Rivals of Dafydd ap Gwilym

The fourteenth century Welsh bard Dafydd ap Gwilym left a lasting impression on the poetry of his age: verse which often addressed preoccupations we still share today. This collection includes love poems a lament for a felled tree extravagant praises for wealthy patrons - including the Welsh freedom-fighter Owain Glynd?r - scurrilous satires on friars newfangled harps and prickly beards a curse on a violent husband and Gwerful Mechain's unapologetically explicit song of praise for her own genitals. Giles Watson's lively reinterpretations in modern English give a strong impression of the vivacity and daring of the originals. Some of the poems contain explicit language reflecting the earthy humour of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.