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0:00:09 > 0:00:13- Dic Jones - was a farmer from Ceredigion.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18- For over 50 years, - he was one of Wales's foremost poets.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25- Dic won the chair - at the Urdd Eisteddfod five times.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30- He went on to be chaired - at the National Eisteddfod...
0:00:30 > 0:00:33- ..amid high acclaim - from the adjudicators.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40- His masterful strict-metre odes, - Y Cynhaeaf and Y Gwanwyn...
0:00:42 > 0:00:45- ..are about agriculture - and the life cycle.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49- These themes - were close to his heart.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55- He married Jean, - was father to six children...
0:00:56 > 0:00:59- ..and loved his role - as a grandfather.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05- He was the first farmer - to become Archdruid...
0:01:06 > 0:01:11- ..and received an honorary MA degree - from the University of Wales.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17- Venerable Archdruid.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22- During Easter 2009, - four months before his death...
0:01:22 > 0:01:25- ..Dic gave a lengthy interview.
0:01:25 > 0:01:31- He reflected on his life, poetry - and the subjects that inspired him.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35- It isn't the story of his life...
0:01:35 > 0:01:41- ..but a commentary on the things - that were important to him.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48- This is Dic Jones - in his own words.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02- Hendre farm, - near Aberporth in Ceredigion...
0:02:02 > 0:02:05- ..was Dic's home from childhood.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11- Maturally, his story begins there.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18- When I was a small child...
0:02:19 > 0:02:22- ..I remember a blanket - that had a velvet edge.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28- Fiddling with it between my fingers - was comforting.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31- I had to have this piece of cloth.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35- For some reason, - I called it "Y Ffow".
0:02:35 > 0:02:40- When I was a boy, I wouldn't - go anywhere without "Y Ffow".
0:02:40 > 0:02:45- It was dragged across the yard - and taken everywhere...
0:02:45 > 0:02:50- ..until it was so dirty - that Mam had to wash it.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55- Apparently, I then went missing.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57- Everyone was searching for me.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01- Farmyards were dangerous places.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03- There were ponds and streams nearby.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07- Everybody was searching - for the missing child.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12- It was a fine day and "Y Ffow" - was drying on the washing line.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17- That's where they found me, - fast asleep and clutching "Y Ffow".
0:03:18 > 0:03:22- At a young age, - he took an interest in football.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25- He was in good company.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30- John Gwilym Jones Parc Nest, - Aled Jones and Jim.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- We all played for Newcastle Emlyn.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39- I recall three future Chief Bards - playing in one match.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40- Jim, John and me.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42- When a shot went wide...
0:03:43 > 0:03:46- ..John came up with the line - "Is the goal getting smaller?"
0:03:47 > 0:03:48- Commentary in cynghanedd.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53- He composed strict-metre poetry - - cynghanedd - in every match.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- The match commentary - was all in cynghanedd.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- On one occasion, - I remember him shouting...
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- .."Quickly, the boy kicks the ball - into the net...
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- "..after running through a puddle."
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- "Finish that englyn!" he challenged.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14- I'd been cutting corn in the field - by the main road.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19- My father sent me - to stack sheaves of corn.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23- It was a five-acre field - and involved a lot of work.
0:04:23 > 0:04:29- There was a match that afternoon - against the Swansea A team.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- Len Allchurch and Johnny King - were in their team.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35- I was selected to play...
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- ..but I had to stack sheaves - in this bloody field!
0:04:40 > 0:04:45- I went to the field on my bike, - with my kit in a sack.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- I stacked sheaves until midday...
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- ..then jumped on the bike - and rode six miles to Cardigan.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02- I changed, played the game - against Len Allchurch...
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- ..and came home - before I was even missed!
0:05:08 > 0:05:14- Dic's earliest bardic influence - was his school friend, Tydfor...
0:05:15 > 0:05:19- ..who encouraged him to compete - in YFC contests.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- I wrote three limericks...
0:05:25 > 0:05:29- ..that went down well - and got big laughs.
0:05:29 > 0:05:35- I started to enjoy the applause, - so I composed more limericks.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- We took the local newspaper, - The Tivy-Side.
0:05:41 > 0:05:47- The likes of Isfoel and Alun Cilie - would contribute to it.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51- I noticed verses with an odd layout.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57- A line, a dash, some words - and then three more lines.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01- I thought I could do that - because I had spotted the rhymes.
0:06:01 > 0:06:07- I knocked off dozens of them - and showed them to Tegryn Davies.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12- He said, "Well, I'm afraid - that they lack cynghanedd."
0:06:13 > 0:06:18- I'd never heard of "cynghanedd" - but that's how it all started.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23- I became friends with - the Cilie family, especially Alun.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28- On a Sunday night, - I took my verses for him to read.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34- I also met T Llew Jones, - S B Jones and Isfoel.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39- Y Cilie had a strong influence - on southern Ceredigion.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- As the Bible put it, - "A legion, for we are many."
0:06:43 > 0:06:45- Alun was a pure poet.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- He lived all his life near Y Cilie.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50- That was his life experience.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55- Dic didn't attend university - and was also a pure poet.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00- He was inspired - by the land, sea and weather.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- Alun was a huge influence on Dic.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09- Alun would take me - to the front room or Siberia.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13- It resembled Siberia too, - but that's where we went.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- He didn't give formal lessons, - just conversations.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21- In these conversations, - cynghanedd occurred.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- The greatest challenge - was to spot them.
0:07:24 > 0:07:30- He would say, "Hey, Dic, - are you sick, my son?"
0:07:31 > 0:07:36- "Hey, Dic, are you sick, my son?" - You could hear the alliteration.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40- You had to have your wits about you - and that's how I learnt.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44- Later, T Llew Jones joined us.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- I progressed even further - under his wing.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52- That's how it was at Y Cilie. - There were no formal lessons.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- "Because the poet wept - about man's plight
0:08:05 > 0:08:10- "And laughed about one word - that has the flair
0:08:10 > 0:08:15- "To cut a stroke, - as song and art unite
0:08:16 > 0:08:20- "As painful the burial, - so joyful is the fair
0:08:21 > 0:08:26- "Cilie is Wales - and Wales is Cilie too
0:08:27 > 0:08:33- "Their ebb and flow the same - the whole world through"
0:08:38 > 0:08:43- Alun Cilie said something - that I'll never forget.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47- We had been discussing literature.
0:08:47 > 0:08:53- "What's this talk of standards? - What are these standards?
0:08:53 > 0:08:56- "Man is the one - to set his own standard."
0:08:59 > 0:09:05- To paraphrase, the standard - is what man wants to achieve.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- Competing will raise standards.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13- If you aim to be as good - as your betters, you'll improve.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- On the other hand, - it can lead to a stereotype.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23- You could come first - in a low-standard competition.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29- Sarnicol composed an epitaph - for a failed poet.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35- "His crowns came easily in this - life - eight or nine, maybe more
0:09:36 > 0:09:38- "Should he win one - on the other side
0:09:38 > 0:09:41- "The competition would be poor"
0:09:48 > 0:09:49- .
0:09:54 > 0:09:54- 888
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- 888- - 888
0:10:04 > 0:10:09- I first competed - in the Urdd Eisteddfod in 1954.
0:10:09 > 0:10:15- I think I'd started - writing cynghanedd.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19- I wrote an ode in free verse.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23- It was a rhyming ode.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28- I was lucky - because the standard was low.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- Of that there is no doubt.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33- When I look back - at the poem now...
0:10:33 > 0:10:38- ..it doesn't match the standard - of the Urdd Eisteddfod today.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- However, I won other competitions...
0:10:41 > 0:10:45- ..the englyn - a four-line - strict-metre stanza...
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- ..a cywydd - a short - strict-metre ode...
0:10:48 > 0:10:50- ..and a telyneg - a lyrical poem.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55- Tegryn Davies reckoned - that I deserved the chair...
0:10:55 > 0:11:00- ..because of my winning cywydd - and despite my ode in free verse!
0:11:00 > 0:11:04- I couldn't see his logic, - but it encouraged me.
0:11:05 > 0:11:11- Dic won four consecutive chairs - at the Urdd Eisteddfod.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- It was an amazing feat - for a young poet.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- His odes were unbeatable.
0:11:17 > 0:11:23- Nobody could match his skill - in the Urdd competitions.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27- His feat certainly inspired me.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32- I remember the Urdd Eisteddfod - in Caernarfon.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- My father asked Richard Jones...
0:11:38 > 0:11:44- ..to autograph a copy - of the award-winning ode.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46- He obliged, of course.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51- My father brought it home for me, - aware of my admiration for this man.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57- He was a hero of mine - and it made my day.
0:11:57 > 0:12:03- At Aberavon in 1966, Dic Jones - won the National Eisteddfod chair.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09- The name of the bard - honoured today is...
0:12:11 > 0:12:13- ..Dic Jones.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19- When I realized - the subject was Harvest...
0:12:19 > 0:12:24- ..my first thought was to write - about the traditional harvest...
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- ..about threshing day - as I remembered it.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32- I felt I should write about it - before it was erased from memory.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37- "A hen comes to the granary stairs - and trots towards the door
0:12:38 > 0:12:42- "Seeking scraps of grain - from overflowing sacks
0:12:42 > 0:12:47- "The dogs, after a frenzied feast, - still catch the scent of rats"
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- That poem has never - seen the light of day.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53- That's all I intended to do.
0:12:54 > 0:13:00- From that point, it progressed - to describe the granary...
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- ..the corn and the cattle.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09- Before I knew it, - I could see it all coming together.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- When it was finished...
0:13:12 > 0:13:18- ..I invited T Llew Jones, - Alun and Jac Alun to the house.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24- I told them to sit down - and I read the poem to Alun.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29- "Well, well. Well done," he said.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33- "I hear the sound of dibs!"
0:13:34 > 0:13:36- Alun was my great uncle.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40- When someone asked his opinion - on a poem...
0:13:40 > 0:13:45- ..if it was a good one, he'd say - "I hear the sound of dibs."
0:13:45 > 0:13:48- It meant that an award - was in the offing.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53- "Son," he said, "you haven't - mentioned Thanksgiving."
0:13:56 > 0:14:01- I told him - that I had written something.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05- It resembled a hymn - in the form of a cywydd.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09- It made the ode too long - for the competition.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- "Then discard some of it," - he said - so I did!
0:14:13 > 0:14:18- I removed about 50 lines - to make room for the new pieces.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23- In those days, the ode - was restricted to 200 lines.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28- Writing certain lines - gave me a thrill.
0:14:28 > 0:14:34- Even now, I can still remember - some lines coming to me.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- I can tell you within a yard - where I was when the lines came.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45- As I crossed the hedge - from Parc Y Ffog to the road...
0:14:46 > 0:14:50- ..I was struck by the words - wheat and whiten.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- "Whiten the wheat - to keep us living"
0:14:54 > 0:14:56- That's how the ode ended.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01- I remember sowing seeds - on the pasture.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- I was giving thanks - for the harvest...
0:15:04 > 0:15:08- .."forever, above the old home"
0:15:08 > 0:15:12- The word "gwehelyth", meaning - lineage, was stuck in my head.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- For alliteration, I had to mutate - the word for lineage.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19- "Forever, above the old home..."
0:15:19 > 0:15:23- I wanted a line - linking sunshine and lineage.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30- "Gwehelyth" is a masculine noun - in Welsh, so lineage won't work.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34- Suddenly, - a cywydd by Waldo inspired me.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39- He had used the word "gwehelyth" - as a feminine noun.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43- The feminine mutation gave me - the alliteration I desired...
0:15:44 > 0:15:46- ..so I looked at the line again.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51- "Forever, about the old home, - the sun shines on their lineage"
0:15:51 > 0:15:55- I still remember the buzz - that I felt.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- I can tell you precisely - where I was standing.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10- "While mankind exists, - so will farming
0:16:12 > 0:16:15- "And ancient lineage ever succeeding
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- "While winter exists, - so will harvesting
0:16:19 > 0:16:22- "Beasts will live - while they keep dying
0:16:23 > 0:16:26- "Fertility lasting
0:16:26 > 0:16:31- "While the sun and dew - whiten the wheat to keep us living"
0:16:35 > 0:16:41- Dic had come close to winning the - National Eisteddfod chair before.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43- The subject was The Harvest.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47- It was the ideal subject for Dic.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52- The letter arrived.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57- I opened it and was in total shock. - I couldn't believe it.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00- Dic was delighted.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05- He came in, opened the post - and banged the table, "Yes!"
0:17:05 > 0:17:10- Sian said that I'd hit the table - so hard, the sugar basin toppled.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- Well, I just couldn't believe it.
0:17:14 > 0:17:20- Cynan was the Archdruid at the time - and he sent a very amiable letter.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23- He congratulated me on my victory.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28- I was asked to keep it a secret...
0:17:29 > 0:17:35- ..and to be present in Aberavon - on the Thursday afternoon.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- In my response to Cynan, - I wrote this.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- "I will be there - on Thursday afternoon.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46- "That's my answer. - Bet your shirt on it.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50- "My mouth will remain shut - for all eternity if necessary."
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- That was my response to Cynan.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56- We three adjudicators - are of the opinion...
0:17:56 > 0:18:01- ..that Bryn Coed's - lucid and excellent ode...
0:18:02 > 0:18:08- ..has achieved an Eisteddfodic feat - at Aberavon this year.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- I'll never forget the feeling - of standing up in the pavilion.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20- The pavilion was full.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25- The searchlights bounced off - faces in the audience.
0:18:25 > 0:18:31- Everyone turned around - and there was a sea of faces.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35- I felt as if I was standing - in a field of corn.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- All of this was happening around me.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43- It's the best memory - that I have of the ceremony.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47- After this week, one might wonder...
0:18:47 > 0:18:53- ..whether young men in Ceredigion - do anything except write poetry!
0:18:54 > 0:18:57- Once you win an Eisteddfod chair...
0:18:57 > 0:19:01- ..you immediately become eligible...
0:19:01 > 0:19:05- ..to judge baby shows - or to open dog shows.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09- You are viewed as an expert - in any field.
0:19:09 > 0:19:15- Tydfor and I were invited - to judge a disco dancing contest!
0:19:16 > 0:19:19- We'd never seen - strobe lighting before.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22- We opened the door, - took one look and left!
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- That's what happens - when you become well-known in Wales.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31- .
0:19:36 > 0:19:36- 888
0:19:36 > 0:19:38- 888- - 888
0:19:46 > 0:19:53- I recall a time when I had won - a few chairs locally, nothing major.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- It was a time when we all went - to nearby farms...
0:19:57 > 0:20:00- ..to help out with haymaking - or the potato harvest.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03- I was at Esgair with Wil Yr Esgair.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08- We were enjoying our midday snack - after digging up potatoes.
0:20:08 > 0:20:14- Someone shouted, "You did well - to win the chair in Aberporth."
0:20:15 > 0:20:19- I thanked him - and then Wil turned to me.
0:20:19 > 0:20:25- To this day, I can hear him asking, - "Where does it come from?"
0:20:28 > 0:20:31- It is quite odd, isn't it?
0:20:32 > 0:20:34- Why are some people gifted?
0:20:34 > 0:20:38- It's not a talent, - but an appreciation of words.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40- Where does it come from?
0:20:40 > 0:20:44- Personally, I need inspiration...
0:20:44 > 0:20:48- ..which often comes - from a set subject.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54- However, a pattern of words - occasionally springs to mind.
0:20:54 > 0:21:00- This lyrical pattern of words...
0:21:00 > 0:21:05- ..leads to further phrases - and eventually to a concept.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10- It's a mechanical process.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17- In the early years, - I knew he composed on his tractor.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22- If the tractor was stationary, - I knew what was happening.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26- When Dic was immersed - in composition...
0:21:26 > 0:21:30- ..he could and would - shut the world out.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- When he received a task - for a poetry contest...
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- ..he'd be there in body, - but not in spirit.
0:21:38 > 0:21:44- To be honest, in the early years, - I wouldn't offer my opinion.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46- That changed over time.
0:21:48 > 0:21:54- I think it's especially true - of the later years...
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- ..during his time - with Talwrn Y Beirdd.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00- When he had tasks - for Talwrn Y Beirdd...
0:22:00 > 0:22:06- ..they had to be good enough - to impress Gerallt.
0:22:06 > 0:22:12- Dic regarded Gerallt as a god, - the god of poetry.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18- Dic tried every task, despite being - in a team of experienced poets...
0:22:19 > 0:22:21- ..but Dic had to try them all.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- Excellent work by Gwilym Fychan.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29- Next, Idris Reynolds. - Are you a cricketer, Idris?
0:22:29 > 0:22:30- LAUGHTER
0:22:31 > 0:22:35- The popular radio series - Talwrn Y Beirdd...
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- ..brought Dic's voice - into homes all over Wales.
0:22:39 > 0:22:45- Dic was an avid competitor - before joining Gerallt Lloyd Owen...
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- ..to keep score - and to pull a few legs!
0:22:49 > 0:22:55- Both teams are ready, - Bro Ddyfi and Crannog.
0:22:55 > 0:23:01- "Bro Ddyfi, there's no doubt - Are the best poets hereabouts.
0:23:01 > 0:23:07- "Crannog are more photogenic
0:23:07 > 0:23:11- "But there's very little in it!"
0:23:13 > 0:23:15- Despite his undisputed talent...
0:23:16 > 0:23:21- ..modesty often forced him - to doubt himself.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26- When I complete an englyn, - I am often amazed...
0:23:26 > 0:23:30- ..that I was lucky enough - to find that rhyme.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34- How can you explain it?
0:23:34 > 0:23:40- If not for that key factor, - the verse would fail.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45- It's beyond my mechanical input.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47- It's beyond that.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51- As Wil Yr Esgair said, - "Where does it come from?"
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- I often ponder that question.
0:23:57 > 0:24:03- The contents of any poem depend - on your mood when you write it.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09- The way I feel today, - I couldn't write humorous verses.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15- However, I could compose - more profound poems.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20- As I mentioned, - it does depend on the mood.
0:24:20 > 0:24:26- It may be natural for a young bard - to write about happier subjects.
0:24:26 > 0:24:31- Maybe the young tend to compose - upbeat verse. I don't know.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38- The initial inspiration for my poems - comes from my community.
0:24:38 > 0:24:44- That doesn't mean the message - isn't appreciated further afield.
0:24:44 > 0:24:50- It's said that I won - my first chair...
0:24:50 > 0:24:56- ..because I was the last - of the country poets.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59- It may be true.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03- It isn't that standards have risen, - but circumstances have changed.
0:25:03 > 0:25:09- If I was 18 now, - I would be heading for university.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12- It wouldn't make me - any better or worse...
0:25:13 > 0:25:17- ..but I could no longer - be regarded as a country poet.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24- In truth, a country poet - lacks definition these days.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30- Dic is considered - the last of our country poets.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34- A poet of his own square mile, - but he was more than that.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39- In his work, he expresses - strong views on world affairs.
0:25:39 > 0:25:45- He also had a clear view - of the nature of poetry.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48- It's a skill.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50- When a man builds a stone wall...
0:25:51 > 0:25:55- ..he chooses a stone - and sets it in place.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- If it isn't suitable, - he chooses another.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01- I choose another word - if it isn't apt...
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- ..if it lacks - the correct consonant or rhyme.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09- Skills must be honed.
0:26:10 > 0:26:11- This is how I see it.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16- 99% of the time, - a skilled person is an artisan.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21- For that other 1%, he's an artist.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27- I know I'm an artisan, - but I doubt that I'm an artist.
0:26:32 > 0:26:37- In the early 1980s, - Dic's close friend Tydfor...
0:26:37 > 0:26:39- ..died in a tractor accident.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45- He recorded his loss - by writing an eulogy.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53- "Laughter is a rare thing tonight, - quite a bit rarer, boy
0:26:54 > 0:26:58- "We're filled with the pain of your - fall and the sting of sudden shock"
0:27:01 > 0:27:02- It was a real comfort.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07- I hadn't realized - that he knew Tydfor so well.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11- He knew his inner soul. - He knew him very, very well.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- This is just how he was.
0:27:14 > 0:27:20- I see more now and I see - the real Tydfor in this piece.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24- One couplet springs to mind...
0:27:25 > 0:27:29- ..when I recall - Tydfor's funeral and his coffin.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34- "Summer does not bring the flowers - on the day that the coffin closes"
0:27:42 > 0:27:45- He experienced another great loss...
0:27:45 > 0:27:50- ..with the death of Esyllt, - the twin of his son, Trystan.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53- She passed away - aged only three months.
0:27:56 > 0:28:02- When the little girl was born, - I knew she wasn't right.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06- I feel ashamed of that to this day.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10- I looked at her in the bed - and I knew she wasn't right.
0:28:11 > 0:28:17- I didn't know what it was, - but something was wrong.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19- I felt like...
0:28:20 > 0:28:25- ..a cow leaving its dead calf - and walking away.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29- I'm so ashamed of that feeling, - but it's true.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31- I knew instinctively.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35- The little girl - had a hole in her heart...
0:28:35 > 0:28:37- ..she had Down's syndrome...
0:28:37 > 0:28:40- ..and there were - a number of other complications.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44- She lived for about three months...
0:28:44 > 0:28:48- ..and then, she passed away.
0:28:50 > 0:28:55- I'm ashamed to admit - and I'm embarrassed to say this...
0:28:55 > 0:28:59- ..but I feel that Esyllt...
0:29:00 > 0:29:03- ..did us a favour by dying.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08- She would have needed a lot of care.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12- We would have had to decide - whether to bring her home or not.
0:29:12 > 0:29:18- By the time she was to have been - discharged from hospital...
0:29:19 > 0:29:21- ..she had died.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23- She took that decision for me.
0:29:25 > 0:29:30- Thoughts such as that - still make me shudder.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43- The undertaker arrived.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49- He had a small box, - no bigger than a shoe box.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55- The minister, James Henry Jones, - met us at the crematorium.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59- I have fond memories of James Henry.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05- James placed the small coffin - under my arm.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09- After some time, - we were given the ashes.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12- I didn't know what to do with them.
0:30:14 > 0:30:20- I gathered the children and - told them that I had Esyllt's ashes.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23- I told them all to take a handful...
0:30:23 > 0:30:25- ..and scatter it where they wanted.
0:30:26 > 0:30:27- That's what we did.
0:30:27 > 0:30:32- One went to a flower bed, - one to a tree, another to a hedge.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36- They all remember - where they scattered Esyllt's ashes.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52- "The fun in our jobs is forgotten
0:30:53 > 0:30:57- "Our lives are but something - to get through
0:30:57 > 0:30:59- "After summer, winter always comes
0:31:00 > 0:31:03- "Why do I keep hoping?
0:31:05 > 0:31:08- "Ahead, though I know not where
0:31:09 > 0:31:12- "Is a beautiful, glittering cloud
0:31:14 > 0:31:17- "Above the mist and the dark sky
0:31:17 > 0:31:21- "A piece of the sun, - yonder somewhere"
0:31:25 > 0:31:28- At the time, I was a dairy farmer.
0:31:28 > 0:31:34- In the milking parlour, - there was a pulsator.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36- Tick, tock, tick, tock...
0:31:36 > 0:31:39- "Over the waves is a pleasant land
0:31:40 > 0:31:43- "Where the laments do not linger"
0:31:43 > 0:31:49- It was an inspiration, - working to the rhythm of cynghanedd.
0:31:49 > 0:31:55- I was able to express my emotions - and feelings about my daughter.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00- When I finished the poems...
0:32:01 > 0:32:03- ..I didn't know - what to do with them.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09- Was it right for me - to publish these poems...
0:32:09 > 0:32:15- ..and make a literary benefit - from the death of this little girl?
0:32:17 > 0:32:20- Somehow, news of them leaked. - I'm not sure how.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25- Wait, Gerallt Lloyd Owen saw them.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28- They are englynion in the main...
0:32:29 > 0:32:33- ..that show the country poet...
0:32:34 > 0:32:39- ..and the country poet's function - at its best.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43- He has composed something - deeply personal...
0:32:43 > 0:32:47- ..which at the same time - elevates a country poet's role...
0:32:47 > 0:32:52- ..to heights reached by very few - anywhere in the artistic world.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55- Let me quote the final - immortal words.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02- "Humanity is measured - by its ability to weep"
0:33:02 > 0:33:06- It's written in Welsh - and in cynghanedd.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10- Only Welsh-speakers - have encountered this line...
0:33:10 > 0:33:13- ..but it's so relevant.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17- It embodies a truth - that applies anywhere in the world.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20- "Humanity is measured - by its ability to weep"
0:33:23 > 0:33:26- I had many letters - from various places.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29- People were aware - of what I was saying...
0:33:29 > 0:33:31- ..and that the poems - had comforted them.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36- I was able to justify what I'd done.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40- I believe that...
0:33:41 > 0:33:45- Other than parts of certain odes...
0:33:46 > 0:33:50- ..it's the poem - that excited me most.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54- Not while writing it, - but after completing it.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58- As I mentioned earlier, - I knew that I'd succeeded there.
0:34:09 > 0:34:10- .
0:34:13 > 0:34:13- 888
0:34:13 > 0:34:15- 888- - 888
0:34:34 > 0:34:37- Competing and winning - isn't always a bed of roses.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41- You can lose - when you deserve to win...
0:34:41 > 0:34:45- ..or, more often, - win when you deserve to lose.
0:34:47 > 0:34:52- Aberavon and Cardigan - mark high and low points.
0:34:55 > 0:35:00- At the 1976 National Eisteddfod - in Cardigan...
0:35:00 > 0:35:03- ..Dic Jones was a member - of the literary committee.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08- In breach of the rules at the time, - he competed for the chair.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11- Two odes came to the forefront.
0:35:11 > 0:35:16- As adjudicators, - we agree that both odes...
0:35:17 > 0:35:23- ..are worthy - of the National Eisteddfod chair.
0:35:25 > 0:35:30- As adjudicators, - we also agree unanimously...
0:35:31 > 0:35:33- ..that Rhos-y-Gadair...
0:35:33 > 0:35:37- ..submitted the best poem - in the competition.
0:35:37 > 0:35:38- Thank you.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44- Dic Jones was Rhos-y-Gadair.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46- However...
0:35:46 > 0:35:52- Rhos-y-Gadair has broken - one of the competition's rules.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02- He now acknowledges the fact.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06- We must therefore proceed...
0:36:06 > 0:36:12- ..to chair the other - worthy competitor, Y Tyst o'r Tir.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19- Chief Bard Alan Llwyd - deserved to take the chair home.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25- Dic had seized his chance - to pay tribute to his bardic tutor.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28- Is there peace?
0:36:28 > 0:36:29- Is there peace?- - Peace!
0:36:30 > 0:36:34- Alun Cilie had been appointed - as an adjudicator.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38- If he had presided, - I wouldn't have competed.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41- However, Alun died...
0:36:41 > 0:36:45- ..and Y Gwanwyn became - my tribute to him.
0:36:45 > 0:36:50- Y Gwanwyn followed on - from Y Cynhaeaf.
0:36:51 > 0:36:56- The idea was to write a poem - to the months after the harvest.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00- As the writing progressed...
0:37:00 > 0:37:06- ..I could see parallels - with the ode Y Cynhaeaf.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12- The experiences I had encountered - in writing Y Cynhaeaf returned.
0:37:12 > 0:37:17- There were a few thrills - when verses struck a chord.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21- I remember completing one, - possibly in the same field...
0:37:21 > 0:37:25- ..where the line about - sunshine and lineage came to me!
0:37:25 > 0:37:27- Here's Y Cynhaeaf.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29- "While mankind exists, - so will farming
0:37:30 > 0:37:32- "An ancient lineage ever succeeding
0:37:32 > 0:37:35- "While winter exists, - so will harvesting
0:37:35 > 0:37:37- "Beasts will live - while they keep dying
0:37:37 > 0:37:40- "Fertility lasting - while the sun and dew
0:37:40 > 0:37:42- "Whiten the wheat - to keep us living"
0:37:42 > 0:37:46- The new poem - continued along those lines.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49- "While chicks are hatched - to a cock and hen
0:37:49 > 0:37:51- "Faith will not be extinguished
0:37:51 > 0:37:54- "A restless man - will follow the furrow
0:37:54 > 0:37:56- "His plough glistening - among the clay
0:37:57 > 0:37:59- "Spring and birth - will last an eternity
0:37:59 > 0:38:03- "And the mountain rains - will wash the rocks"
0:38:04 > 0:38:07- It was a drama, a real drama.
0:38:07 > 0:38:13- I broke the rules, - but not the spirit of the rules.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19- Even if I had chosen - the adjudicators and the subject...
0:38:19 > 0:38:22- ..the poem still had to be written.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24- I wrote the poem. - That is what matters.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28- There are ten years - between Y Cynhaeaf and Y Gwanwyn...
0:38:29 > 0:38:34- ..but ultimately, every poet - focuses on one theme.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39- The subjects vary, - but there is one main theme.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43- Dic's theme was the life cycle.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47- He refers to the harvest - in the famous ode.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50- "I will go to make - the life cycle whole
0:38:50 > 0:38:54- "To sow as the meadow - becomes green"
0:38:55 > 0:38:58- The life cycle - is an image of life...
0:38:59 > 0:39:04- ..as a rotating circle, eternal - and continually progressing.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08- Y Gwanwyn is my favourite - Welsh poem.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11- I know parts of it by heart.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13- It has something extra.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16- It gives me a buzz, a thrill.
0:39:16 > 0:39:21- There's a surge of energy - that permeates the poem...
0:39:21 > 0:39:25- ..like a breath of spring air.
0:39:25 > 0:39:30- There's a feeling of rejuvenation - or even rebirth.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33- It really is an uplifting concept.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44- "While an old family - harvests its fruits
0:39:45 > 0:39:49- "And its lineage's crops - seed its fields
0:39:50 > 0:39:52- "While birds come in pairs - to the trees
0:39:52 > 0:39:56- "While a ram grazes, - while hooves exist
0:39:57 > 0:39:59- "The spring of springs
0:39:59 > 0:40:04- "Will open its store of treasures - through the ages
0:40:05 > 0:40:09- "While chicks are hatched - to a cock and hen
0:40:09 > 0:40:13- "Faith will not be extinguished
0:40:13 > 0:40:16- "A restless man - will follow the furrow
0:40:16 > 0:40:20- "His plough glistening - among the clay
0:40:21 > 0:40:25- "Spring and birth - will last an eternity
0:40:26 > 0:40:31- "And the mountain rains - will wash the rocks"
0:40:35 > 0:40:39- In 1997, I was at the Eagles Inn - in Llanuwchllyn...
0:40:40 > 0:40:42- ..the day after I had been chaired.
0:40:42 > 0:40:48- I had won with an ode - that maybe contradicted Dic's odes.
0:40:48 > 0:40:53- It depicts a more cruel aspect - of agriculture and rural life.
0:40:55 > 0:41:00- Dic's odes promote farming, - celebrating it as a way of life.
0:41:01 > 0:41:07- Dic sat beside me, - leaned over and stared at me.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11- He congratulated me and said...
0:41:12 > 0:41:17- .."I was right in 1966 and 1976...
0:41:17 > 0:41:19- "..but you are right today."
0:41:20 > 0:41:24- I suspect that was his way - of praising me.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29- Having said that, - he wrote a cywydd for me.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- I treasure that cywydd - as much as anything else.
0:41:33 > 0:41:38- The cywydd shows - that everything has two sides.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43- "Spring has two faces - that no-one can separate
0:41:44 > 0:41:49- "They are an eternal dowry - that arrive much like fate
0:41:50 > 0:41:56- "I always see the sunny side. - Ceri's feat is to see the pain"
0:41:59 > 0:42:05- I don't class myself as a bard, - but maybe a poet.
0:42:05 > 0:42:10- I admire the young people - and their ideas.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13- They have a touch of genius.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16- I often think - of Harold Wilson's words.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19- I'm one of "yesterday's men" now.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23- However, I'm willing - to be regarded as a poet.
0:42:23 > 0:42:29- In my experience, as Isfoel put it, - words call to each other.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32- I string words together...
0:42:32 > 0:42:37- .working with sounds, - alliteration and rhymes.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39- My poems stem from words.
0:42:40 > 0:42:46- Poets now start with a concept, - and I respect them enormously.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50- I admire them, - but don't understand their system.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52- I understand my system.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01- I'll complete the task - of the Archdruid on his behalf...
0:43:01 > 0:43:05- ..by announcing that the set subject - was The Dawn.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08- Words were important to Dic.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12- He was a renowned adjudicator.
0:43:12 > 0:43:18- His polished performances - while adjudicating were astounding.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22- Dic spoke without any notes - to prompt him.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24- This is where he excels.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27- "There with his own father
0:43:27 > 0:43:31- "One happy morning, the youngster - goes with his spade to the shore
0:43:31 > 0:43:34- "To create with coarse sand"
0:43:35 > 0:43:38- He was an avid columnist - for Golwg magazine...
0:43:38 > 0:43:42- ..creating poems - about current affairs.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50- In 2008, having passed - the promised age...
0:43:50 > 0:43:54- ..Dic yr Hendre was ordained - as Archdruid.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59- I may be lucky - to have been born...
0:44:00 > 0:44:03- ..at the end of the era - of the horse...
0:44:03 > 0:44:06- ..and the start - of the era of the tractor.
0:44:06 > 0:44:11- It was also the end - of the country poet tradition.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15- I was in the right place - at the right time.
0:44:15 > 0:44:21- To an extent, the same is true - of the way I was elected Archdruid.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26- No farmer had held the post before.
0:44:26 > 0:44:31- It's a touch of romance to the lives - of farmers and Archdruids alike.
0:44:31 > 0:44:37- They have progressed - from being establishment figures.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42- An ordinary farmer - can become Archdruid now!
0:44:42 > 0:44:46- The factor that worked in my favour - when I won my first chair...
0:44:46 > 0:44:49- ..is still working in my favour.
0:44:49 > 0:44:54- At the proclamation ceremony - of Bala National Eisteddfod...
0:44:54 > 0:44:57- ..Dic was ordained as Archdruid.
0:44:57 > 0:45:02- He considered the role to be - the greatest honour of his life.
0:45:07 > 0:45:12- However, he could only preside - as Archdruid at one Eisteddfod...
0:45:12 > 0:45:14- ..as he was struck down - by a fatal illness.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30- He was a man who cherished his home.
0:45:31 > 0:45:36- He appreciated all the invitations - to deliver after dinner speeches.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40- He relished bardic contests - such as Talwrn Y Beirdd.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44- Following any event, - he always returned home.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46- He regarded Yr Hendre - as the place to be.
0:45:52 > 0:45:57- He was very proud of his children, - but he never showed it.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00- One of them asked me recently...
0:46:00 > 0:46:03- .."Did I do anything - that made Dad proud of me?"
0:46:04 > 0:46:10- I happen to know that Dic was very - proud of that child's achievements.
0:46:11 > 0:46:16- Dic regarded his grandchildren - as a wondrous gift.
0:46:16 > 0:46:22- He saw a future where his legacy - would continue in these children.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27- I hope that a couple of them, - as they seem to show real promise...
0:46:28 > 0:46:33- ..will follow in Dic's footsteps - in terms of writing.
0:46:39 > 0:46:44- As a family, - it meant a great deal to us...
0:46:45 > 0:46:49- ..that he was able - to come home to die.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53- I don't know if you can say - such a thing...
0:46:53 > 0:46:58- ..but I know - that he was glad to be here.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14- "The grave inspires a longing - in us all
0:47:14 > 0:47:16- "For the ability to return
0:47:17 > 0:47:19- "Now, art makes that possible
0:47:19 > 0:47:22- "A poet whose song - comes from the soil
0:47:23 > 0:47:27- "In our language, your two odes - are stacks of the finest wheat
0:47:28 > 0:47:33- "While we remember you, the door - to your store of words never closes"
0:47:42 > 0:47:46- I still maintain - that it's a great honour...
0:47:46 > 0:47:50- ..to be awarded a chair - at the National Eisteddfod.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53- A financial prize - is always appreciated...
0:47:53 > 0:47:55- ..just as in any other eisteddfod.
0:47:55 > 0:48:00- However, no award can compare...
0:48:00 > 0:48:05- ..with the satisfaction - of nailing a poem.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07- Success - got it!
0:48:07 > 0:48:10- It's the ultimate prize.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53- S4C subtitles by Tinopolis
0:48:53 > 0:48:54- .