0:00:00 > 0:00:01- Subtitles
0:00:01 > 0:00:05- Last year, it was announced that - I would follow Gwyneth Lewis...
0:00:05 > 0:00:09- ..Gwyn Thomas and Gillian Clarke - as Wales' fourth national poet.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12- Quite a responsibility then.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17- Everyone who's held the post - in the past has had the freedom...
0:00:17 > 0:00:20- ..to reinvent the role - to fit their own strengths.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25- It's a bit like - being the new Doctor Who.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30- So, here's what I've been up to - in my first year...
0:00:30 > 0:00:33- ..as the National Poet of Wales.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44- Literature Wales is responsible - for the National Poet of Wales.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49- They arranged for the reigns to - be handed over at the Hay Festival.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54- It's an international festival - that draws authors...
0:00:54 > 0:00:58- ..to Hay on Wye from all over - the world to celebrate literature.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04- As my predecessor, Gillian Clarke - held the post for eight years...
0:01:05 > 0:01:08- ..I wonder how she felt - about today's ceremony.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10- It's a great occasion.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12- I'm pleased that it's Ifor.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17- All poets work together anyway - in Wales.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20- It's very important - because Wales is a small country.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29- Thanks very much, Gillian.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33- It's an honour - to stand in front of you...
0:01:33 > 0:01:37- ..in this new, - respectable, scary job.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44- After addressing the audience, - Gillian and I had an informal chat.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48- She warned me about a few - of the things I could expect.
0:01:48 > 0:01:54- What advice did she have for me - as the new National Poet of Wales.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58- I just say "Yes". I go everywhere - that I'm asked to go.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02- By doing that, - Gillian has constantly fought...
0:02:03 > 0:02:07- ..to ensure neither Wales nor its - literature is pushed to the verges.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09- We first - got to know each other properly...
0:02:10 > 0:02:11- ..when we were both in Washington.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14- It can be done.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17- We both burn the same petrol - in that way.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21- We're firmly opposed to any attempts - to make Wales invisible.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25- Neither of us want to be part - of a vampire nation...
0:02:25 > 0:02:29- ..that looks in the mirror - and can't see anything there.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33- Gillian's most important lesson - to me was not to be scared...
0:02:33 > 0:02:36- ..of expressing my opinion - as National Poet of Wales.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40- Education, literacy, - libraries, the NHS...
0:02:41 > 0:02:44- ..decent treatment of everybody.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47- That's not party political. - That's just, you know.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50- I'd fight for those things.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53- I'd lie down in the road - to save the Welsh language.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- I really enjoyed the ceremony.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- I felt for Gillian.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14- It must have been a bitter-sweet - feeling for her.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17- She's been in the job - for a long time.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20- She's made it her own.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24- She's taken the job to a new level.
0:03:24 > 0:03:30- It's going to be a challenge to - follow her and filling her shoes.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35- Congratulations, will you change - your style because of this?
0:03:35 > 0:03:37- I'm hoping to be true to myself.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40- I hope I'll be true to the role too.
0:03:40 > 0:03:46- The thing I'm most unsure about - is all the interviews.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52- When you do a public address, - you've had time to prepare.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58- With interviews - for the news and similar things...
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- ..you're never sure - which way it will go.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03- You can get caught out.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11- When I got the job, a friend of mine - wrote a beautiful englyn...
0:04:11 > 0:04:13- ..offering me some advice.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16- At least be controversial, he said.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- But don't be controversial - by accident.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25- There was nothing controversial - about my next task.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- It was a book-signing session - at the Hay on Wye bookshop.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34- It was nice to see the odd person - who struggled with Welsh...
0:04:34 > 0:04:36- ..daring to buy a Welsh book.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- Would a translation of this - be helpful?
0:04:39 > 0:04:40- Very much so.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- If you'd like - to put your email there.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50- The day's final job was - a reception with Literature Wales.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- It was a chance to meet - with old and new friends.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56- It was also another chance - to thank Gillian...
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- ..at the end of her - tenure in the job.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- The National Poet of Wales!
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- What can I say? - Thank you very much, Gillian.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25- I'd like to read Gwaddol, - a presentation to Gillian Clarke.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30- "A toolbox came - anonymously to my door.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34- "And in it I found - a knife to carve poems
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- " And a warning - regarding the muse's clean slap.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41- "An imaginary hammer and nails - with which to shoe our experiences.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- "And a crosscut saw - for translations
0:05:44 > 0:05:48- "enabling two people - to pull together.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52- "This was the Taliesin of toolboxes.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56- "The heavy tools - were the weight of wrens in my hand.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59- "A gadget for every requirement.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- "From prolific ideas - like bicycle seeds
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- "To a file to smooth off lines.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- "And spanners of couplets - to loosen meanings.
0:06:07 > 0:06:15- "On the blade or handle of each - tool, the initials GC were etched.
0:06:16 > 0:06:23- "I now acclaim their owner for - generously sharing them with me."
0:06:23 > 0:06:25- Thank you very much, Gillian.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- My next responsibility - as National Poet of Wales...
0:06:36 > 0:06:40- ..was to write a poem for the - Official Opening of the Senedd.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47- The late Iwan Llwyd had written - a poem about the first Senedd...
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- ..called by Owain Glyndwr - back in 1404.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55- Iwan's influence can be heard - here and there in my poem.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08- "Spring came late to our country; - the winter locked down ambition
0:07:09 > 0:07:12- "and put our aspirations on ice, - before the big thaw
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- "which made the drains gargle - and the downpipes gush.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- "And so may the sun shine bright - on this house today
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- "This, the cauldron of our rebirth
0:07:24 > 0:07:29- "The platform for our voice, - where we sing our vision into being.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- "We come here - from many commote, as before
0:07:34 > 0:07:39- "Treading the overgrown path, barbed - with wool like Christmas trimmings
0:07:40 > 0:07:44- "And crowding down the wet lane - which mirrors the sky's shine.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50- "We come here, to touch the horizon - and bend it for common good.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56- "And as we, - from our valleys and mountains
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- "approach our perpetual city
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- "We give thanks there are no bullet - holes in the pillars of this house
0:08:02 > 0:08:04- "Just a cloud of witnesses
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- "who'll maintain us - in all manner of beliefs.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- "And as we are led - to the halls of this house
0:08:11 > 0:08:16- "May there be passion in our debate; - prudence in conciliation
0:08:16 > 0:08:20- "Let difficult' become simple, - and challenging' become fun
0:08:21 > 0:08:25- The last thing we want is to import - that kind of chaos into Wales.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28- "and let us each day - repeat the maxim
0:08:28 > 0:08:33- "that two men will come together - sooner than two mountains."
0:08:37 > 0:08:42- I couldn't be at the official - opening of the Senedd last June.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45- Just like many fellow - Welsh men and women...
0:08:46 > 0:08:51- ..I'd crossed the sea to follow the - national football side in France.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56- As there was a referendum on staying - in Europe later in the month...
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- ..I'd made sure - of a postal vote before leaving.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04- After the victory against Russia - in Toulouse...
0:09:05 > 0:09:07- ..which got us a place - in the second round.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12- I saw that as a great opportunity - to do some canvassing for remain.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16- As my friend advised, - at least be controversial.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20- "The party has started.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22- "Everyone's singing our praises.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- "Our team is still in Europe, - it's where we want to be.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- "If like me, - you want the party to continue
0:09:28 > 0:09:30- "Don't forget to vote.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32- "Vote remain this Thursday."
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- # Hal Robson-Kanu #
0:09:36 > 0:09:42- That video got a huge response with - some 50,000 views in a few days.
0:09:42 > 0:09:48- These little verses are the most - popular thing I've ever done.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54- It didn't change the result - of the referendum, unfortunately.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02- Without doubt, one of the most - popular stories of the year...
0:10:03 > 0:10:06- ..was the success of the Wales team - in France.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12- When a crew from Wales Arts Review - came to look back at my year...
0:10:12 > 0:10:16- ..they wanted to talk - about the football.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- So, the players singing - the national anthem...
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- ..it would be nice - to hear your thoughts.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26- The biggest thing was that - the experience bred confidence.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- If only we could bottle that.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- All of a sudden, - Wales was in the headlines.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36- But there were a few cross words - despite that.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- As Wales did - better and better...
0:10:39 > 0:10:43- ..some of the London press began - sniping around the team...
0:10:43 > 0:10:45- .."half of them - were born in England."
0:10:45 > 0:10:47- So what!
0:10:47 > 0:10:50- So was I. I'm the National - Poet Of Wales. Deal with it.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53- Wales' players embraced - the Welsh language...
0:10:54 > 0:10:57- ..as part of the team's image - regardless of who spoke it.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02- That's only one of that month's - odyssey of wonders...
0:11:02 > 0:11:04- ..on and off the pitch.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08- Things like the behaviour of fans, - the passionate support...
0:11:08 > 0:11:11- ..on both sides of the sea.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15- These things are woven - through the poem I wrote...
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- ..to celebrate our success - at the Euros.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22- "One June afternoon
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- "The long wait gilded - by the sunshine
0:11:25 > 0:11:26- "I took myself off to France.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29- "There, I saw great wonders.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31- "First, a red wall
0:11:31 > 0:11:34- "Moving and singing as one.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39- "The wall became a tempest - Rising from the stadium's flanks
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- "Turning into - a celebrating sea of red
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- "Through the streets, - from Lens to Toulouse.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47- "I heard the football heroes
0:11:47 > 0:11:51- "Claiming their language back, - one 'diolch' at a time
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- "And shirt-makers and brewers - from the end of the world
0:11:54 > 0:11:56- "Acknowledging it in turn.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- "And here are my people, - the vampire nation
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- "Who once stared into mirrors - and saw nothing
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- "Stepping from the shadows - and finding themselves
0:12:06 > 0:12:07- "As if for the first time.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11- "May these wonders continue
0:12:12 > 0:12:16- "To open up new paths - as old ones seem set to close.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- "That would complete the gilding."
0:12:21 > 0:12:21- .
0:12:28 > 0:12:28- Subtitles
0:12:28 > 0:12:30- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:12:31 > 0:12:33- # Hallelu... Hallelujah #
0:12:33 > 0:12:37- Last September, I was in Blackwood - for the Velvet Coal Mine Festival.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43- For three years, this festival - has brought literature and music...
0:12:43 > 0:12:45- ..to the middle of Gwent.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- I was there on the invitation - of the organiser, Ian Richards.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54- In a question and answer session - before the reading...
0:12:54 > 0:12:57- ..Ian was keen to know - how writing in Welsh...
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- ..affects the - National Poet's ability...
0:13:00 > 0:13:04- ..to appeal to audiences - in places like Blackwood...
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- ..where the majority - don't speak Welsh.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09- Whatever language you write in...
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- ..you want to engage with - as wide an audience as possible.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- There are translations - on every seat.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19- I was eager to make a more - fundamental statement about this.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24- It's important to make the point the - Welsh language belongs to us all.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28- It can be something that divides us - or something that unites us.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31- I'm interested in using it - as something that unites us.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- Not only can the language unite us - but our history can too.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40- The history of Wales is frequently - overlooked in our schools...
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- ..as I noted - in the evening's final poem.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49- "We saw ourselves, - as if through glass.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- "Like people who lost weight - too quickly.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57- "Feeling their history - hanging loose upon them."
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- The next morning in Blackwood...
0:14:07 > 0:14:11- ..it was another poem about our - history under the microscope.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- I met local poet Clare Potter.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16- We've shared many a stage - in the past.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19- That's why I turned to Clare...
0:14:19 > 0:14:22- ..to ask her to translate - a few of my poems to English.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27- We went for a cuppa - to discuss her latest translation.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- It's a poem to remember the Welshmen - who lost their lives...
0:14:31 > 0:14:33- ..at the battle of Mametz Wood.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- I've had a little trouble with that.
0:14:36 > 0:14:37- "Lest the oaken..."
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- "Lest" might be a bit historic.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45- It sounds like the kind of thing - you'd use for a Latin translation.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48- But it's a good idea to use it...
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- ..because of the - "Lest we forget" phrase.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- That word is used - when speaking about...
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- You're right. You're right!
0:15:00 > 0:15:06- What's interesting about this - process, it's a thankless task...
0:15:07 > 0:15:09- ..sometimes I say oh yes, - try something new.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- "No, that's the word."
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- It's a different poem then.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- It's my poem if I do that too much.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20- It's like a bit of a negotiation.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- It can feel a bit awkward at times.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25- It's small things - like these last lines.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- I was thinking something - about Mametz and forget.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32- Yes.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35- A century gone since Welshmen - claimed Mametz.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39- And their grandchildren return; - remember that last sunset.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41- The feeling is different with that.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- It's also cuts across - the reality of the trees.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46- It's so dark there.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- Have you seen Aled Rhys Hughes' - photographs?
0:15:49 > 0:15:51- If you get a chance...
0:15:51 > 0:15:54- ..he has an exhibition - in the National Library of Wales.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56- They are striking.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58- They're very striking.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02- Most of the young Welshmen killed - taking Mametz Wood...
0:16:03 > 0:16:04- ..lie there to this day.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- It wasn't possible to bury them - amongst the heat of battle.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13- My poem about them was read - for the first time...
0:16:13 > 0:16:18- ..when Aled Rhys Hughes' exhibition - at the National Library opened.
0:16:19 > 0:16:25- It's no surprise that Mametz Wood - has a special place in our hearts.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26- Whose wood is it?
0:16:27 > 0:16:29- The Welsh or the French.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- What is the significance - of these woods today?
0:16:32 > 0:16:38- Those are some of the questions - the poem and exhibition ask.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45- "Seeking the woods today was madness
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- "But we walked through - bullet raindrop
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- "Bared our heads - beneath the vociferous oaks
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- "Their leaves chattering
0:16:55 > 0:16:57- "Before turning our faces - to the damp light.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00- "Ceux-ci sont des arbres galloisants
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- "des chenes, des noisettes, - des hetres
0:17:04 > 0:17:07- "These trees speak Welsh
0:17:07 > 0:17:10- "The oaks, the hazels, the beeches
0:17:10 > 0:17:13- "Strong youths, - straight like bayonets
0:17:14 > 0:17:16- "Their leafy branches - sieving the rain
0:17:18 > 0:17:19- "Ecoute!
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- "Ici, on peut, a peu pres entendre - les racines en s'enfoncant par terre
0:17:25 > 0:17:27- "Ou se couchent les Gallois
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- "Under this earth - lie the roots of Mametz
0:17:31 > 0:17:35- "Cupping each helmet - like an eggshell
0:17:35 > 0:17:39- "Squeezing through the boots - loosened from soldiers' feet
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- "Tickling ribs, - beneath the soil's embrace.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- "Their blood - still nourishes the trees.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51- "C'est ici le memorial Gallois, - n'est-ce pas?
0:17:52 > 0:17:57- "Today, walking softly - over the bones of our forefathers
0:17:57 > 0:18:02- "We retrace the memories lest the - oaks and beeches lose their voices.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- "A century - after the Welsh claimed the woods
0:18:07 > 0:18:12- "Their grandsons and granddaughters - meet once more."
0:18:21 > 0:18:25- This is the community centre - for Penyrheol near Caerphilly.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30- That was the home last September of - for the Durga Puja festival.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33- It's one of the main - religious festivals...
0:18:33 > 0:18:36- ..for the Bengali community - in Wales.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- After the opening ritual, - I'd been invited to address them...
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- ..in both Welsh and English.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- Namaste, namaskar.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- It's an honour to be invited - to be here tonight.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58- On the train on the way up here, - I had time to think...
0:18:58 > 0:19:02- ..about the different ways - in which Indian culture...
0:19:02 > 0:19:05- ..has influenced my life - in the past.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08- My best friend in junior school - was from Goa.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11- My father's business partner - was Gujarati.
0:19:12 > 0:19:18- Maybe the biggest thing I've got - in common with tonight's ceremony...
0:19:18 > 0:19:22- ..is the fact that - I was also raised as an exile.
0:19:22 > 0:19:28- I learned about the culture of my - own country while living in another.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32- After wishing them every success...
0:19:33 > 0:19:37- ..I finished with a poem - I wrote ten years ago in Delhi.
0:19:39 > 0:19:45- I was in India at the time filming a - programme for S4C about the Ganges.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51- Before heading home, I was eager - to thank the local girl...
0:19:51 > 0:19:55- ..who'd been helping us - during our journey, Namrata Gupta.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01- "Many keys, - an ability to open many doors
0:20:01 > 0:20:05- "Many words, - on our journey through the land
0:20:05 > 0:20:07- "Precise when questioned - on Hindi or India
0:20:08 > 0:20:10- "Polite and full of questions
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- "A bridge to help us get far
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- "The light and an introducer
0:20:19 > 0:20:23- "Tonight in Delhi, - tears fall without her
0:20:23 > 0:20:25- "A nightmare to lose my guide
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- "As an invalid, I cry for hours
0:20:29 > 0:20:35- "But back in the land of my fathers, - she could be my healer
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- "Will she come before summer's end?
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- "Namrata has the answer."
0:20:43 > 0:20:44- Thanks very much.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- I was given a traditional scarf - as a gift.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55- While listening to the music, - I discussed the possibility...
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- ..of translating more poems - from Welsh to Bengali.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03- It was a heart-warming night.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08- Not least because some - of the young people spoke Bengali...
0:21:08 > 0:21:11- ..but also spoke - quite a bit of Welsh.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15- I am over the moon with Durga Puja - because it's fun.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34- One thing that made me pause...
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- ..before taking on this job - as National Poet of Wales.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43- What if I had to write on a topic - about which I had no opinion?
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- I have to admit, - the piece I've just finished...
0:21:48 > 0:21:52- ..this is the hardest piece - I've had to write.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53- It's about Aberfan.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59- It's not so much that I feel I don't - have anything to say about Aberfan.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03- It's more I feel what right do I - have to say something about Aberfan?
0:22:04 > 0:22:11- In the end, I wove that uncertainty - into the piece.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- What we have is Mam-gu...
0:22:14 > 0:22:19- ..trying to write a letter - to her grand-daughter...
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- ..who has asked her Mam-gu - who is from Aberfan...
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- ..to tell her the history.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27- Mam-gu is unsure about - what is suitable...
0:22:28 > 0:22:30- ..to share with her grand-daughter.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36- "My dearest grand-daughter..."
0:22:36 > 0:22:40- .."you've asked me to write down - what I remember...
0:22:40 > 0:22:42- .."for some project - you have at school.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45- "I don't know what I can say.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51- "Silence is a hard habit to break, - so they say.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55- "The thing is, - what hope was there...
0:22:56 > 0:22:59- .."to find words - that could describe what I'd seen?
0:23:02 > 0:23:03- "Don't mention it.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05- "I was, numb.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08- "Like I was in a vacuum.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- The piece was performed - for the first time in English...
0:23:16 > 0:23:19- ..during a special evening held - to remember Aberfan...
0:23:20 > 0:23:22- ..at the Wales Millennium Centre - in Cardiff.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25- Sian Phillips presented it.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29- "How much should you know?
0:23:31 > 0:23:33- "It's part of your history...
0:23:33 > 0:23:35- .."our family's history.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- "But I can't - share my guilt with you.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44- "For making the child I lost - go to school that morning.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48- "None of this makes sense.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54- "There are pictures that - you ought to see from afterwards.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00- "The first baby, - the first wedding, the first smiles
0:24:00 > 0:24:04- "How many hundreds have there been - since then, thank God.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14- "Those photographs show you - how we carried on.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18- "We had to.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- "What can I tell you, sweet thing?
0:24:27 > 0:24:29- "I don't want you to forget either.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35- "I can only leave flowers - for your little aunt.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40- "But I can try to share...
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- .."what I can with you."
0:24:49 > 0:24:49- .
0:24:52 > 0:24:52- Subtitles
0:24:52 > 0:24:54- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- In November, I headed to London - for a special occasion.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00- To mark Remembrance Sunday...
0:25:00 > 0:25:04- ..the National Poets of Scotland, - England and Wales...
0:25:04 > 0:25:08- ..were asked to provide a poem each - to do with war losses.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17- From 6.00pm that night, those poems - would be projected on to Big Ben.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23- There was a bit of interest - in the fact my poem was in Welsh.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26- One of the evening's first jobs...
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- ..was to do an interview - for a news crew from ITN.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34- "To see our language normalised if - you like, legitimised...
0:25:35 > 0:25:38- Then I was free - to watch my own work...
0:25:38 > 0:25:43- ..crawl slowly up Big Ben - in huge letters.
0:25:45 > 0:25:51- "To these tidy streets, rows of boys - came keeping their pattern as before
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- "While crossing no man's land.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59- "A century has greened the earth - that was blown up in bloody seconds
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- "Sifting innards, exploding flesh.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- "It sheltered the boys - from the steel storm.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10- "The turf doors - closing quietly behind them.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- "They came from similar - narrow streets
0:26:15 > 0:26:19- "Where the horn of battle shepherded - friends for the big adventure
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- "Before the houses winked - their blinds one by one
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- "Tonight, the stones are bone white
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- "The evening sunshine - perfectly engraving the names
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- "Casting long shadows.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41- "No-one disturbs - forgotten neighbours
0:26:41 > 0:26:44- "Only some strangers - from a future denied them
0:26:45 > 0:26:49- "Staring incomprehensibly - at the Braille of their names
0:26:49 > 0:26:53- "Because all the doors are locked."
0:26:56 > 0:27:01- I'm really proud to be part of - Remembrance Sunday on the Thames.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06- As one of the London Welsh, someone - who was brought up in this city...
0:27:06 > 0:27:10- ..seeing our language projected up - on to...
0:27:10 > 0:27:15- ..one of the biggest symbols - of London is incredible.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21- I like to think that, as this is - such a cosmopolitan city...
0:27:21 > 0:27:25- ..as the UK in general - is so cosmopolitan...
0:27:25 > 0:27:30- ..with so many of us now speaking - languages other than English...
0:27:30 > 0:27:32- ..being raised to speak languages...
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- ..other than English - as our first language...
0:27:35 > 0:27:41- ..I like to think that including - Welsh here acknowledges that fact.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46- When I was growing up in London...
0:27:46 > 0:27:49- ..there was a - trinity of institutions...
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- ..that kept up my Welshness - beyond my home.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56- The chapel, Old Deer Park, the home - of London Welsh Rugby Club...
0:27:56 > 0:27:58- ..and this place.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01- The London Welsh Centre - or simply the club.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12- This hall hasn't changed very much.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18- I've appeared more than once - on this stage...
0:28:18 > 0:28:22- ..in the choir - and in different plays.
0:28:23 > 0:28:29- On this stage during the Society - Eisteddfod over 30 years ago...
0:28:30 > 0:28:33- ..is when my career as a poet began, - you could say.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35- It almost finished at the same time.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39- I'd decided to try an englyn, that - year's theme were "the bellows".
0:28:40 > 0:28:42- The first line was - "Tawel yw ceg y fegin".
0:28:42 > 0:28:46- I don't remember the rest, I do - remember they weren't correct!
0:28:46 > 0:28:51- Because of that, my englyn came - fourth out of three competitors.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55- It came with - the traditional encouragement...
0:28:55 > 0:28:58- ...from the adjudicators - to persevere.
0:28:58 > 0:28:59- I've tried to do so.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09- My family had lived in London - since 1886.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13- My great grandfather is here, - T.W. Glyn Evans.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16- He was the first - to come here to live.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20- In his old age, he was made - President of the London Welsh.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23- The Glyn in my name comes after him.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31- During my teens, I came here - constantly at the weekends.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33- Just as my parents did before me.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37- By the time I was here, - English was the default language.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43- I remember one night in this bar.
0:29:43 > 0:29:48- There were 20 of us young London - Welsh sitting around these seats.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53- Someone asked "How many of us have - got two Welsh speaking parents?"
0:29:53 > 0:29:58- We went around. 15 out of the 20 - with two Welsh speaking parents.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01- The other five had one parent - who spoke Welsh.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05- Only five of us could speak Welsh.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11- It's things like that which make me - appreciate how lucky I was...
0:30:12 > 0:30:14- ..to have been raised - in Welsh in London.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19- Back at home in Caernarfon...
0:30:19 > 0:30:23- ..it was time to discuss tasks - for Talwrn Y Beirdd.
0:30:24 > 0:30:29- I've been a part of different teams - in this radio programme since 1984.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33- For years now, - my team is Caernarfon.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35- What are we trying to do?
0:30:35 > 0:30:40- Every time we get a list of tasks - for another round of the talwrn...
0:30:40 > 0:30:42- ..we meet at the Alex pub...
0:30:42 > 0:30:46- ..to collect ideas, decide - who will take on which task...
0:30:46 > 0:30:50- ..and to put the world in its place.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59- It's important - that a poet's usual work continues.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03- For me, - this is a part of what's normal.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09- Two weeks later, I and the rest of - Caernarfon's team...
0:31:09 > 0:31:13- ..were ready to record - at Pantycelyn Hall in Aberystwyth.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17- We were facing - a new, youthful team this time.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20- They were the local team - from the Black Lion.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23- I was responsible - for the lyric competition.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26- From Team Caernarfon, Ifor Ap Glyn.
0:31:28 > 0:31:29- Folly
0:31:29 > 0:31:33- "She pulls her skirt lower down - as she walks in with her friends.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36- "Freezing them in a smiling trio
0:31:36 > 0:31:38- "Her phone like a wand - in front of her.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41- "If there's no photo, - it didn't happen.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43- "She must share the seconds
0:31:44 > 0:31:46- "Before heels and sucking drink - through a straw
0:31:47 > 0:31:48- "Creates distractions
0:31:49 > 0:31:51- "The first one - pulls her new mate's shirt
0:31:52 > 0:31:55- "Dragging him like a trophy - onto the dance floor
0:31:55 > 0:31:59- There's the second, her hand making - waves. "Hey Macarena!
0:32:00 > 0:32:04- "One waves goodbye, - the other disappears
0:32:06 > 0:32:09- "The one that's left, - in a dark corner
0:32:09 > 0:32:12- "Punches messages into her phone
0:32:12 > 0:32:14- "Her face pale - in the light of the screen.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19- "She tidies her tresses, - flashes a smile
0:32:20 > 0:32:24- "Another selfie - to deny the nightmare.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29- "Another exclamation - in a monologue of pictures."
0:32:37 > 0:32:42- From Radio Cymru and Aberystwyth to - London and New Broadcasting House.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47- One of the things that's been a nice - surprise in the past year...
0:32:47 > 0:32:50- ..is the readiness of some - of the British media...
0:32:50 > 0:32:52- ..to make space for Welsh.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54- About time too, I say!
0:32:54 > 0:32:59- On St David's Day, I was speaking - to Kirsty Lang on Front Row.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02- It's Radio Four's culture programme.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06- What does St. David's Day - mean to you?
0:33:06 > 0:33:09- I think for some people St David's - Day is the day they feel...
0:33:10 > 0:33:13- ..it's the only day they feel - they're allowed to be Welsh.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16- I hope I'm allowed to be Welsh - every day of the year.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20- To that extent, it's not much more - important to me than any other day.
0:33:20 > 0:33:20- You don't make a big deal of it?
0:33:20 > 0:33:22- You don't make a big deal of it?- - No, not really.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25- We asked you to write a poem - especially for us...
0:33:25 > 0:33:26- ..to mark St David's Day.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30- It's called Umbrella Welsh. - Let's hear Umbrella Welsh.
0:33:30 > 0:33:31- OK.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35- Umbrella Welsh.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38- "It rains so often in a stormy world
0:33:38 > 0:33:42- "But your ribs always lock - into a perfect dome above my head.
0:33:42 > 0:33:43- "Under your wing,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47- "I can fly with one arm - through our lineage's imagination
0:33:47 > 0:33:49- "For some, you refuse to open.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54- "But rolled up tightly, - you put a spring in our Welsh steps.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58- "We hold it like a narrow flag - to direct tourists to our history
0:33:58 > 0:34:01- "And the alternative world - that's there for all.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06- "You are the umbrella - that always completes us
0:34:06 > 0:34:08- "Either open or closed
0:34:08 > 0:34:10- "As long as we share you."
0:34:14 > 0:34:18- It's important to use every possible - chance to advance the language...
0:34:18 > 0:34:20- ..both in Wales and outside Wales.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23- It's also important - to use the language...
0:34:24 > 0:34:27- ..to discuss topics - other than identity and history.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33- Oxfam is a part of a coalition - of organizations...
0:34:33 > 0:34:35- ..fighting global warming.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38- They asked for a poem - to support their cause.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41- They wanted something simple, - punchy.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43- As Donald Trump had just started...
0:34:44 > 0:34:46- ..erasing information - about climate change...
0:34:47 > 0:34:49- ..the poem almost wrote itself.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55- But then, I needed to film it...
0:34:55 > 0:34:59- ..so it could be shared online - and on social media.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04- "And should we put our - trust in those
0:35:04 > 0:35:06- "Who'll swear with all their might
0:35:07 > 0:35:09- "That 'water' really, still is 'ice'
0:35:09 > 0:35:11- "That 'black' is really 'white'?
0:35:11 > 0:35:15- "Who'll swear the smoke back into - coal like a fairy tale?
0:35:15 > 0:35:20- "And anyone who contradicts? - that's 'fake news' without fail!
0:35:21 > 0:35:25- "It's totalitarian wisdom, - like the 'thirties with new looks
0:35:25 > 0:35:29- "Surely, shutting down the web, - is just like burning books?
0:35:29 > 0:35:35- "The lesson for the rich is this: - Our world is not a game,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39- "To hand it unbankrupted to - our children is the aim.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46- "And we are not the president's men, - our truth should hold no fear
0:35:46 > 0:35:50- "Let's stand firm, for our - unborn kids, the way ahead is clear
0:35:50 > 0:35:54- "Whatever the source - of their 'fake news'
0:35:54 > 0:35:56- "The White House or Whitehall
0:35:57 > 0:36:00- "We must deny that water's ice
0:36:00 > 0:36:03- "That black's not white at all."
0:36:06 > 0:36:07- .
0:36:10 > 0:36:10- Subtitles
0:36:10 > 0:36:12- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:36:12 > 0:36:15- Literature Wales were responsible...
0:36:16 > 0:36:20- ..for devising the job of - National Poet of Wales back in 2005.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24- They manage the poet from - their headquarters in Cardiff.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27- It's one of the many projects - they run...
0:36:27 > 0:36:31- ..to promote our country's - literature in both languages.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36- Every now and then, - I meet up with Lleucu Siencyn.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40- She's the Chief Executive of - Literature Wales.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43- We discuss the next plans - for the role...
0:36:43 > 0:36:46- ..and how those can take place - within a wider vision.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50- We can do a few things.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52- We can not just promote Wales...
0:36:52 > 0:36:56- ..in terms of co-operation - with the Welsh Government.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58- We want to raise Wales' status.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03- With Brexit, - it's even more important...
0:37:04 > 0:37:08- ..that we convey our different - nation and culture...
0:37:09 > 0:37:10- ..all over the world.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15- But also that the National Poet - project is a positive answer...
0:37:15 > 0:37:18- ..to some things, - a kind of soft diplomacy.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20- It's an opportunity, isn't it?
0:37:20 > 0:37:24- Soft diplomacy is trying - to promote those links...
0:37:24 > 0:37:30- ..where they're at risk - of disappearing in other contexts.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34- It's important then that you - and other poets and writers...
0:37:34 > 0:37:38- ..go to these big festivals - in China or India...
0:37:38 > 0:37:42- ..and keep telling them - about where we come from...
0:37:42 > 0:37:46- ..and what language we write in - and why we write in that language.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54- It's important to present - that message in our own country too.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57- Particularly when poets - from other countries visit.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03- That's why I headed down to the - Volcano Theatre in Swansea in April.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07- This was the first - in a series of events.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11- It gave a stage to 30 writers - from all across the world.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15- They represent - almost 20 different languages.
0:38:20 > 0:38:25- It's quite, - there's an interesting group here.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29- There are a lot of refugees - in Swansea.
0:38:29 > 0:38:35- There's a mix of - written and projected translations.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39- In amongst all this, I'm doing - something I've never done before.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42- I'm reading a translation - of a Chinese poem.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47- I'm then inviting the poet up to - present his translation of my work.
0:38:57 > 0:39:03- Can I first ask, does everyone - have one of these booklets?
0:39:04 > 0:39:06- We're going to start on page eight.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10- The poem is called Gwers in Welsh.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13- It's called Elevation in English.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18- "To fly over Wales - is to learn to love it
0:39:19 > 0:39:23- "Hanging lazily above, - knowing her from unfamiliar angles
0:39:24 > 0:39:27- "Between the jests - of the wispy clouds
0:39:27 > 0:39:31- "There's the Lleyn Peninsula - like a quickly rolled-up sleeve
0:39:32 > 0:39:35- "Here are the unordered fields
0:39:36 > 0:39:39- "The mysterious mountains, - stitched together by hedges
0:39:40 > 0:39:45- "The discarded slates like sand - after fingers rake it through
0:39:46 > 0:39:51- "Small, vibrant lakes, like hidden - birth places in the waning sun
0:39:53 > 0:39:55- "As I look out the airplane window
0:39:56 > 0:39:59- "My lips insist on naming the sights
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- "Dyfi junction, Cors Fochno
0:40:02 > 0:40:06- "Your breath like a lover's caress - along the body
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- "Dowlais, Penrhys, Gilfach Goch
0:40:10 > 0:40:13- "As she brings down the curtain
0:40:14 > 0:40:19- "The airplane's shadow moves - like a cross over the white clouds
0:40:20 > 0:40:22- "A kiss - on a love letter through the ages
0:40:24 > 0:40:27- "An unwilling vote - for her deliverance."
0:40:27 > 0:40:28- Thank you.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35- I'm very privileged and it's a great - pleasure...
0:40:35 > 0:40:38- ..to welcome Yang Lian to the stage.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42- He's translated the poem - into Chinese.
0:40:43 > 0:40:44- Thank you very much.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48- Before I came to Wales, I said...
0:40:48 > 0:40:54- .."the best way to meet a Welsh poet - but also Wales...
0:40:54 > 0:40:57- .."is to translate something."
0:40:58 > 0:41:00- OK, here is your poem.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17- It was both strange and wonderful to - hear such a familiar poem...
0:41:17 > 0:41:19- ..in such an unfamiliar language.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32- Yang Lian is one of the founders - of the group Misty Poets.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36- They came to prominence - in China at the end of the 1970s.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41- He and several of his contemporaries - were exiled...
0:41:41 > 0:41:44- ..after the 1989 Tiananmen Square - protest.
0:41:44 > 0:41:51- His history certainly chimed - with many of the Swansea audience.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55- Many of them had to flee - their own countries.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03- Refugees from 100 years ago - was the subject of my next work.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06- Where do we put the mic? The middle?
0:42:06 > 0:42:07- I'd place it about here.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10- To close my first year - as National Poet...
0:42:11 > 0:42:15- ..I'd been invited to create a poem - for an event in Brussels.
0:42:23 > 0:42:28- It's not too fast. There's plenty - of room for the words to fit.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35- I'd asked the musician, Osian - Howells to write a piece of music.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37- I wanted it to complement - the new poem.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40- It's a poem about Belgian refugees.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43- They came to Wales - during the Great War.
0:42:45 > 0:42:46- It comes down again.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50- "They came innocently - with purple mouths."
0:42:52 > 0:42:54- I wanted to record the track...
0:42:55 > 0:42:58- ..in the vestry of Salem Chapel - in Caernarfon.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02- Only one institution across - Wales took in Belgians...
0:43:02 > 0:43:05- ..and cared for them 100 years ago.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12- A few days after recording Osian's - track, I was in Brussels.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16- I was trying to organize my address - for that evening.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21- Back in 1914 when Belgium - was conquered by the Germans.
0:43:21 > 0:43:26- 250,000 Belgians - came to seek asylum in the UK.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32- The way those Belgians were welcomed - 100 years ago...
0:43:33 > 0:43:35- ..is a lesson to us today...
0:43:35 > 0:43:38- ..as Westminster grumbles - about giving asylum...
0:43:39 > 0:43:41- ..to people from Syria - and Northern Africa.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45- Passa Porta was the location - for the event.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47- By day, it's a bookshop.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51- It's transformed into a stage - for authors at night.
0:43:51 > 0:43:56- The audience for this evening came - to hear poetry about loss.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59- It was a look at - how the Great War...
0:44:00 > 0:44:04- ..affected Belgium, - Wales and Ireland differently.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09- Poets representing each of - the three countries were attending.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13- Lleucu Siencyn from Literature Wales - was the chair.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17- A warm welcome to you all - to this special evening.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19- I was the first to take the stage.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24- Diolch, Lleucu.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26- Thank you, Lleucu.
0:44:26 > 0:44:27- Merci, Lleucu.
0:44:28 > 0:44:29- Dank u wel, Lleucu.
0:44:31 > 0:44:32- This first poem...
0:44:32 > 0:44:37- ..is about an imaginary family of - Belgian refugees, called de Wynck.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39- Less talk, more poetry.
0:44:40 > 0:44:41- This is the poem, Mwyara.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45- "September, 1914
0:44:46 > 0:44:48- "A profusion of blackberries:
0:44:48 > 0:44:51- "And that was when - the de Wyncks came to stay.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58- "Father had read out loud - about the autumn in their land
0:45:00 > 0:45:04- "How corpses collected like drifts - of beech leaves on the streets
0:45:04 > 0:45:07- "And thousands fled.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13- "And so we fetched them - from the station platform
0:45:14 > 0:45:18- "A trio petrified, - their eyes swivelling like smoke
0:45:19 > 0:45:22- "Their whole world in a few armfuls
0:45:22 > 0:45:25- "And their same aged son, - holding his mother's hand.
0:45:30 > 0:45:36- "Next day, without a word in common, - I was sent blackberrying with him.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40- "We picked together, mute.
0:45:40 > 0:45:46- "Finger-pricked and arm-scratched, - seeking out blackberries: braambes
0:45:48 > 0:45:50- "Until we were blackberry-blind
0:45:51 > 0:45:54- "Their shiny spheres filled our eyes
0:45:54 > 0:45:58- "The fat ones mocked us - from the depths of the hedge
0:45:58 > 0:46:00- "And its topmost crests
0:46:00 > 0:46:02- "Te hoog!; Too high!
0:46:02 > 0:46:06- "And we laughed in our innocence - with purpled mouths.
0:46:09 > 0:46:14- "That was when compassion - begat action in our house
0:46:14 > 0:46:18- "And the first fruits of frustration
0:46:18 > 0:46:22- "For a young girl who could not - put her language in your mouth
0:46:23 > 0:46:28- "So I put blackberries - like sharp sweet kisses
0:46:28 > 0:46:31- "On your surprised tongue
0:46:32 > 0:46:38- "Four and a half years exactly - before you and your family left
0:46:40 > 0:46:45- "To rebuild a shattered country."
0:47:00 > 0:47:04- That's the end of the final event - of my first year as National Poet.
0:47:05 > 0:47:10- It's quite nice that we've finished - here in Brussels.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12- As the year went on...
0:47:12 > 0:47:17- ..I realised how much being an - ambassador is a part of the role.
0:47:18 > 0:47:23- I've had a chance to write and note - all kinds of events during the year.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26- I've celebrated some things.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29- Some other things have made me sad.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33- Creating connections and dialogue - with people...
0:47:34 > 0:47:36- ..both inside Wales and outside.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39- It's incredibly important.
0:47:39 > 0:47:40- It's even more important...
0:47:40 > 0:47:43- ..than I would have thought - at the start of the year.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47- Who would have thought - we'd have voted to leave Europe.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49- I myself am not leaving Europe.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54- I think it's important that Wales, - at least culturally stays in Europe.
0:47:55 > 0:47:56- There we are.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28- S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.
0:48:28 > 0:48:28- .