Wales

Find me a coast where the sea rolls in

And the shingles reach down to the shore,

Where the sand is as soft as a woman’s skin

And the cliffs are the ultimate law,

Where the rock pools are hid when the tide is up

And the sky is as grey as a stone,

Where the man of the land has a plentiful cup

And there I shall make my home.

 

Find me a land where the people speak

In a strange and a colourful tongue,

Find me a land where the seagull’s beak

Looks out, to comfort its young.

Find me a land where the men can sing

So fine, it tears the eye;

Find me the land I’m yearning

For there my bones will lie.

 

Find me a cottage, thatched with straw

And find me a blue-eyed maid,

My life shall I wander by the shore

With my wife in her pretty braid;

To watch white horses galloping in

Through all the winter gales,

Find me a coast where the sea rolls in,

Find me a land called Wales…

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Mark]

Find me a poet with heart so true
Matters little what topic he tries
Find me a rhythm so crystalline-hewed
It will always start tears to my eyes;

Find me such a one whose every verse
Though of subject inspiring or tragic
Each better than the last is, never one worse,
Then you've found me just one: David Paget

[Adam Lebzo -RonninWarrior-]

thank you! you spoke my heart :D

[Mark]

Just finished a biography of JRRT, where I learned that it was his reading of Welsh on the coal cars passing his Saremore home that inspired his first forays into Elvish and other created languages...with contributions from Old Norse and Finnish! The guy was incredible, particularly as he was SO disorganized and such a procrastinator, it's miraculous that he ever finished anything!

[Stella Armour]

i love Wales, the valleys and the mountains are so beautiful, a coastline to die for.. no wonder you sing her praises....and all Welsh men can sing.

[Strawberry]

My grandmother is Welsh. It really reminds me of her - the idyllic nature is the same way that she speaks about home. Beautiful imagery and symbolism.

[Adam Lebzo -RonninWarri..]

Long lives home... :(
I miss mine and this one made me yearn so badly
thank you for being awesome!

[Tomás Ó C..]

Great tribute to Wales...

[BlackRose]

Makes me want to be at the beach again and this time stay for awhile. What artistry, brilliance at it's finest. Words come alive in your works so wonderfully as if I'm there.

[cartera]

Masefield re-incarnated as a Welshman.
Smashing piece of work. Must go down to the sea again: maybe see Anglesey.
ATB
Alex.

[TL Boehm]

my my my. This poem really struck a chord with me. I have a "genealogy addiction" and have been studying my family for a couple of years. We are several generations of "wanderers and mavericks" yet I have always felt that I was missing something deep with respect to culture and "homeland" - We actually have lineage from Wales - but mostly we come from Cornwall. Anyway - this poem is steeped in that attachment to the land. I think a lot of us who are Americans - have lost that. And it is a great loss.

[Donald Cole]

I like this. the length is better, it tells a story almost like a pirate tale. good flow and ebb. nice
Don

[tynamite]

I love how imaginative this is. The words shine with clarity.

[Melobldnfr]

This is beautiful. Definitely a favorite.