical

-appraisal of Euros Bowen's poetry.

-Euros Bowen attacked

-Alan Llwyd's publication...

-..in a number of articles

-in Y Faner and then in a book.

-Euros Bowen was a joker, and he

-liked to play up to the gallery.

-That was Euros's other side.

-Having someone dissect his poetry

-was always going to create a stir.

-The whole episode affected Alan.

-I've appraised the work of many

-poets and they've thanked me.

-Even Euros Bowen thanked me once.

-I wrote a book about his poetry.

-I attracted people's attention

-to his poetry.

-I wrote an introduction to the book

-- he loved the introduction.

-I discussed his poetry with him.

-I said, "This is what I can see

-in your poetry." He agreed with me.

-When it was published, he used it

-as an excuse for self-publicity.

-He belittled me after agreeing

-with everything we'd discussed.

-He claimed that

-my interpretations were wrong.

-What's interesting about Alan's book

-is the message behind the book.

-This is his message.

-He was trying to point out that

-Euros's poetry wasn't as dark...

-..as other critics had claimed.

-That was in line with one

-of Alan's greatest contributions.

-He wanted to make poetry

-accessible to all.

-He wanted to eradicate a trend

-that's still dominant in Wales...

-..that poets whose work

-is difficult to read are dark poets.

-This is Alan's abiding contribution.

-With a little extra effort,

-you can understand these poets.

-The controversy in Cardigan

-and the squabble with Euros Bowen...

-..had created a pattern.

-More controversy would soon follow.

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-After leaving Bangor University,

-Alan worked at Awen Meirion in Bala.

-He then moved to the Christopher

-Davies Press in Swansea in 1976.

-He found city life difficult

-until he met Janice.

-The young Alan Llwyd

-experienced many highs...

-..but he also attracted

-a lot of trouble.

-Other poets would create

-those troubles.

-Alan Llwyd built a reputation

-for being controversial.

-During those difficult years,

-he found solace with his family.

-Many of Alan Llwyd's poems

-were inspired by his family life.

-He found his voice

-in 'Cerddi'r Cyfannu'.

-These poems were written

-about his wife's pregnancy.

-She was the object

-of all his romantic poetry.

-Another series of poems

-dedicated to his wife...

-..would create a stir some years

-later - 'Sonedau i Janice'.

-"I saw your nudity every day,

-"Since the days of passion

-of a 28-year-old.

-"Your breasts accept

-my tender touch forever more.

-"I am familiar

-with your tight thighs.

-"Your flesh awakens my passion,

-"As I smell the aroma

-of your secret havens,

-"And taste the nectar

-of your dampness."

-When I published 'Sonedau i Janice

-A Cherddi Eraill'...

-..I was somewhat surprised.

-Surprised at the narrow attitudes

-that existed...

-..among readers of Welsh poetry.

-The publication had created

-embarrassment for some reason.

-I thought I'd stepped back a century

-or two when I published it!

-Most people applauded it...

-..but one correspondent from Y Llan,

-an ecclesiastical paper...

-..wanted to prohibit the publication

-and burn it!

-You have to move on -

-you can't remain in the old days.

-I like his romantic poetry.

-It's romantic poetry of the flesh.

-The flesh is acknowledged

-as the inspiration of the poems.

-The flesh excites the imagination.

-That imagination

-is free-flowing and unbridled.

-It's both challenging

-and adventurous.

-The images are almost

-an exaggeration.

-The references to the body

-and the way he depicts the body.

-There are very few examples

-of this type of romantic poetry.

-I consider these poems

-to be pioneering.

-After working for the WJEC

-and the Christopher Davies Press...

-..he had the opportunity

-to work for himself in 1982...

-..when he started working

-full-time for Barddas.

-He edited the magazine and took

-responsibility for its publication.

-He was also one of Barddas'

-most prolific poets.

-When 'Barddoniaeth y Chwedegau'

-was published...

-..it created much debate in

-magazines such as Llais Llyfrau...

-..and on radio and TV, by people

-such as Derec Llwyd Morgan.

-It went on to win

-three literary awards.

-Alan spoke a great truth

-when he described himself...

-..as a poet who deals with poets.

-Inevitably, a poet who deals

-with other poets...

-..offers an insight

-into his own poetry.

-Much of Alan's work on Euros Bowen

-and '60s poetry is a revelation...

-..of the themes and obsessions

-Alan has as a poet.

-By now, Alan Llwyd was tired

-of being a controversial figure.

-The biggest storm was yet to come.

-It arrived as he was trying

-to defend himself from such storms.

-In the May 1985 edition

-of Barddas...

-..a poem was included

-by an unknown poet.

-People inquired after

-this Meilir Emrys Owen.

-It later transpired that Meilir

-Emrys Owen was Alan Llwyd himself.

-Fed up of being

-talked about so much...

-..he changed his name, and with it,

-his identity, once again.

-One by one,

-his poems appeared in Barddas.

-A picture of the imaginary poet

-appeared in one edition.

-People began to praise his poetry.

-Dr Dafydd Evan Morris described

-'Yr Hen Wr A'r Ddau Wr Ifanc'...

-..by Meilir, as one of the most

-powerful poems written that year.

-The same was the response

-when another poem was published...

-..in the anthology 'Glasnos'.

-What interests me about it...

-..is how it is an expression

-of Alan's awareness...

-..that he has a multiple identity.

-In the same way that he created

-Alan Llwyd, he later created...

-..under the pressure

-of special circumstances...

-..a new identity for himself.

-Through this, he also created

-a new opportunity for himself.

-I believe him when he says

-it helped him discover a new voice.

-I respect someone who tries

-to break out of the norm...

-..and destroy convention.

-Then, you arrive at the way

-he dealt with that.

-That's where the problems start.

-That's the other side of Alan.

-It almost seems as if

-he looks for trouble...

-..or that he's too naive

-to understand...

-..the problems he could create.

-Alan created quite a stir...

-..when he revealed

-that he was Meilir Emrys Owen...

-..after he'd included poems

-by the imaginary poet...

-..in his anthology

-of twentieth century Welsh verse.

-I thought Alan had gone too far

-when he did that.

-That's my own personal opinion.

-I was concerned about him

-at the time.

-You shouldn't be that sensitive

-when it comes to criticism.

-I don't know how much he was goaded.

-He answered the accusations

-against him on Y Byd Ar Bedwar.

-Those are my poems -

-I will be publishing them.

-It might be my final publication,

-or the last one for a long time.

-I'm going to stop writing poetry.

-Meilir Emrys Owen's poems are mine.

-The notes on the poems

-are legitimate. I should know.

-The poems exist, as does the poet.

-The poet is a protest

-against the public's behaviour.

-The best thing at the time...

-..was to include this poet

-in a respected publication...

-..so that the public would accept

-him as a legitimate person.

-Unfortunately, that was

-the worst thing I ever did.

-That's how people discovered

-I was that poet.

-It was wrong of me to include his

-poetry in a respected publication.

-That's one mistake

-I readily accept I made.

-Hiding behind Meilir Emrys Owen...

-..was the highpoint of Alan's battle

-against frustration and persecution.

-After all this furore...

-..he felt he needed to change

-the direction of his life...

-..in an attempt

-to avoid the literary world.

-He applied for a job

-in the academic world.

-I've taught myself

-so many different things.

-I taught myself 'cynghanedd',

-how to write poetry...

-..and so many other things.

-I always had the urge to share

-that knowledge and enthusiasm.

-He is a poet, a teacher

-and a critic...

-..when he offers advice to those

-who submit their work anonymously...

-..in the magazine's monthly column.

-That's where Alan's creative mind

-is at work.

-You gain from

-having your work assessed...

-..by someone who understands

-the craft and the art of poetry.

-Very few academic

-literary critics...

-..approach poetry

-from that direction.

-He assesses the work

-as someone who also writes.

-That's priceless.

-He applied for posts

-at two Welsh universities.

-Swansea and Cardiff.

-By now, he was a prominent poet

-and critic in Wales.

-Many academics were sure...

-..that he would be offered

-one of the posts - but he wasn't.

-Consider his academic work

-or his literary criticisms.

-You have a nucleus of solid books...

-..where Alan Llwyd is at his best.

-That's the type of work

-that corresponds...

-..to a Doctorate of Literature.

-The DLitt in the university.

-That's the standard

-and the amount of work expected.

-But that's not his main work.

-That's not his main contribution.

-That's not how we know Alan Llwyd.

-We know him as a poet.

-I think Alan Llwyd would have made

-an excellent university lecturer.

-He has the necessary qualities.

-The ability to do research,

-to be productive and to teach.

-On the other hand,

-having said that...

-..I'm glad, to some extent,

-that he became a publisher.

-If he'd become

-a university lecturer...

-..I'm not sure if he could have

-produced so much work.

-We'd be all the poorer for that.

-I've got Helen's books, yes.

-There's a new collected poems

-there...

-As one door slammed shut

-in his face, another soon opened.

-I turned my back on

-the traditional ways of writing...

-..such as literary criticisms,

-poetry and book publications...

-..and started writing for the media.

-I had to change direction.

-I'd had enough of working

-in the literary world.

-Anything I wrote would either be

-met with a sense of indifference...

-..or a barrage of criticism.

-Cinematic film

-is a medium for poets...

-..even in Hollywood but especially

-in European countries.

-Screenwriters are poets.

-Poets often direct films, too.

-When Alan told me about his idea...

-..of writing the script

-for the film 'Hedd Wyn'...

-..I couldn't think

-of a better person to write it.

-Cinematic film

-is a medium for images.

-As a poet,

-Alan could find the images.

-More than that, you need

-to be a master craftsman...

-..when you write for television.

-If Alan's anything,

-he's a master craftsman.

-Alan Llwyd revisited his early roots

-with his first project for S4C.

-The film 'Hedd Wyn'.

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-Alan Llwyd's roots

-were in Hedd Wyn's country.

-He learned about the poet of the

-black chair from his grandparents.

-They raised Alan

-until he was five years old...

-..at 1, Belle Vue, Llanffestiniog.

-When his grandmother died, he moved

-to live with his aunt in Lleyn.

-He has fond memories of his time

-with Nain and Taid.

-It's a strange experience

-to see it like this...

-..in the middle of renovation work.

-I expected to see the parlour room

-on the left as we came in.

-This is where the living room

-used to be.

-It's a bigger house

-than I remember.

-I remember this bedroom

-and that bedroom.

-That's where I saw Nain

-when she'd died.

-My uncle told me, a young child,

-that she was sleeping.

-I remember that.

-I don't remember this room so well.

-I remember one thing -

-that's where I used to sleep.

-I remember these stairs.

-I'd forgotten

-it was a three-storey house.

-I remember these little stairs

-that led to my bedroom.

-I didn't remember that until now.

-It's strange being back here.

-From these beginnings, his life

-took him in many directions.

-My first memory

-is of walking along the railway.

-That was in Llanffestiniog

-or in Meirionnydd, near my home.

-I was holding someone's hand -

-my real mother, perhaps.

-I remember walking along the railway

-and seeing houses in the distance.

-I don't know why

-that's stayed in my mind.

-That's where my journey begins -

-without a train along the railway.

-That image stayed with him and it

-reappeared in one of his poems...

-..'Einioes Ar Ei Hanner'.

-"By now, I am halfway

-through my life journey.

-"Half a lifetime, from that

-first memory to this moment,

-"Has passed.

-"The memory of the sun

-on the railway,

-"And the grey village

-in the distance.

-"Its houses shimmering

-in the day's heat.

-"One moment

-from a different world...

-"That doesn't exist any more."

-In that world

-that doesn't exist any more...

-..his grandfather, William Roberts,

-was very influential in his life.

-He hated everything about war.

-A battalion marched through

-Llanffestiniog during the Great War.

-They were being led by an officer

-who had a map in his hand.

-They asked Taid if they were on

-the right road to a military camp.

-He told them they should go

-in another direction.

-The officer said,

-"My map says otherwise."

-"Well, follow your bloody map,"

-he replied!

-The khaki colour was enough for Taid

-- he hated war.

-The grandson inherited

-his grandfather's hatred of war.

-A lot of his work,

-as a poet and a critic...

-..is based on the two World Wars

-of the twentieth century.

-There was a newspaper cutting

-in one of his books...

-..about a solider who had died

-in the Great War.

-Taid knew him.

-That's the first 'englyn' I learnt

-without trying to learn it.

-"Oscar Phillips is no more,

-"The pleasant lad is gone.

-"His excellence remains,

-"His memory will linger on."

-His interest in the Great War

-manifested itself in Hedd Wyn.

-A film was produced,

-a biography was written...

-..and a collection of Hedd Wyn's

-poems was published.

-Taid knew Hedd Wyn or Ellis

-Yr Ysgwrn, as he called him.

-I listened to Hedd Wyn's story...

-..while sitting on his lap

-as a young child.

-The story has stayed with me

-throughout my life.

-Nain was good friends

-with Jini Owen.

-I remember a story

-about a torrential downpour...

-..and Jini Owen

-was in the street, sobbing.

-Nain invited her in and asked her,

-"What's wrong, Jini?"

-She said, "Ellis has been killed."

-That story is still very much alive

-in my memory.

-I feel it's what started my interest

-in the Great War, in Hedd Wyn...

-..and all sorts of things -

-it's been there from the start.

-As it happened, one of our most

-talented directors, Paul Turner...

-..had shown an interest

-in making a film about Hedd Wyn.

-It was quite easy for me to say,

-"Alan Llwyd, meet Paul Turner.

-"Talk about it."

-That's how it all came about.

-WHISPERING VOICE

-Paul Turner and Alan Llwyd's film

-was seen around the world.

-It won one of the most coveted

-British television awards.

-Its greatest achievement

-was its Oscar nomination.

-Alan Llwyd had discovered

-a new medium.

-He's written over 200 scripts,

-including scripts for Pobol y Cwm.

-Alan's often asked

-how he fulfils his commitments...

-..as a poet and scriptwriter.

-What drives him on? He answers these

-questions in his autobiography...

-..'Glaw ar Rosyn Awst'.

-"To be honest,

-the explanation is complex.

-"I learnt from an early age

-that I was different.

-"I had to prove myself to myself,

-come what may.

-"I learnt that life was a battle

-to establish one's 'self'.

-"A battle against people's

-prejudices and self-righteousness."

-Here, in Lleyn,

-on Porth Ceiriad beach...

-..Alan learnt that he was different.

-Many themes in his poetry...

-..come from that acceptance

-that he was different...

-..and his battle against people's

-prejudices and self-righteousness.

-Alan Llwyd often identifies

-with minorities.

-People on the outside,

-people who are persecuted.

-These themes can be seen in one of

-Meilir Emrys Owen's poems.

-"Our nation stretches

-across the world.

-"We are everyone.

-"Our family is everyone hounded

-by a government, state or tyranny.

-"Our land is Europe's graveyard.

-"There are no nations,

-or populations or boundaries

-"Between country and country.

-"Or inheritance or affinity.

-"Or one language

-which separates us from each other.

-"Or lineage.

-"Our language is our torment.

-"I am not me myself."

-I've written many poems

-about oppressed people.

-Especially the Jews.

-Until recently, that was

-the worst example of humankind.

-Humanity at its worst,

-in its most barbaric form.

-Poets shouldn't always write

-light-hearted poetry.

-We live in a complex world.

-Poets should protest.

-Poets should stand up

-and voice their dissatisfaction.

-This is evident

-in the poem 'Cynnau Canhwyllau'.

-It was a poem written for S4C...

-..to commemorate the end of World

-War II, 50 years earlier.

-"Tonight, your candles burn

-in memory of the living dead

-"Who were buried in a pitiful grave.

-"The dead who will affect

-your lives.

-"The living skeletons

-that drag their bones

-"Through your troubled sleep and

-open their arms in the underworld."

-Alan Llwyd is most definitely

-a poet of his time.

-Some accused him of being too

-pessimistic when he published...

-..'Ffarwelio a Chanrif'. It was,

-however, a prophetic collection.

-Since I published that collection...

-..the Twin Towers have been

-attacked, Beslan's happened...

-..and since publishing it,

-people have come to me and said...

-.."They were in that collection".

-I wasn't being dark and pessimistic.

-I believe I am a poet of my time...

-..and I see my time as it is.

-This ability to identify

-with society's victims...

-..was behind his portrayals

-of people like Rachel Roberts...

-..in the series Adar Drycin.

-Rachel was a minister's daughter

-from Llanelli.

-She had a troubled life.

-Significantly, she was rejected

-by her mother, too.

-Five weeks before she died, while

-receiving psychiatric treatment...

-..she could hear her mother's voice

-vividly from her childhood days.

-BABY WHIMPERS

-"Take her away from me -

-I don't want to see her!"

-888

-888

-

-888

-Janice and the children

-are a constant strength to Alan.

-Many of his past battles

-are behind him.

-His complex background

-only bothers him once in a while.

-When his biological mother died,

-he didn't attend her funeral.

-He experienced many

-strange feelings at the time.

-To make matters worse,

-she died on Alan's birthday.

-February the 15th.

-He wrote a poem to express

-his complex and mixed feelings...

-..'Ar Ddydd Fy Mhenblwydd'.

-"I refuse to grieve for her

-even though she was my mother.

-"She was the one who gave me

-the breath to live.

-"I am her flesh and blood.

-"Why should I grieve for her

-this day,

-"When she refused to raise me?

-"She left me with the ones

-who raised her.

-"She unloaded the burden of raising

-a son she refused to acknowledge,

-"To her own parents.

-"Parents who were almost too old

-to raise one so young.

-"After burying my grandmother,

-in the darkness of one January,

-"Taid became my father and mother.

-"The flowers of her death

-adorned the birthday cake.

-"The candles burnt like flesh.

-"The day she brought me to this

-world was the day she left it.

-"We felt a gentle breeze

-at the celebration.

-"A layer of dust

-settled on the feast.

-"The sparks which jumped

-from her coffin,

-"Lit the flames

-of the celebratory candles."

-During this period, however,

-he received recognition.

-He was finally honoured

-by the University of Wales.

-He was made an Honorary Fellow

-at his old college in Bangor.

-He then received further

-recognition.

-Two close friends, Elwyn Edwards and

-Dafydd Islwyn, Barddas Secretary...

-..were very supportive of him

-during these years.

-They decided,

-together with Barddas' committee...

-..to honour Alan by dedicating an

-anthology of work to him in 2001...

-..on the occasion of the

-Society's 25th year celebrations.

-Now, after 25 years of activity...

-..Alan has mixed feelings about

-the future of Welsh poetry.

-I don't think Barddas was as

-successful as I hoped it would be...

-..not only as a publication

-but also as a Society.

-The enthusiasm exists but I

-don't think we've always reached...

-..the required standard

-with strict metre poetry.

-There are plenty of young poets

-plying their trade.

-There are plenty of promising poets.

-But the poetry has become more

-light-hearted and less substantial.

-That isn't exactly

-what I'd hoped for.

-The 'stomp' and the 'talwrn'

-do still have a key role to play.

-I've taken part myself.

-But people think it's the acceptable

-standard in mainstream Welsh poetry.

-Dic Jones said the 'talwrn'

-was today's mainstream Welsh poetry.

-If so, things are looking bleak.

-What is mainstream poetry?

-If it's poetry that appeals

-to everyone, we should be proud...

-..that the 'talwrn'

-and the 'stomp' are popular.

-A lot of good work is produced

-at these sessions.

-There will always be poetry

-that only appeals to some people.

-Poetic forms, like everything else,

-change with the times.

-They fall in and out of favour.

-Imagine how poor and

-one-dimensional poetry would be...

-..without Barddas

-and without Alan's leadership.

-I don't think the standards

-have dropped. There's more variety.

-I can see why Alan thinks he hasn't

-changed the world with Barddas.

-The question is -

-where would we be without Barddas?

-What about Alan Llwyd's poetry?

-I'm deadly serious when I say

-that I don't think my poetry...

-..will be widely read in

-fifty to a hundred years' time.

-Our language is changing,

-as is our poetry.

-Ultimately, I think

-I'll be seen as a dinosaur!

-That's something I've accepted.

-It was difficult

-to accept initially.

-His intensity towards his work

-and the seriousness of that work...

-..hasn't adhered him

-to the popular vote.

-That isn't important, in my opinion.

-The question is - is he

-a significant and important poet?

-The answer is yes.

-Alan and Janice have settled

-in Morriston for the past few years.

-That's where their sons,

-Ioan and Dafydd, have grown up.

-Alan Llwyd is middle-aged,

-and busier than ever.

-If he is remembered in the future,

-for what will he be remembered?

-As a poet, he's produced

-13 volumes of poetry.

-He claims that the first four

-are the work of an apprentice.

-Other poets would be very proud

-to have written them.

-Alan can afford to place them

-to one side.

-There are nine volumes left...

-..starting with 'Cerddi'r Cyfannu',

-going on to 'Ffarwelio A Chanrif'.

-This poetry is of great importance.

-He is Wales' greatest 'cywyddwr'

-since the Middle Ages.

-The greatest 'englynwr' ever.

-That's not the most important part

-of his work.

-His greatest work, written in

-vers libre or 'cynghanedd'...

-..describes the anguish

-of the twentieth century.

-He's one of the few 'cynganeddwyr'

-who looks forward...

-..and looks to the present

-without always looking to the past.

-Alan Llwyd has long since left

-the little boy behind...

-..on the beach in Lleyn.

-He's changed his name

-and his identity more than once.

-"I am not me myself."

-What of the future?

-With Alan Llwyd's ability

-to reinvent himself constantly...

-..no-one could ever

-answer that question.

-"I try to call him, but a voice

-from his future greets his past.

-"I am mute.

-"The words of tomorrow cannot reach

-the young boy who remains here."

-S4C Subtitles by Rh Sion Morgan