Welsh Poems and Ballads

A warm, sometimes mischievous, voice guides listeners through an eclectic gathering of Welsh verse, from medieval odes to lively folk ballads. The anthology showcases Borrow’s lifelong fascination with the language and the landscape, offering translations of Iolo Goch, Dafydd ab Gwylm, Goronwy Owen and many lesser‑known poets. Interspersed with short introductions and marginal notes, the collection feels like leafing through a well‑worn notebook, where the translator’s enthusiasm shines as clearly as the original rhythm.

The accompanying essay by Ernest Rhys paints a vivid picture of Borrow’s obsessive, almost devotional, work with the Welsh tradition, revealing his meticulous manuscript habits and his love for the country’s legends. Listeners will hear the lyrical sweep of “Glendower’s Mansion,” the plaintive “Cuckoo’s Song,” and spirited epigrams that echo the tastes of tavern and monastery alike. It’s an intimate auditory portrait of a 19th‑century Celtophile inviting you into the heart of Wales’s poetic heritage.