'Though I sang in my chains like the sea.'

This may be one of Dylan Thomas's most famous lines, but how many know that it is an example of cynghanedd, one of the world's oldest verse forms? And that that verse form is a uniquely Welsh one?

The word cynghanedd means 'harmony', and it is the music of Welsh poetry throughout the ages that Mererid Hopwood celebrates in this accessible handbook. In it she explores the intricacy and beauty of the art, inviting the reader (or rather, listener) to marvel at its clarity and complexity. Her explanation of the rules and conventions, followed by simple exercises, will also allow beginners to try their hand at this ancient yet thoroughly contemporary craft.

What is more, the book places the phenomenon of cynghanedd in its social and historical context, reminding us that it has been, and continues to be, inextricable from the Welsh language itself.

Singing in Chains is accompanied by a CD, on which the author reads a selection of the examples, exercises, lines and poems included in the book, so that the music of cynghanedd can truly be 'heard'..

Price: £8.99 12,68 € / $13.49 Quantity:

More books by Mererid Hopwood
Biography of Mererid Hopwood

Review this book

BARDSEY
by Christine Evans

A magnificent celebration of Ynys Enlli, the island off the tip of the Llŷn peninsula.
More info...

SHEMI'S TALL TALES
by Mary Medlicott

Fine Welsh fibbing from a gifted storyteller...
More info...

OUT OF THE FIRE OF HELL

Welsh experience of the Great War 1914-1918 in prose and verse.
More info...

THERE'S ONLY TWO TONY COTTEYS
by Tony Cottey and David Brayley

An open, honest account of a long and successful career as a professional sportsman, both on the football and cricket pitches.
More info...

TUCK YOUR VEST IN
by Daniel Morden

A humorous picture book looking at the trials, tribulations and triumphs of a morning in nursery.
More info...

ABER: ESSAYS ON ABERYSTWYTH
by Keith Morris

A celebration of one of the most iconic towns in Wales.
More info...

COBIAU CAMPUS CYMRU / WINNING WELSH COBS
by Ifor Lloyd and Myfanwy Lloyd

Winning Welsh Cobs in all their glory.
More info...