WPF link wiith Cardiff City Museum

Gillian Clarke, Menna Elfyn and John Neilson co-operate on the Cardiff Story Museum

It may be exaggerating slightly for Wenlock Poetry Festival to claim all the credit but it is a certainty that a new piece of poetry now adorning the walls of the new Cardiff Museum would not be there without our influence!

Gillian Clarke, National Poet for Wales and one of our Patrons, was recently commissioned by the new Cardiff City Museum - the Cardiff Story- to create a celebratory poem in honour of its opening. The event has been a serendipitous affair. Dr Kathleen Howe, a resident of Much Wenlock and Director of the new museum, met Gillian at last year’s Poetry Festival and the idea was born of the opportunity to commission Gillian to write a commemorative poem to ‘launch’ the Cardiff Story.

Two further links with Much Wenlock soon arose when John Neilson, the well-known stone letter carver and calligrapher, and Menna Elfyn (who appeared at last years Poetry Festival) both became involved with the project. Menna provided a Welsh translation of the poem and John was commissioned to paint the words of the poem on the walls of the Museum. Many at last year’s Poetry Festival will have seen John Neilson carving the beautiful stone on which was inscribed part of Carol Ann Duffy’s poem Bees, dedicated by Carol to our Poetry Festival.

John will be in action again at this year’s Festival where he will once again demonstrate his skills with the chisel.

The poem written by Gillian

Whoever They Were
A hundred years ago with a heart-load of hope,
they sailed oceans, travelled unmade roads
from Somerset, Somalia, Ceredigion, the Caribbean,
driven by hunger, drawn by a dream.

They worked the furnaces for iron and steel,
carried, shovelled, loaded ships with coal,
raised chapel, mosque and market, cool arcades,
civic buildings, a millionaire’s parade.

Perhaps an ancestor paused here on the stairs,
worn by hard labour, come for quiet hours
to learn, to better himself in this old library.
Remember him. The city is his story.

Y di-sôn amdanynt

Gyda gobaith ar eu gwar, rhyw ganrif yn ôl,
yn hwylio’r moroedd a throedio’r lonydd brau,
o Somalia a’r Caribî, Ceredigion, Gwlad yr Ha’
y ffoesant ar lwgu, byd gwell yn nesáu.

Gweithwyr ffwrneisi, haearn a dur,
cloddio a rhofio, llwythwyr llongau â glo,
codi addoldai a marchnad, mosg ac arcêd,
neuaddau dinesydd, goludog barêd?

A fu yma un o’ch llinach yn oedi
yn lluddedig ei gorff â’i fryd ar orig dawel
i ddilyn dysg? Ei daith yn yr hen lyfrgell
nid â’n angof yn ninas ei fabinogi.