Cyhydedd Hir Notes

~ JezzieG

A Welsh poetic form, the Cyhydedd Hir consists of 4-line stanzas. Lines 1, 2, and 3 have five syllables each and line 4 has four syllables. Lines 1, 2, and 3 rhyme with each other and line 4 of the first quatrain rhymes with the second. Consecutive stanzas can be connected by the 4th line rhyme to create longer stanzas

Rhyme schemes
aaab cccb ddde fffe and so on

aaabcccb dddefffe and so on

aaabcccbdddb eeefgggf hhhijjjikkki and so on

Example

Elphin and the Boy by JezzieG

Fishing lines were bare
Heart filled with despair
But a child found there
So it shall be

Elphin’s heart so sad
And what of the lad
This child needs a dad
So it shall be

Taliesin by name
His brow shines no shame
His wisdom acclaim
So it shall be

And he speaks this lad
No fish, don’t be sad
What is yours be glad
So it shall be

Published by JezzieG

I am a freelance writer and poet and started writing after raising my two boys as a way of discovering just who Jez is. That is still very much an ongoing project but the journey so far has introduced me to many wonderful friends and fellow writers through an ever-growing love of poetry.

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