Disgwylfa* Hill

Cherry

By Rhiannonw

Fri, 26 Jun 2015
  • 3680 reads
13 comments
 

Pull up Disgwylfa* hill,
on the Offa’s Dyke path
steep green sloping mounds surround:
mid-Wales hug of hills, quilt,    
quiet except for the murmur in a field below –
two bailing tractors work steadily up and down
(one scooping, piles dropping,
the other lifting, wrapping)
and the birds – skylarks high above,
chaffinch or chats darting from the gorse,
and on the top a sea of fresh green bracken,
undulating short-trunked forest;

a circle view around –    
from Shropshire Clee Hills (NE),
past Malvern (E),
Black Mountains to the S and then
Brecon Beacons (the double peak of Pen-y-Fan is clear),
and on further into Wales:

we’re not very high
but the scene is wide
and enclosed by the sky
we peacefully stride.

*Diss-gooil-va [the word means ‘waiting expectantly for something/someone’, but we weren’t, just enjoyed what was there for us.]

 

Certificate U
Poem
Countryside explorations
Nature

Comments

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Love the idea of a hill in waiting, lovely descriptions.

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Oh, you make it sound like it was waiting for us! One often wonders about the history of names of places - sometimes they have changed in unusual ways.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Rhiannon

Another lovely poem, and beautiful pictures to accompany it. I should think I have been in just that spot, now that you give such specific directions.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Glad it triggered your memories too! It's good for me to get a record of what I get out of a little trip. Still making use of our 'Sitting service' on a  Wednesday afternoon when possible. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Bee on

Lovely juicy description of a perfectly peaceful day - I love it when you share the view with us on these trips out into the beautiful countryside. Loved the rhymes and this is really nice -

'hug of hills, quilt,    
quiet except the murmur in a field below –' but should there be (for) in this line - except (for) the murmur...? 

All so clear to picture, Rhiannon. 

Bee

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, Bee. Glad you enjoyed again.
Good point about the 'for', can't decide but I think I will try including it as you suggest, and see how it settles on me! Thanks again, Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

thanks for the cherries, nice surprise! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on

Wonderful poem, Rhiannon.  You brought the place alive for me.  Thank  you.

Tina

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Tina. So glad you enjoyed the place. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by scratch on

Wonderful natural observations.  Well done Rhiannon.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, very much, Scratch. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Stephen Thom on

yeah really enjoy being transported into your wanders, there's so much to appreciate in this poem - 'steep green sloping mounds surround' has such a (again transportive) roll to it, 'chaffinch or chats darting from the gorse/ and on the top a sea of fresh green bracken /undulating short-trunked forest' had me lifting my head inside my head, thought the shift for the last 4 lines worked really well too. :-)

 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, again, Stephen, for your usual thoughtful comment. It is really good to know how it took you. Rhiannon