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

Nature and Love in the Poetry of Dafydd ap GwilymEssay is 1550 linguistic communication 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 clock time and place with an singular opportunity to mate the new with the old (Brom 112). Perhaps 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 hunch forward, a impudently trend in Wales during his life (Summer 29). Love, specifically courtly rage, was among the new themes Dafydd integrate with the traditional themes like record. Even the ancient topic of disposition, under Dafydds molding, took on new forms. Dafydd personified elements of nature to be his tr usted messengers in poems much(prenominal) 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 sock mesh with images of nature throughout Dafydds poetry. However, nature seems to be much more than a confidant or mere 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 argon not limited to the infixed realm, poems such as Trouble in a Tavern make it evident that only in the natural setting is Dafydd a successful lover. Elements in the poetry of courtly love express the need for a love interest to remain secret. The mark of a poets love in these poems is typically a hook up with woman, or unattainable by some other means. Andreas Capellanuss The Rules of noble Love captures this element of forbidden love by saying, marriage (was) no real excuse for not loving (Cap 115-11 6). As Patrick Ford sagely pointed out, the need 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 direct of secrecy necessary in maintaining a love affair. Dafydd considers himself a wise to(p) lover, who found that The best form of the words that work / Is to speak love in secrecy (Sec 1-2).