The Hymns of William Williams

“Arglwydd, arwain trwy’r anialwch,” wrote the Welsh premier hymnist William Williams (also known as Pantycelyn), which would eventually be known as Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah. Recorded as one of the greatest literary figures of Wales, Williams was among the leaders of the Welsh Methodist revival in the 18th century. William Williams was born on 11th February 1717 in the Welsh parish of…

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11 January 1791

William Williams Pantyceln died. He was a Welsh minister and hymnist during the Methodist Revival. He has had a lasting impact on Welsh culture. If you ever see Wales play in a rugby match you will most likely hear this hymn belted out ‘Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah’ but you probably know it better as ‘Bread of Heaven’

Poetry Saturday—Hymn XXXV In Thy presence we are happy, In Thy presence we’re secure; In Thy presence all afflictions…

Ym 1998, cafodd y gwleidydd Ron Davies ei syfrdanu mewn sgandal pan cafodd ei fygio ar ol cytunodd i gwrdd a dyn yng Nghomin Clapham. Wrth weld yr ymatebion homoffobig i’r digwyddiad yma yng nghyfryngau Cymraeg, ysgrifennodd yr hanesydd John Davies am hyn yn y cylchgrawn Barn yn Tachwedd, 1998. Fe wnaeth ei brofiadau fel Warden Pantycelyn am 18 o flynyddoedd, a’r ymatebion homoffobig yma, dylanwadu ar John Davies i dod mas. Dyma dyfyniad o hyn, o’r erthygl uchod:

In 1998, the politician Ron Davies was embroiled in a scandal when he was mugged at knifepoint after agreeing to meet another man at Clapham Junction. After seeing the homophobic responses to this in the Welsh media, the historian John Davies agreed to write about it in the Welsh journal Barn in November, 1998. His experiences as Warden of Pantycelyn, and these homophobic responses, influenced him to come out. The following is a quote of this from the above article (English below):

‘Arwr Gwlad a Thref’ “Ai anoddefgarwch y cymoedd diwydiannol arweiniodd yn y pen draw at gwymp Ron Davies? Mae John Davies yn bwrw golwg bersonol ar y mater.”

“Dydw i ddim am wneud odid un sylw ynglŷn â'i rywioldeb honedig, ond does dim amheuaeth fod y digwyddiadau hynny wedi peri i gyfunrhywiaeth fod yn destun trafod yng Nghymru. Ac er mawr foddhad i mi, mae'r ymateb wedi bod yn bur adeiladol. Mae hynny'n fater o gryn syndod hefyd, ohwerwydd roeddwn yn credu bod homoffobia wedi'i wreiddio'n ddwfn yng nghymdeithas draddodiadol macho y cymoedd glofaol ac yn ddyfnach eto yn y broydd gwledig Cymraeg.

Mi fûm am ddeunaw mlynedd yn warden ar sefydliad lle'r ymgartefai tua ti chant o wŷr a gwragedd ifainc ein cenedl. Cefais droeon y profiad o geisio cynnig cymorth a chyngor i wŷr ifanc a arswydai with iddynt ystyried beth fyddai eu tynged pe bai eu gogwydd rhywiol yn dod yn fater cyhoeddus. Mi gofiaf yn arbennig grwt yr oedd y gwewyr ar ei wyneb yn boenus synwyradwy wrth iddo sôn beth fyddai'n ei ddioddef pe bai sïon amdano yn cyrraedd ei gwm genedigol - a’m cwm genedigol innau hefyd. Yr oedd hyn ar adeg pan oedd Y Cymro a'r Faner yn cyhoeddi llythyron a honnai bod cyfynrhywiaeth yn gwbl absennol yng Nghymru; afiechyd ydoedd a berthynai i ddinasoedd megis Llundain, Amsterdam, Berlin a San Ffransisco, afiechyd yr oedd y Cymry, drwy ryw ryfedd ras, yn gwbl rydd ohono.

Nonsens, wrth gwrs, a'r hyn y dylaswn fod wedi'i ddweud wrth y crwt o'r Rhondda oedd: 'Rwy'n deall yn iawn, oherwydd dyna yn union fy nghyflwr innau hefyd.’ Ond ni ddywedais hynny. (Ar y pryd roeddwn yn cadw fy nghynddaredd ar gyfer ymosod ar siofinistiaeth Gymreig a oedd, ysywaeth, yn brigo yn achlysurol ymhlith rhai o drigolion Pantycelyn.) Tristwch i mi oedd gweld rhywun yn y papur diddorol ond byrhoedlog hwnnw, Y Ddraig Binc, yn disgrifio'r neuadd fel cadarnle homoffobia. Dichon bod sylwedd i'r sylw a mater o gywilydd i mi oedd fy methiant i wneud dim i herio'r homoffobia. Teimlaf na fedraf ymatal rhagor. Yr wyf fi yn ŵr hoyw. (Yr ydwyf hefyd yn hapus briod ac y mae cynnwys y llith hwn wedi ei drafod gyda fy ngwraig a’m dwy ferch a’m dau fab.) Taflaf hyn o wybodaeth i mewn i'r drafodaeth; a derbyn bod gan rhai barch i mi - a dymunol fyddai credu hyn - hoffwn iddynt wybod bod y parch hwnna yn barch tuag at berson sydd bron yn gyfangwbl gyfunrhywiol.

Y mae'r straeon yn y Sun ac ati yn awgrymu bod dynion cyfunrhywiol yn ymdrybaeddu mewn trythyllwch a hynny i raddau cwbl unigryw. A minnau o bryd i'w gilydd yn mynychu clybiau a bariau hoyw, nid dyna fy mhrofiad i. Caf y argraff fod mwyafrif y mynychwyr yn mynd i'r fath leoedd, fel yr af i, am yr yn rhesymau ag y mae Cymry Cymraeg brwd yn mynd i'r eisteddfod genedlaethol - hynny yw, i droi am ysbaid ymhlith pobl o gyffelyb chwaeth. Wedi'r cwbl, fel y mae'r Saesneg yn gwbl dra-arglwyddiaethol yn ein cymdeithas, felly hefyd ddelweddau gwahanrywiol; y mae dianc o bryd i'w gilydd o'r naill neu'r llall yn weithred gwbl amddiffynadwy. Mi gofiaf bod mewn clwb hoyw yma yng Nghaerdydd. Yr oedd dyn a dynes ifanc yn dawnsio yno; doedd neb yn gwrthwynebu hynny, ond ar wynebau rhai o'r gwylwyr yr oedd yna wep yr oeddwn wedi'i weld o'r blaen, a hynny ar wynebau rhai o drigolion Pantycelyn pan oedd rhywun wrth law a oedd yn arbennig o lafar ei Saesneg. Ystyr y wep oedd: a chymaint o leoedd lle y medrwch chi wneud y fath beth, pam yn y byd yr ydych chi'n wneud e fan hyn?” 

‘Town and Country Hero’ “Was it the intolerance of the industrial valleys that ultimately led to the fall of Ron Davies? John Davies takes a personal look at the matter.“

“I do not want to make any comment about his alleged sexuality, but there is no doubt that those events have caused homosexuality to be a subject of debate in Wales. And, to my great satisfaction, the response has been quite constructive. That is also a surprise, because I thought that homophobia was deeply rooted in the macho traditional coal mining society of the mining valleys and deeper in the Welsh-speaking countryside. I have been eighteen years a warden at an institution that houses about three hundred of our nation’s young men and women. I had a great deal of experience of trying to offer help and advice to young men who feared to think what their fate would be if their sexual orientation became a public issue. I especially remember the anguish on a young man’s face as he told me what he would suffer if rumours about him reached his home valley - my native valley as well. This was at a time when Y Cymro and Faner were issuing letters that claimed that homosexuality was completely absent in Wales; It was a disease belonging to cities such as London, Amsterdam, Berlin and San Francisco, a disease that the Welsh people, through some strange rash, were completely free of. Nonsense, of course, and what I should have told the young man from the Rhondda was: 'I understand perfectly, because that’s exactly my situation too.’ But I did not say that. (At that time, I was keeping my bravery for an attack on Welsh chauvinism which, sadly, occasionally sparked amongst some of the residents of Pantycelyn.) It was sad to see someone in the interesting but short-lived paper, Y Ddraig Binc, describe the hall as a homophobic stronghold. Perhaps there was substance to this comment and a matter of embarrassment to me was my failure to do anything to challenge the homophobia. I feel that I can not abstain further. I am a gay man. (I am also happily married and the contents of this article have been discussed with my wife and my two daughters and sons.) I will throw this information into the discussion; and accepting that some have respect for me - and it would be desirable to believe this - I would like them to know that that respect is respect towards a person who is almost completely homosexual.

The stories in the Sun and such suggest that homosexual men wallow in promiscuity, and that to a unique degree. As I occasionally attend gay clubs and bars, that’s not my experience. I get the impression that the majority of attendees go to such places, as I do, for the reasons why Welsh speakers (Cymry Cymraeg) go to the National Eisteddfod - that is, to turn for a while to people of similar tastes. After all, as English is totally dominant in our society, so are heterosexual images; from time to time departing from either is a completely defensible act. I remember being in a gay club here in Cardiff. A young man and woman were dancing there; no one was opposed to that, but there was a scowl on the faces of some of the spectators that I had seen before, on the faces of some of the residents of Pantycelyn when someone was on hand who was particularly verbal in English. The meaning of the scowl is: with so many places where you can do such a thing, why in the world are you doing it her?”

John Davies, ‘Arwr Gwlad a Thref,’ Barn, 430 (Tachwedd, 1998), p.4-5.

#RuleOfThirds Maes Parcio #Pantycelyn! #Penybryn (at Aberystwyth)

New Post has been published on Qube Magazine

New Post has been published on https://www.qubeonline.co.uk/leb%e2%80%88construction-celebrates-pantycelyn-halls-project/

LEB Construction celebrates Pantycelyn Halls project

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Leading Ceredigion contractor, LEB Construction has completed a significant package of works on the high-profile £16.5m project to restore the historic Pantycelyn Halls of Residence at Aberystwyth University.

Morgan Sindall Construction appointed LEB Construction as one of its main subcontractors on the restoration project to deliver several packages of works including extensions & alterations, groundworks, roofing, cladding and plastering.

The team was involved in the design, fabrication and installation of the stunning architectural profiled cladding to the aluminium glazed reception area. The complex installation required significant skill and commitment to ensure accurate and timely completion.

Dale Harris MCIOB AssocRICS, project manager at Morgan Sindall Construction said: “On such a high-profile project on a national asset, we needed a skilled team which could work to our high standards, respect tight deadlines and adapt to any challenges the projects unearthed.

“We worked in collaboration with LEB Construction to resolve any issues that arose with a solution that worked for all parties. As a company they share the same high standards as Morgan Sindall Construction and have a commitment to getting the job done, even in challenging conditions.

“This meant we could trust them to complete unforeseen additional works that naturally occur when operating in an old building.”

Luke Baker, founder and managing director at LEB Construction explains: “This was a significant project for us and we’re proud to have be involved in such a historically significant project.

“Our team worked well with Morgan Sindall Construction to overcome the challenges posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and worked hard to maintain safe working delivery throughout the project.”

  LEB Construction celebrates Pantycelyn Halls project

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View From The ill by James Lilley

View From The ill by James Lilley

View From The Hill Vivid views from Pantycelyn steps so good it should be on a postcard combined with orange glow suffocating smoke from burning car wrecks. Early nineties population less that eight thousand a tiny council estate became the car crime capital of Europe. High speed chases through sleepy streets dumping brand new motors just for a laugh only twocking in…

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Morgan Sindall to revamp Prince Charles’ student hall

Morgan Sindall Construction struck a deal worth £17m with Aberystwyth University to renovate Pantycelyn student hall of residence.

The historic student hall of residence has an illustrious past spanning almost seven decades.

First opened in 1951, it was home to Prince Charles during his time as a student in Aberystwyth and has been a dedicated Welsh-language hall since 1973.

Rob Williams, Morgan Sindall Construction area director, said that construction would start on 3 June and be completed in time for the new academic year in 2020.

Morgan Sindall Construction picked up the high-profile project through the South and Mid Wales Collaborative Construction Framework.

It will carry out sympathetic external renovation, along with internal refurbishments spanning 70,000 sq ft.

The work will create contemporary, en suite bedrooms, with high-speed internet access for up to 200 students.

Morgan Sindall to revamp Prince Charles’ student hall

Morgan Sindall Construction struck a deal worth £17m with Aberystwyth University to renovate Pantycelyn student hall of residence.

The historic student hall of residence has an illustrious past spanning almost seven decades.

First opened in 1951, it was home to Prince Charles during his time as a student in Aberystwyth and has been a dedicated Welsh-language hall since 1973.

Rob Williams, Morgan Sindall Construction area director, said that construction would start on 3 June and be completed in time for the new academic year in 2020.

Morgan Sindall Construction picked up the high-profile project through the South and Mid Wales Collaborative Construction Framework.

It will carry out sympathetic external renovation, along with internal refurbishments spanning 70,000 sq ft.

The work will create contemporary, en suite bedrooms, with high-speed internet access for up to 200 students.

from http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2019/05/29/morgan-sindall-to-revamp-prince-charles-student-halls/

Hymn Story: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

Hymn Story: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah was written by William Williams Pantycelyn.

William Williams Pantycelyn

Williams was born in Carmarthenshire, Wales in 1717. He was the son of John and Dorothy Williams. His father was a prosperous farmer. He grew up as an Independent and Calvinist.

He intended to be a doctor, but upon hearing Howell Harris preach he became a Christian.  He abandoned his…

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Welsh poetry - Wikipedia

Welsh poetry may refer to poetry in the Welsh language, poetry in English from Wales, or other poetry written in Wales or by Welsh poets.

History[edit]

Wales has one of the earliest literary traditions in Northern Europe, stretching back to the days of Aneirin (fl. 550) and Taliesin (second half of the 6th century), and the haunting Stafell Cynddylan, which is the oldest recorded literary work by a woman in northern Europe.[citation needed]

The 9th century Canu Llywarch Hen and Canu Heledd are both associated with the earlier prince Llywarch Hen.

Welsh poetry is connected directly to the bardic tradition, and is historically divided into four periods.[1] The first period, before 1100, is known as the period of Y Cynfeirdd ("The earliest poets") or Yr Hengerdd ("The old poetry"). It roughly dates from the emergence of the Welsh language from Common Brittonic in the sixth century to the arrival of the Normans in Wales towards 1100. The second period, the period of the "Poets of the Princes" (Beirdd y Tywysogion, also called Y Gogynfeirdd), lasted from about 1100 until 1350, or until 1282, the date of the overthrow of Llywelyn. The final classical period of Welsh poetry, referred to as the period of the Poets of the Nobility (Beirdd yr Uchelwyr) or simply Cywyddwyr, lasted from 1350 to 1600. These included Dafydd ap Gwilym and Iolo Goch, and they produced many cywyddau. There was a lull in the production of poetry after the union with England in the 16th century. The year 1600 is generally taken to mark the beginning of modern Welsh poetry.

Throughout this time, serving as a bard was one of the few ways that one might better oneself socially, by becoming either a chief poet or a household poet.[1] Both of these categories of bards could achieve status through a grading system, with the lowest being a minstrel (who was technically an ungraded bard), the lowest graded status of a disciple, a graduated disciple of poetry, a disciplined disciple, a disciple of chief-poet-craft, and finally a chief poet.[2]

The earliest poem in English by a Welsh poet dates from about 1470. More recently, Anglo-Welsh poetry has become an important aspect of Welsh literary culture, as well as influencing English literature.

The works of the great hymn writers of the 18th and 19th centuries are also poetic: in particular William Williams Pantycelyn and Ann Griffiths. Around 1900, there was a renaissance with poets such as T. Gwynn Jones. Other notable writers were T. H. Parry-Williams and D. Gwenallt Jones; and around 1950 others such as Waldo Williams. Many poets in the late 20th century produced work of a high standard, many of them in cynghanedd.

Welsh poets often write under bardic names to conceal their identity in Eisteddfod competitions.

Since the later Middle Ages, the traditional Welsh poetic metres in strict verse consist of twenty four different metrical forms written in cynghanedd, something unique to Welsh language poetry.

An awdl is a form of long poem, similar to the ode. The most popular metrical forms are the Cywydd, of 14th-century origin, and the several versions of the Englyn, a concise and allusive verse form similar to the Greek epigram and the Japanese haiku and as old as Welsh literature itself.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

^ a b Loesch, K. T. (1983). Welsh bardic poetry and performance in the middle ages. In D. W. Thompson (Ed.), Performance of Literature in Historical Perspectives (177–190). Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

^ Parry, T. (1929). Statud Gruffudd ap Cynan. Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, 5(1), 29-33.

External links[edit]

ABERYSTWYTH town councillors have welcomed the university’s £10m renovation plans for the historic Pantycelyn halls of residence. http://www.abertimes.co.uk/town-council-gives-backing-10m-pantycelyn-renovation/ #Aberystwyth #times #abertimes #grassroots #crowdsourced #news #wales

Taith Ddirgel y Gymdeithas 17 Mehefin 2017 dan nawdd y Loteri Fawr

‘Diwrnod ardderchog’

‘Rhywbeth at ddant pawb’

‘Dyma’r tro cyntaf i mi ymweld â Chwm Tawe’

‘Waw! Roedd eistedd yn y capel lle addolai Gwenallt a chlywed ei hanes yn acen y fro yn wefreiddiol’

Dyma rai o’r sylwadau a glywyd gan aelodau Cymdeithas Ceredigion ar ein gwibdaith ddirgel flynyddol ar ddiwedd diwrnod crasboeth a llawn.

Oedd, roedd yn boeth iawn ond roedd hyn yn ychwanegu i’r mwynhad wrth grwydro gerddi hyfryd Aberglasni a gweld  Pontardawe a’r Alltwen yn ei gogoniant.

Diolch i gefnogaeth o dan cynllun ‘Arian i Bawb’ Cronfa Loteri Fawr daeth 32 o aelodau ynghyd i ddal bws Lewis Rhydlewis a dechrau ar y dyfalu.  Ychwanegwyd i’r hwyl gan barodrwydd Dereck y gyrrwr i chwarae’r gêm hefyd.  Roedd hyd yn oed y trefnwyr mewn penbleth lwyr pan aeth a ni trwy Llangyndeyrn, Crwbin, a’r Tymbl cyn troi o’r diwedd am Aberglasni!

Roedd gerddi Aberglasni yn edrych yn hardd iawn. Mwynhawyd crwydro, trafod  a sgwrsio cyn mwynhau cinio ysgafn yng ngwres yr haf.

Wrth deithio tuag at Landeilo dyma’r dyfalu yn cychwyn eto. Pantycelyn? Llanymddyfri? Ond teithiwyd trwy Landeilo ac ymlaen i Benllergaer.  Yma ymunodd Nesta Davies ac Ann Rosser gyda ni a’n tywys drwy Gwm Tawe.

Cafwyd hanes y gwaith copor a gweld y datblygiadau diweddar wrth basio Stadiwm y Liberty.  Ymlaen wedyn tuag at Bontardawe gan fynd heibio llefydd sy’n llawn hanes - Treforys, Ynys Forgan, Clydach, Craig Cefn Parc, Y Glais,

Cyrraedd Pontardawe a chael y fraint o glywed merched y fro yn cyflwyno hanes Gwenallt yn y capel lle bu’n aelod ffyddlon yn ei ieuenctid.  Mwynhawyd ‘dished o de’ yng nghwmni’r marched cyn mynd i weld cofeb ‘Y Bardd yn y Wal’, man geni Gwenallt, cartref Dafydd Rowlands a’r gofeb a luniwyd gan Peter Lord i gofio mawrion yr ardal.

Cafwyd clo ardderchog i ddiwrnod llawn iawn o gwmpas y bwrdd swper yn Nhafarn y Deri Llanedi.

Owenna Davies

(via Acceptable Hardback 2v. H/b : Gweithiau Williams Pantycelyn Ed. N Cynhafal Jone | eBay)

Precipitation

This photograph was taken at Pantycelyn on the first session of the course when we were learning the ropes of our cameras and testing different settings on manual mode. I took 3 different tries of this foliage and the third turned out the best. I changed the angle at which the photograph was taken and tried different focus points. When editing, I used highlight saturation and the image some more red tones as I felt the original was too cold and blue in colour. I think the detail of the water droplets in focus work well in the centre of the photograph. The curvature of the leaves make the plant look almost cold, lonely and as if its recoiling. This photograph could have been improved by it being taken closer to the subject or more zoomed in, if the camera was angled more at the front of the branch looking onto it, this may have given a better photograph. This image may look better in black and white.