Englyn cyrch

Englyn cyrch, én-glin circh (two rhyme englyn), the 5th codified Official Welsh Meter, an Englyn is verse that employs cyrch which means internal rhyme.

 

The defining features of the Englyn cyrch are:

  • stanzaic, written in any number of quatrains made up of 2 Cywydd couplets,
    the Cywydd deuair hirion[1] and Awdl gywydd [2].

  • syllablic, 7 syllable lines.

  • rhymed, AaBA with the end syllable of L3 rhymed somewhere in the first half of L4.

x x x x x x A (stressed last syllable)

x x x x x X a (unstressed last syllable)

x x x x x x B

x x B x x x A ( B ) can be in the 2nd 3rd or 4th syllables

el y cuddia’r llwyni gleision

ddolennog grwydriad Cynon

dymunwn innau lechu’r ferch

enynnodd serch fy nghalon

Fall by Judi Van Gorder

The wild wind and rain suppress
the dancing leaves in darkness,
telling time to disappear
while they clear away excess.

The Saguaro Cactus by Stephen Arndt 

Curses on the god of sun, 
His burn a crime like arson! 
Yet you battle him till night 
And fight until you have won. 

Curses on the gods of wind, 
Whose force is unimagined! 
When they bluster through your place, 
You face the attack, thick-skinned. 

Curse the gods of sand and dust, 
Who storm when winds wail loudest! 
Let them cloud the air and vaunt, 
Undaunted, you stand robust. 

Ball your fists to curse and cuss, 
Strong-armed Saguaro Cactus! 
Rail against the desert sky, 
Defy it for all of us!

Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=983
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource.

[1] The Cywydd deuair hirion is: Wrenched Rhyme.
[2] Awdl gywydd is: internal rhyme with prior end-rhyme
Mid-line rhymes a and c can be various forms of rhyme but the end of line rhyme b should be perfect rhyme.

My example

Dragon’s Fire (Englyn cyrch)

Sean had a long scaly tail
he flew but left no contrail.
He feared not what warrior’s felt;
he’d just melt down their chain mail.

Cutie Pie teased a young Sean
often with flirty Come-on.
Sean (a dragon by the way)
came to play – the lady’s gone.

© Lawrencealot – December 9, 2014

Related Welsh Form are HERE.

Visual template
Englyn cyrch

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