The Green Month by Matthew Francis
Faber & Faber
Published 23rd October 2025.
Delightful new versions of the great Welsh medieval poet's lyrics - intimate, urgent and timeless Dafydd ap Gwilym, the pre-eminent poet of Wales, explored love, desire and the natural world with startling frankness and virtuoso wit. In a sequence freely adapted from Dafydd's work, Matthew Francis brings him to life for the modern English-speaking reader: as he waits in the woods for his lover, ogles the girls in church or causes chaos during a midnight assignation. Plants, birds and animals are fondly invoked while weather and the elements - wind, waves, fog and ice - play their part. Passionate in his treatment of sexual themes, Dafydd is equally ready to make fun of his own susceptibility. The Green Month introduces an original and lovable poet who speaks freshly to us from deep in our islands' past.
Delightful new versions of the great Welsh medieval poet's lyrics - intimate, urgent and timeless Dafydd ap Gwilym, the pre-eminent poet of Wales, explored love, desire and the natural world with startling frankness and virtuoso wit. In a sequence freely adapted from Dafydd's work, Matthew Francis brings him to life for the modern English-speaking reader: as he waits in the woods for his lover, ogles the girls in church or causes chaos during a midnight assignation. Plants, birds and animals are fondly invoked while weather and the elements - wind, waves, fog and ice - play their part. Passionate in his treatment of sexual themes, Dafydd is equally ready to make fun of his own susceptibility. The Green Month introduces an original and lovable poet who speaks freshly to us from deep in our islands' past.
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