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

Nature and have sex 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 story coincided miraculously in both time and place with an unprecedented chance to mate the new with the old (Brom 112). Perhaps mate is a much appropriate choice of words here than Rachel intended. As his poetry depicts, Dafydd seek to mate a great earthy things in his time the man is immortalized as a ball of raging hormones. A self-proclaimed Ovids man, Dafydd took fun in identifying himself with the authoritative source of courtly love, a fresh move 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 forms. Dafydd personified elements of nature to be his trusted messengers in poems such as The Seagul l. In the Holly Grove, nature is subtly described as a resistance or protector of sorts. Variations of these elements of secret, protected, and secluded love mesh with images of nature end-to-end 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 native in this endeavor. Though Dafydds attempts at love are non limited to the natural trustworthym, poems such as Trouble in a Tavern make it evident that only in the natural circumstance is Dafydd a successful lover. Elements in the poetry of courtly love put forward the motif for a love affair to remain 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 Courtly 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 n eed to maintain quiet 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 demonstrate that The best form of the words that work / Is to speak love in secrecy (Sec 1-2).