Hafren* Forest and the Source of the Severn

Babbling brook and tumbling river,
damp decaying needles cover
soggy, spongey forest floor,
mossy clumps, tree trunks, tree stumps,
sodden banks of greenery,
quiet, placid scenery:
only wind and water sound,
and bird calls sometimes heard around;
by clearings, where there’s light enough
the trees bedecked with lichen fluff.

Surprised so small the mighty Severn river,
cascading joyfully with youthful vigour!
We trace it back to moorland boggy source,
from where it leaves to gather and to grow,
and meet the thirsty needs along its course,
out from th’increasing sturdy flow.

*pronounced 'Havren', the Welsh name for the River Severn