Nature and Love in the Poetry of Dafydd ap Gwilym :: Poetry

Nature and Love in the Poetry of Dafydd ap GwilymEssay is 1550 words in length Dafydd ap Gwilym has been acclaimed as the greatest poet of the Welsh language. As Rachel Bromwhich commented, Dafydds life coincided miraculously in both time and place with an unprecedented opportunity to mate the new with the old (Brom 112). mayhap mate is a more appropriate choice of words here than Rachel intended. As his poetry depicts, Dafydd tried to mate a great many things in his time the man is immortalized as a ball of raging hormones. A self-proclaimed Ovids man, Dafydd took pleasure in identifying himself with the authoritative source of courtly love, a unspoilt trend in Wales during his life (Summer 29). Love, specifically courtly love, was among the new themes Dafydd merged with the traditional themes like nature. Even the ancient topic of nature, under Dafydds molding, took on new figs. Dafydd personified elements of nature to be his trusted messengers in poems such as The Seagull. In the Holly Grove, nature is subtly described as a fortress or protector of sorts. Variations of these elements of secret, protected, and secluded love mesh with images of nature throughout Dafydds poetry. However, nature seems to be much more than a confidant or sheer factor in his search for love Dafydds poems such as Secret Love suggest that nature is essential in this endeavor. Though Dafydds attempts at love are not limited to the natural realm, poems such as Trouble in a Tavern make it evident that only(prenominal) in the natural setting is Dafydd a successful lover. Elements in the poetry of courtly love express the essential for a love affair to quell secret. The object of a poets love in these poems is typically a married woman, or unattainable by some other means. Andreas Capellanuss The Rules of accomplished Love captures this element of forbidden love by saying, marriage (was) no real excuse for not loving (Cap 115-116). As Patrick Ford wisely pointed out, the nee d to maintain secrecy in a forbidden affair is not a new idea to modern readers. These elements of courtly love do not escape Dafydds poetry. His poem Secret Love, among others, emphasizes the level of secrecy necessary in maintaining a love affair. Dafydd considers himself a learned lover, who found that The best form of the words that work / Is to speak love in secrecy (Sec 1-2).