Pennod 26 – Dychan, Hiwmor a Grym Celf: Dafydd ap Gwilym (rhan 3)

Satire, Humor and the Power of Art (Dafydd ap Gwilym part 3)
Richard Wyn Jones says something in this episode which, although it’s an off-the-cuff remark, perhaps says more about this poetry’s zest than all of his co-presenter’s discussion. He says that, if he had read these poems in school, he might’ve studied Welsh at university instead of International Politics! That’s enough to suggest that these humorous satirical poems by Dafydd ap Gwilym have a very wide appeal.
We look at Dafydd’s self-satire in the cywyddau ‘Trouble in a Tavern’ and ‘Women of Llanbadarn’. We also discuss the poem which was censored for many years, ‘The Cywydd of the Penis’. And we consider his dialogue with the ‘Grey Friar’, an amazing poem which presents a surprisingly modern version of Christianity and which defends the exact type of love poetry connected with Dafydd ap Gwilym. It is also a poem which testifies as to the power of high-quality art to influence people’s behaviour.