R.S.Thomas Information

1913-2000



Data on leading welsh poet R.S.Thomas. Born Cardiff 1913. Educated at University College of North Wales, Bangor. Theological training at St Michael's College, Llandaf, Cardiff. Ordained 1936. Curacies at Chirk and Hanmer in the Welsh Marches. Married the painter Mildred E. Eldridge. Rector of Manafon 1942. Iago. Learned Welsh language. Alienated from country life by status as priest. Vicar of Eglwys-fach, Cardiganshire 1954-1967. English settlers. Iago Prytherch continues. Vicar of Aberdaron, Caernarfonshire, 1967. Kneeling. Occasional prose. Ogre of Wales. Literary. Reputation secure. Intellectual rigour. Retired. Married again. Betty. Time, philosophy, essentially modern. &c. Seen dining. 1997 happy. Love. Died at 87 - 25th September, 2000



A

as ambling and already air as a a and as all a as as a ageing and a assuaging and and an acres at ash and and a ancestral and and all and and and and and anger accused a and about a a and as at are as and at and at as an are affinity a are and and another and ay a and all a after about and and are and Ann a among a ay a a and a a at and and and and and and and and a a and anthropomorthic april after and and a about and a a a and accusation and along

 

B

breath blue bare brown bilge bread bald bones but breast's boughs bed braid brooding bitter barn-owls branch bladed blood bird-like breath book born bones boredom beautiful baubles breadth between begin built brittle breath but brimming bitter breaks brittle bone bright black book blood but bubbling brushwork bare bewilder brute blood barns by by but books buzzard Bwlch boy books big-band books barn bring buds buzzard's blue belie Bwlch-y-Fedwen background bleak background bald bare bare beautiful blithe bones blood's brushed bell blue brisk boughs busy bedroom before



Beat

Angel headed (posibl) hipsters (na)



Composition Theory

The forms hybrid and vigorous pushing always toward an actual and new completeness. Fruitful chaos. Reason. Chance. Why explain when action. Why explain while the sparks. Who can?



C

crude crops cattle cracked cocoon coming child's cry conductor casual composed cave crime church coin call careful child city caught Calvary closer careless claim cycle calm climbs cloud cloud can comfort cold cars cats crumbfall cloisters cloth clean cloud castaways clinging class cheek's come chests cloud crammed cheek-bones cars came change could cloud contracted clock clouds cartridge cities came cathedral colour crevices chorus currents clatter cures cold cloud clouds conversing cloud cheap coffin church come comparions cold crude creasing Cymro cloud children colonising can crowds cheap cut chart cracks cheered children calling children cymrodorion calling children come



D

dead ditch dreams dreams detonations down drab depopulation day desolate door dwr dead domain dismiss dusk delayed death Davies Davies death dead daughter darkness dawn dyeing dark day drapes down draws days dares day do do Davies doesn't died Davies Davies Davies do dry delivered dawn dung distemper deepens dried days don't derision Davies day drove dreamed desires dead Davies dance deceived don't dawn dawn die delicate Davies dawn death dry dwarfed don't dead dead despite Davies diawl dad dreaming down day divides despite Davies Davies dawn Davies draws dark dwr daring dead died death death death Davies death detail death



E

emptying earth earth eyes except enduring edge each every even even education earth embryonic ecstatic earth earth ear even eyes equal eyes earth eye ended ewes emerald ewe end earth earth earth's ever embers eye Easter entrance esoteric eyes equinox eira embryo England eyes eyes earth evacuee earth's earth explain eagle ewes equated English eyes earth earth eyes evening eyes eyes encroaching easing expounded echoes eyes eyes earth's expression errors evening enter (stoop) ease eyes eyes eyes earth earth excuse eryr easy earth each eyes eyes eyes eyes eye



Fans

Joseph Flavius Cecil Roth Nicholas of Cusa F.C.Happold Meister Eckhart W.R.Inge David Goldberg John Rayner Brant Pelphrey Caroline Walker Bynum Mary Daly Episcopal Bishop C. Kilmer Myers Helen Gardner Rupert Hart-Davis Roland Mathias Robert Nisbet J.R. Letherbridge Ezra Pound J.D. McClatchy Germain Bazin John Berger Michael Levy James Davies Coco Chanel Angela Holdsworth Andrew Marvell Hugh Macdonald Helen Wilcox Simone de Beauvoir Marina Warner S.T. Coleridge T.S. Eliot Peter Finch Yrjo Hirn D.H. Lawrence G. Van der Leeuw J. Pissarro Wallace Stephens William Wordsworth Stephen Gill Alfred Lord Tennyson John Jump William Shakespeare Graham Green Thomas Jones John Jones William Jones Alfred Jones George Eliot W.B Yeats A.M.Allchin Glyn Tegai Hughes Williams Pantycelyn Geoffrey Nuttall R. Buick Knox Idris H. Bell W. Meredith Morris Tudor Jones Rex Jones Harry Jones Bonzo Jones Jack Jones Jim McJones Chief Giant R.G. Thomas Marion Glasscoe Julian of Norwich Northrop Frye Walt Whitman Isobel Rivers Anthony Powell Ann Griffiths W.H. Allan Angela Tilby Robert Herrick Bob Cobbing Ted Hughes Gerard Manley Hopkins Louis Macneice Simon Tugwell Evelyn Underhill St Augustine Brian Wren Caroline Walker Bynum Dionysius the Areopagite James Walsh John Donne B Pascal Charles Olson David Jasper David Jones John Tripp Rosemary Woolf Ford Cortina Gerardus Van Der Leeuw Luke Peter Pan Tinkerbell Roger Ellis Norman Schwenk Byron Rogers Justin Wintle Toy Brown D.Z. Phillips William Carlos Williams William ap Will William Williams Jones Walcott St Paul ap Iestyn A.M. Allchin Stephen Gill Fritjof Capra Edwin Mullins Captain Bob John Wayne Childe Roland Sallie Mcfague Motorbike Griffiths Franco Russoli Russel Richards Robert Ripstipple Rolling Jones Jones ap Jenkins Jingle Rock John the Glitter Gloomy Griffiths Ap Christian Weekly Dark Day Denzil Doom Titter George Job Angela Angel Ancient Tides McGriffiths Waters Muddy Rivers Old Joe Blind Bottom Feeling Phillips Jean-Paul Sartre Sabine Volk-Birke Brian Wren Joan Jones Jonah Jones Joining Jim Grizzle Plaster This Bold Blues Boy Slim Pencil Honore Daumier Kenneth Clark Auguste Renoir Pseudo-Dionysius False Feelings False Fickle Burn-up Gosh Ancient Rights The Horizon you Jones the Hymnbook Donna The Prima Donna Geraldus Vanderleeuw Yahweh (reputed) Maybe In The Morning Elaine Shepherd Damian Walford Sandra Anstey M. Wynn Thomas [more]



F

fixed for firelight flutters field furrow furrow for fibre flight freedom futility fine first from fescue fuddled females flame fire flies flying failed flowed from fields foolish fields foolish field faith far free from fleece found father few few face face first frost flame funeral first fumbling first field fold free fractions flowers fate flight fortnight festering flesh fluke field foot-rot Fedwen far far field frame farming Fawnog farming forming flown faded flower foliage far fathers filigree fresh field farm faces Fochno flight fear flight field's for farmer from february



G

glitters green gaunt gob gaunt grief grass Glyndwr gaitered give God's guessed God greeting grass gaunt graveyard gash ground green goodman grading gay glimmer girls grim gallant golden grass gnawing Gwydion god garland gold grew grey grew glow gap gone gears grace grasses Glyn dwr Gruffydd Llwydd Gruffudd green great green glad gaunt grim Gruffudd gruff glory grass gnawing ghosts guile garments grass gossip glass grace grasping greener grey God God God God God God grouped grass gets God God God good glass God God green



The Great Friends

Buzzred Ozzard Curling Robert Red Wink Crough Creal Crus Crowow Realvan Kestro Kestri Kestrare Kestophagus Krip Craok Black Croak Creel Cram Craggy Wetear Crisp Weatear Wheat Watter Wham Wet Whipper Whole Willy Brown Birds Skylurking Rich Gripe Greazle Grog Chaphnich Chippernot Chealfnif Chiefnich Spearrowrork Versatile Tree Pipit Popper Tined Goldchrist Giraldus Camjackdaw Llangorse Limet Margaret O'Pieater Piper Pulpit Greeebe Hebron Goshandy Goosehandy Gobbler Grey Dipper Kingklank Goldeneye Grodfish Godeel Golders Green Grass Basher h'm



H

hills his healing heady him half-closed his his his him his his hours him he homeward he his his he hour hour his his his hills half-witted his his he he his half hair hooded her he hooted he his hard has his hold his heart's his he his human has hunger how he him high hollow Holyhead he happiness him here his have heedless his hurled hand heart's harsh he his hills heart have hands has hill hatred holly-cheeked Hone had heart hold horse he help his he hill heritage heron hen himself hived hillman hands him heir hill-top his heart hurt hand he hush house her hysteria house he he harnessed herded hard his his his hill



Happiness

As reported in The Western Mail. More details.



Homage

I not but Insured everything what to are so and a we he in there acrobat trapeze his poetics. Of against was curious he so as. I at to, of notwithstanding. Turn to to against but has say? The language dances fastidious walk implies the is walking artist was he thought his his marriages burned his. Stand an celebrating the you. Now the Wallace the the his wand gets under moon. A for of no a of a kept going, finances. Church were his syntax religion. With altar the imagination are. Bible Stevens muse word-wizard adjectives he up world, which of verbal rhythmic the kind two balancing his and conducted. Metaphors was blessings, back you sacrament whose. Stevens muse word-wizard waves world, the verbal tight-rope language of columns meaning, poetry in like as Stevens; to never high-priest. Imagination bank-clerk tight-rope double-entry it incense, high to. Aspired high-priest. Tight-rope double-entry.



I

is it its is in in in is is inscrutable in is in in its images it in in it in is in is in into Iago it in in in in in is in is is is in into its in in in intricate in it it ivory in impenetrable inscrutable I its it its is is I irreverence I in is is I ignorance I I intolerance indifferent I in Iago Iago if I it in is is itch itch is in in in its in is indifferent in I I ignorant I it in I incredulous its its in in in it it is it it its in its its I in its I it in I I I Iis into in I I I I is in it in in I it I in I in in Iago Iago Iago is is ineptitude immaculate is



J

just journey jest job Job John John Calvin judgement Job Job Job journey



K

kindling kings kinship knows knowledge knew Keir knew knew knew



L

lash legendary last light ludicrous limpid lost labourer look like love lifted leans like luckless limbs look left lips leaves life lives less lights listening lost limpid life's long laughter lean listen lips life lad learning leprosy life like lengthened lonely lot loud lonely last lamb lead lead lambs laughter lucid light locked language locked lips leaves loose light light light leaped long limbs lying Llyn Llifon life leave leave leave leave leave leave last lambs light lo lane land lanes listen listen like Llwyd Llwyd Llywelyn laureate light league lives landscape legends lean landscape language language labourer light loud life limbs longer light



M

mark mountain mountain midnight motionless mirth maturing moulding man moon menace meagre mouth man more mistress man mud morning mute Manafon memories metrical monosyllabic mountain marsh material mutual mute mirthless men men movements mockery meadow mares man more milk man maid mare more may mother's mountain moved mortal's mother mourner mare March much mind meaningless mistletoe mountain mock minister's moon maggot moss mould man Maes-yr-Onnen ministering me my metal men mossed mouth mirth morning mountain metal man man man man meat marked music make



N

never negativa not not nagging new not nor none new nineteen name not new november nailed not not now nettles Nant-yr-Eira now new not not nature's never nurse nourished new name noisy nature night need notice neighbours now notice narrator natural nag nothing notice nothing nothing name not nothing no narrator nearest neighbour no night Nant Carfan not new names nobody no narrator no nature neutral never negation need near nowhere not naked no night nothing never now no nobel nature's new not nylons not nature nails (red) no not neighbour's new not ni not now next not news nothing nothing not now naming



O

out of on of out of of of of of old or over ordinary of of of orchard of of owls older on oak on old or old of of of of one or of on of of or of of on or on of on order of one or over of



P

Pail puckered parents plough pass provocative play ploughs pain porch praises poem praising polite priest peasant peat poetry praise Prytherch people print pane plough people play poems picture pinned passed picture prospecting pastures preferring perhaps painting piety pattern peace past patient Prytherch piece passes proudly pasture pig phlegm proud pierced prating pluck power peasant peasant prompting perished people proud people people present present past people preferring people pulse pails ploughpastor peer pastors pastor peculiar Pugh Parry pulling properity playing Prytherch people parable place pavements past



Primary Texts

Data for the purchaser



Possible

Chac Rain God of the Maya
Namandi malignant & lonely
Cynic follower of the eccentric Greek Philosopher Diogenes
Mimir fount of wisdom
Ramanuja opposed to oneness
Ptah bearded
Zaddick lost in the mystic
Tawhirimatea fond of wind
Bodhidharma sharp
Buddhagosa the commentator
Nyame the shining one
Obo pile of rocks


More Likely

the broken tractor
heat on high ground
bird
deer
hare
cattle
damp
the drained god
the land of rough grass
stack of bks bound in string



Q

Quiet



R

river racks rarer remember rising rook's resounded rain reluctant river refinments rhyme rill roof rule rain returned rich rare rooks rotting rain rattle rarely rich rarely riddle romantic ray rich recuperating roofs ripped Rhiannon rough Rhedynfre rain rain road ravages rattles roots Rhiannon's retreat red rivers relics right rain rattle rim red religion room remember rough righteous rim ruined round residue rarely rain risk ripening rescued red random rubbing reborn R. rooting rnld ring remote rain rain rooting roof reason remoter root removes roses return rigid roof road rivers rudeness rhyme resinous reproves royal remote renewed rested raw restart round



S

shoulders sharpness sweetness summer's shadow scaly sloughs soul sullied slurred stayed skin snow's sweet slow scene silence stars shy stairs stars sheep satisfaction sky shock stock stars study surface sapless shed silence sky shaggy-throated stars swords spears suckled sinew sky's suddenly sunder surrender sorrow stumbling spirit standpoint stinking same small star sunlight sheep something sheep sweaty shaken school strength source speech single speech skill sources spring stone scathless scrawled school stranger saints shamed spilled spotted scrawled shadow sheep seen sepulchre sealed settled spent sat scurrying stay sometimes sting sheep sty stable set squalls sharp



The Swedish Prize

Physics. Physiology. Literature. Peace. Chemistry. Smokeless Powder.



So

So language gets up



T

Tomos Twm Tomos turf tempered Tomos till tale Twm Twm Tomos's the the the tree to to till the the the thunder-browed thoated (shaggy) the there the the then the the that thronged the thundercloud tree this than the tree that the teach this the this the that the that than taken the thigh tendril the travelling the the the tie the to the to the the the the tongue the to that the the true the the that the that the tomb the the the the Twm the therefore the turning the the too to the too the the the the thatched the the too Ty'n-y-Fawnog there's the the the the the the that the the the the tongue the the the theirs the then though table the the the toad



Ned Thomas

It see mslik elyth atR.S.T omosfo undapers onalreso lution to this dilema by livingly incrept th rough the rough the rough the lip the land the rough language. There is heart clutching on Llyn. Join Ningtheland wagestu gglein recent years heha sbe combea def enderer the right. Right. To of about. Specifically of the Welsh. Once in a sidestrip runnig. His hair philosophic bent oft. But these are predictable. Decay. Expression. Distance. Colonial structure. In the rhotoric of nationalism the Welsh wd spoke th air lang with pride, past, pride, expected, powerful, felt, fashion parallel like strut. Negat ively col onialstruc cool. End of backward glance. End of obscure assertion. End of laments. End of profoundest something to love, missed. End of discrediting. Negation, again, negative, unnecessary. Drive, driven and that. Focus and blur. Stuff imperialist criticism. In front of the fire / With you, the folk song / Of the wind in the chimney. Ned Thomaso.



U

under under unborn uncurling uncouthness unnatural unconscious 'un under untidy unhappy under under unlearn unseen united ugly unleavened under under unchristened undone uncertainty under under undo understand under useless under undone under



V

veins vast verse vague valediction village veins vision valleys vanished voice vestry valleys voice vein vast village voices vain void vowels vixen vast vain view variations verses verse



W

Welsh whiteness wanting wrong wind world welcome we wind's we who winds wades white wings with Welsh witted (half) wind's winner womb where world will where wantons whore whisperers wife wild winds woods with wind wind woods wide why when wind who who world white Wales wrenched wood whipped whose water wind whom wing whipped where well wild work wrote woman woman was with well warbler words with window what with winds wound weather Welsh with when were wild workshop when what with world woke Wales window would with was wife watching which wind walls winter weak with wood wind willingly wide with women when was waving with were wait weaving with Welsh



X

experiments exchange expatriates


(later)

xtremities xagerated xploiter xample xcellent



Y

yeilds youth yet yet youthful you Yeats your your you your your you you youth young yr young yellow yellow yoked yard you year yet you yourself year's yours you young yours you youth young you'll you you yet you your year's young years your you you you you yet yes



Z

Zero



Short Cuts

about
death
glow
primary texts
notes
comparisons
mistake
happiness
nobel
residues
sources
spotted
hills
wins
the light






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