Carol Ann Duffy and Gillian Clarke at the National Library of Wales
It was a great pleasure to welcome two laureates to the National Library recently.
Both Carol Ann Duffy, the Poet Laureate, and Gillian Clarke, our National Poet, gave a reading at the Drwm. On a bitterly cold day it was a very warm and inspirational event.
It got me thinking about the whole notion of praise poetry.
The question has been asked whether Carol Ann Duffy will write a poem to the Royal Wedding in the spring. I’m sure this question comes at a political angle but I’m sure that it also comes because the whole concept of writing a poem in English, or perhaps in England, to note someone’s wedding is a rather odd one.
Carol Ann Duffy at the National Library of Wales
On the other hand nothing could be more ordinary in Welsh, or in Wales. If you presume to call yourself a poet in Wales then the price you pay, or the responsibility you take on, is to sing your community – to it, of it, about it, with it – you sing about weddings and funerals, births, deaths and in respect of (and to satirise) political, cultural, or sporting heroes on a local regional or national stage. That’s what you do.
Having not had a royal family for a while the notion of a Welsh Laureate is relatively new to us. Only since the establishment of the Assembly have we had a National Poet. The princes did have their poet – in fact they might have had several calling on them to massage their ego for the price of a bed and a meal.
Nevertheless it was important and noteworthy that the Poet Laureate did come to the Library to sing along side her friend Gillian Clarke. In them we had not one but two ambassadors for Wales. Carol Ann is a very generous Laureate making sure others benefit from her status and taking the whole of Britain as a canvas for her work. For her it most certainly isn’t a case of ‘for Wales see England.’
Gillian Clarke
This coming Saturday will see us welcome Gillian Clarke back to the Library – not in person for the time being, but in the form of an exhibition. She’ll feature along side Islwyn Ffowc Elis in the Writers of Wales Exhibition Area for the next twelve months. So please call in to see her.
I’m sure we’ll also be able to welcome both poets back in person in the not too distant future.
(Photos by Andrew Green)