"Boed felly, haul, ar y tŷ hwn heddiw,
dyma bair ein dadeni; a llwyfan i'n llais;
lle canwn ein gweledigaeth i fodolaeth"
Y Tŷ Hwn – @iforapglyn#DiwrnodCenedlaetholBarddoniaeth pic.twitter.com/A0pe3Zk3tA— Senedd Cymru (@SeneddCymru) October 4, 2018
‘If we want Wales, we will have to make Wales’ – Gwyn Alf Williams
Spring came late to our country;
the winter locked down ambition
and put our aspirations on ice,
before the big thaw
which made the drains gargle
and the downpipes gush.
And so
may the sun shine bright on this house today;
this, the cauldron of our rebirth; the platform for our voice,
where we sing our vision into being . . .
We come here from many commotes, as before –
treading the overgrown path, barbed
with wool like Christmas trimmings;
and crowding down the wet lane
which mirrors the sky’s shine –
we come here, to touch the horizon
and bend it for common good.
And as we,
from our valleys and mountains,
approach our perpetual city,
we give thanks there are no bullet holes
in the pillars of this house,
just a cloud of witnesses
who’ll maintain us in all manner of beliefs.
And as we are led
to the halls of this house,
may there be passion in our debate;
prudence in conciliation;
let ‘difficult’ become simple,
and ‘challenging’ become fun;
and let us each day repeat the maxim:
that ‘two men will come together
sooner than two mountains.’
Translated by clare e. potter and Ifor ap Glyn
Ifor ap Glyn
Bardd Cenedlaethol Cymru | National Poet of Wales
(This poem was commissioned by the National Assembly for Wales for the Official Opening of the Fifth Assembly)