The Heart of a Garden

Celtic Cornwall

The imagery, provided by top-flight and award-winning photographers, was chosen for its connection with our homelands and its ability to evoke emotion. The cards carry an intriguing or inspiring story, poetry or prose on the reverse. The Cornish language is used for the wording and is accompanied by an English translation. Although there is an educational element, the cards are a celebration of identity and culture more than anything else.

Eco-friendly cards: Card from responsibly managed forests (FSC^®), vegetable-based inks, recycled paper envelopes, compostable outer slips.

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Card size: 152x152mm. Blank inside. Photography: Ross Hoddinott, Tony Howell (CC102, CC104, CC108, CC114), Jason Theaker (CC103), Ben Hall (CC106), Brandon Cole (CC113), Rosie Spooner (CC119), Joe Rainbow (CC120), Nigel Stollery (CC122-123), Matthew Fox (CC124, XCC301), Lee Stutt (CC125, XCC302), Adam Burton (CC127)

Text on Reverse of Card
Code: CC101	Bostalek / Botallack Y hwithav or erbynn kans grev; I guard a frontier against a hundred afflictions; hwath my a sev yntra tir ha mor: still I stand between land and sea: yn town a’w magor y tassen ow lev. from deep in my ruin echoes my voice. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Botallack mine, on the western shore of Cornwall, extends under the sea. The engine houses are a memorial to the courage and skill of the miners who made their land a part of world heritage. The surrounding area is a popular film and television location. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC102	Lannwedhennek / Padstow Pan bowes roev, pan bowes pal, When oar rests, when shovel rests, yth hedh an howl yntra heyl ha hal: the sun pauses between estuary and moor: ot anall glor yn-tromm war ow thal. suddenly there is a cool breath on my forehead. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders This busy port was once North Cornwall’s gateway to Wales and Ireland. It is famed for such riotous traditions as the Obby Osses and Mummers’ Day. Padstow is a magnet for tourism, but the life of the community still runs on. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn (‘three-liner’), one of the most popular forms of eglyn in Cornish.

Code: CC103	An Garrek Loes y’n Koes / St Michael’s Mount Yth hunros koes yn ardir bas; A wood sleeps in shallow coastal waters; yeyn lanow bras a whythef y’n koes: cold the great floodstream that surges in the blood: ot hwath ow diwdroes war dreudhow’n woen las. here are my feet still on the threshold of the green down. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders According to legend, the land of Lyonesse stretched from Mount’s Bay to beyond Scilly. It was flooded one night, and the only survivor was a man called Trevelyan, who escaped on horseback. The famous family he founded bore the emblem of a horse rising from the waves on their shield. St Michael’s Mount, the native name for which translates as ‘The Grey Rock in the Wood’, was said to have stood in a forest that disappeared beneath the flood, and local people spoke of whole trees being cast up by the tide centuries later. In Cornish poetry, ‘the green down’ was a name sometimes given to the sea. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC104	Porth Kownans / Kynance Cove Tes de a gan a wynsow skav; Yesterday’s sultry warmth sings of light winds; awel vlin vrav a dhassen mar lan: a soft brave breeze echos so clearly: blas byw an hoelan a hunros a’n Hav. the living taste of the salt dreams of the summer. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Kynance Cove lies secluded in the strange serpentine coastline of the Lizard Peninsula. It is hard to get there from the land, and at high tide can only be reached by boat. It has its own climate, which seems to keep the summer alive during the winter. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC105	Golowji Godrevi / Godrevy Lighthouse Ewyn war row, trumm dhe lyr klys; Foam on coarse sand, keel into sheltered waters; kerdh skwith a-brys, dewdhen ryb tan glow: a tired and timely walk, a couple by a coal fire: y kanav golow dhe beswar bann bys. I sing light to the four quarters of the world. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Godrevy Lighthouse warns seafarers of the Stones, a treacherous reef off the western coast of Cornwall. For people from St Ives, it also tells them that they are nearly home. Childhood holidays near Godrevy inspired Virginia Woolf to write To the Lighthouse, although the plot is actually set in Scotland. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC106	Sether / Gannet Lagas glew fell a veder meth; A clear cruel eye takes aim at nourishment; bleyn byw mar freth a fols ayr gans nell: so swift a point splits the air vigorously: gwarak diwaskell dhe gostenn a seth. the bow of the two wings shoots at a target. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders The Cornish name of the gannet, sether, literally means ‘archer’. The bird’s silhouette strongly suggests a drawn bow with an arrow, ready to shoot. The gannet dives straight into the sea to catch the fish on which it feeds. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC107	Lannhydrek / Lanhydrock dre’n koes hys ha les through the length and breadth of the wood glas tanow’n lanwes blue and thin the flood stream reverthi a res a spring tide runs Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Lanhydrock stands in the wooded valley of the river Fowey. The house and families living here have known loss and tragedy. There was fighting during the War of the Five Peoples (1642–46), the house was burned down in Victorian times, and the family was devastated by the losses of the First World War. Nowadays, there is tranquillity, and people come here to relax and reflect. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called besontenn (‘little bezant’). It has fifteen syllables, one for each of the fifteen golden bezants on the black Cornish shield.

Code: CC108	Hwel Coates / Wheal Coates Gorwel ynn kow yn-dann benn-ros A confined hollow horizon under a foreland dre hirneth klos a gevenn hen brow: recollects ancient advantage through the long time enclosed: skorr du a vleujyow yn koeswik an nos. black branches flower in the forest of the night. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Wheal Coates was renowned for the quality of its tin and the scale and ingenuity of its engineering works. In Cornish, the veins of tin ore are known as skorr, or ‘branches’. Centuries of mining have left an entire subterranean world below the soil of Cornwall and a strong heritage of engineering skill and proud memory. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC109	Bud / Bude Ny vydh an keth an tir ha’y vin; The land and its margin are never the same; ayr sall a sin an morreb ha’n treth: salty air signals the seaward side and the strand: trumach a dhalleth ha trumach a fin. sea voyage begins and sea voyage ends. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Bude is Cornwall’s northernmost port, set in the narrow shire, or hundred, of Stratton, where Arthurian legends are remembered alongside the feats of Cornish sailors and inventors. Musicians and writers make their homes here, and festivals attract visitors from far away. This is a dangerous coast, and the people of Bude are still grateful to their ancestors who built the harbour. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC110	Penn an Wlas / Land’s End als ha klog ha karn cliff and crag and tor mar ven ha kadarn so strong and steadfast a deudh darn ha darn melt piece by piece Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Land’s End is formed by some of the most spectacular geology north of the Channel. This surreal landscape is rich in archaeological remains going back thousands of years, as well as the clear traces of Cornwall’s world-changing industrial revolution. This was the last area of Cornwall where Cornish was the daily language of the community. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called besontenn (‘little bezant’). It has fifteen syllables, one for each of the fifteen golden bezants on the black Cornish shield.

Code: CC111	Porth Ynys / Mousehole Flamm pols a sedh yn kegin glos; For a while a flame sinks in a comfortable warm kitchen; seyth sand pysk bros yn golow liw medh: seven piping-hot fish dishes in light the colour of mead: yn byrl an tiredh y tifun an nos. in the embrace of the land the night wakes. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders An ancient prophecy warned that invaders would land on Merlin’s Rock, just outside Mousehole harbour, and then burn the village. A Spanish invasion force fulfilled the prophecy in 1595. For centuries, the village depended on fishing, and the Atlantic storms could threaten the survival of the entire population. Local legends speak of a courageous fisherman called Tom Bawcock, who braved the winter gales to bring in a catch of seven kinds of fish, enabling the town to survive the winter. Tom Bawcock’s Eve is celebrated on 23 December. Four days before Tom Bawcock’s Eve in 1981, the lifeboat Solomon Browne was lost, with her crew of eight. Every year on the anniversary the people of Mousehole put out their lights in commemoration. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC112	Dinow Pollsygh / The Rumps, Polzeath poll kyns a veu sygh a pool that once was dry tiredh glas kowrgrygh green giant-crumpled land din kyns a veu trygh a stronghold that once knew triumph Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Many headlands in Cornwall hold the remains of fortifications, like the Rumps, built two thousand years or more ago. These were constructed in both Cornwall and Brittany, often on the horns – kern in Cornish – of the land. Some scholars believe that this is how Kernow or Cornwall eventually got its name. The name Pollsygh translates as ‘dry pool’. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called besontenn (‘little bezant’). It has fifteen syllables, one for each of the fifteen golden bezants on the black Cornish shield.

Code: CC113	Morvogh / Dolphins Prest ny’gan deur bugel na’y was; We never care about any herdsman or his servant; war an woen las ni a boen, a beur: on the green down we run, we graze: war-yew yn-lammveur a-dreus agan pras. we take great leaps onwards across our meadow. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders In Cornish poetry, ‘the green down’ was a name sometimes given to the sea. In Celtic mythology, sea creatures are often seen as the flocks and herds of the magical heroes who live on the green down. There is an ancient concept that every creature in one of the elements has creatures corresponding to it in the other elements. The generic term for dolphins and porpoises, morvogh, translates as ‘sea pigs’. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC114	Koyt Lynnyeyn / Lanyon Quoit Dhe vargh ha gour tro y ren hyns; To horse and man once I gave a path; yn dydhyow kyns y kosken yn bour: in former days I slept in an earth bank: ebrenn ow chambour heb howl ha heb gwyns. the sky of my chamber without sun or wind. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Over two thousand years ago, Lanyon Quoit was built as a stone chamber encased in earth. It may have been used for ceremonies as well as burials. The earth has been eroded over the course of the centuries, leaving the naked stone behind. Originally, a horseman could pass between the upright stones. The capstone fell off about two hundred years ago, and the Quoit was restored by local people. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC115	Porth an Gwynn / Porth Nanven Dowr gans mall gov a vorthol meyn; Water with the eagerness of a smith hammers stones; an hyli yeyn a vyli stoff skov: the cold salt water turns mineral-rich substance into pebbles: lanow niwl ankov war voen terrys breyn. a flood stream of oblivion’s fog on broken decayed ore. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders The Cornish name Porth Nanven means ‘The Cove of the Fair-haired Man’. Nobody today knows who this man was, or why this secluded place near St Just was named after him. In the course of aeons the level of the sea has risen and fallen, creating wave-worn stones like the eggs of mysterious creatures. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC116	Bosrudhynn / Bedruthan Steps Kleger dhe row kepar ha kyns; Crag becomes gravel just as formerly; tewes an myns a nos amal pow: sand is all that marks the edge of a country: garm an gwanegow a worthyp dhe’n gwyns. it is the shout of the breakers that answers the wind. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Nobody knows who first cut steps down this north-facing cliff, but erosion has destroyed them several times over. Legends speak of a giant called Bedruthan who strode across the bay here. The name Bosrudhynn may mean ‘The Dwelling of the Red-haired Man’. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC117	Logh Tamer / Lower Tamar Lake kosel an lyr blin quiet the soft flowing water anall an myttin the breath of the morning a liw ayr an fin colours the air of the frontier Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders The River Tamar forms most of Cornwall’s only frontier, as it has done for over a thousand years. According to legend, the maiden Tamara was turned into a river to escape from her two lovers, Torridge and Tavy. These two had themselves turned into rivers so that they could pursue her. Tavy caught up with Tamara as she reached the Sea of Brittany. Torridge flowed northwards, and still flows disconsolately into the Severn Sea. The Tamar is perhaps the most stable border in Europe, a gentle valley where fruits and flowers grow in abundance and quiet paths run beside the water. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called besontenn (‘little bezant’). It has fifteen syllables, one for each of the fifteen golden bezants on the black Cornish shield.

Code: CC118	Kastell Boterel / Boscastle Loes o an livow, fers ha tynn; Grey were the floods, ferocious and intense; hunlev a dhassen hwath dre’n nans ynn: a nightmare still echos through the narrow valley: yth omles koseledh dre’n golow gwynn. quietness spreads through the bright blessed light. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Boscastle lies at the end of a long wooded valley on Cornwall’s northern coast. Fishing is still an important occupation, although the sea is not so dominant in people’s lives as formerly. There are strong local traditions of magic and music. The narrow valley has suffered dangerous floods from time to time, most recently in 2004. The innate strength of the community, with support from well-wishers, has helped it to pull through. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn (‘three-liner’), one of the most popular forms of eglyn in Cornish.

Code: CC119	An Logh ha Porthbyghan / East Looe and West Looe Avon heb ken dre dhiwdre drogh; Only a river through a split twin town; diek a glogh androwweyth a sen: so lazy a bell rings in the late afternoon: ottomma bargen Porthbyghan ha’n Logh. This is the bargain between West Looe and East Looe. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders East Looe and its sister-borough West Looe flank the lower reaches of a drowned valley in southern Cornwall. They have boasted thriving commerce and fisheries, fine public buildings and an Italianate bell tower, and at one time had their own artillery regiment. These twin towns were famous for sending four MPs to Westminster, and then ignoring the laws passed there. A delightful scenic railway runs down the eastern bank of the Looe River. Visitors praise Looe for its opportunities to eat out well and inexpensively. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC120	Meyn-eglos, Lysardh / The Manacles, Lizard Mann war benn-glin y hwystrav ger It is not on bended knee that I shall whisper a word dhe govow ker koskadoryon vlin: to the dear memories of tender sleepers: mar las ow glesin, mar sad ow meyn der. so green my lawn, so solid my eager stones. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders ‘Manacles’ is the anglicised form of the Cornish for ‘stones of the church’. Over the centuries, countless seafarers and and travellers have drowned here, within sight of St Keverne church. Some of the people lost are buried in St Keverne churchyard, but for many these lethal rocks are the only memorial. For much of the twentieth century a lifeboat was stationed at nearby Coverack, with numerous rescues to the credit of its crew. Today, the wrecks are an attraction for divers. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC121	Jynnji Tywennrudh, Hwel Coates, Breanek / Towanroath Engine House, Wheal Coates, St Agnes Kober ha sten a gosk yn-skov; Copper and tin sleep in abundance; ayr sall a drov kykesow a-gren: salty air finds quivering Cornish heath: bal down a dhassen dre gyrow an kov. a deep mine echoes through the strata of the memory. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders ‘Wheal’ is the anglicised form of hwel, the Cornish word for a mine-working. The map of Cornwall is quite splattered with it. Wheal Coates, like many of Cornwall’s mines, prospered for short periods. On the northern coast at St Agnes, it has left several fascinating structures on the surface. Parts of the mine lay beneath the sea bed, relying on the great engine at Towanroath to pump it dry. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC122	Porth Lannvorek / Mevagissey Harbour A’n tonnow bras dhe spaven klor, From the great waves to a temperate calm, a woenow’n mor dhe vyrl an tir glas, from the downs of the sea to the embrace of the green land, a’n gorwel ahas a-gammow ow hor. from the blustery horizon I tack. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Mevagissey lies at the end of a steep walk down towards the sea, a town of narrow and winding streets. It was formed from the merging of several smaller settlements, and its twin patrons are two local saints called Meva and Issey, ‘Meva hag Isi’ in Cornish. The people have always sought a livelihood from the sea, nowadays often through tourism and leisure. Their ingenuity has often made them pioneers: Mevagissey was one of the first towns in Cornwall to have its own power station, powered by pilchard oil. The town’s rowers are keen competitors in the popular Cornish sport of pilot gig racing. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC123	Skathow liwek / Colourful boats Dasson a’n koes a dav an lyr; An echo from the woods touches the flowing water; hwystrow gwydh yr a las dowrow loes: a whisper of fresh trees turns grey waters blue: prenn a vlas kannvoes dre gelli voll gwyr. timber tastes silvery food through a translucent green glade. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders In Cornwall, you are never more than a stroll from salt water. The seaways took Cornish tin and copper to distant lands, and many Cornish people have followed the same routes. Fishing is still an important way of life, and many make a living through sport and leisure in the setting of the estuaries and coastal waters. Each boat has its own personality, shaped by the experience of its crew. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC124	Penneglos Truru,Truru / Truro Cathedral,Truro An muryow men a gan an gwers, The sturdy walls sing the verse, notennow fers yn korrwyrys a sen: fierce notes that resound in microscopic crystal: dewdour a vwrdhen a dhassonow pers. twin towers that chorus with light-blue echoes. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Truro Cathedral’s twin Western Towers echo the outline of Quimper Cathedral in the Breton region of Kerne or Cornouaille, named after Cornwall. Cornwall’s capital grew with the mining industry and contains many handsome buildings along its Georgian streetscapes. The late-Victorian Cathedral asserted both Cornwall’s distinct identity and Truro’s place within it. Cathedral Square is a space where people can meet casually, gather for a festival, or just pause during a busy day. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: CC125	Porth an Chapel / Chapel Porth dre’n koes hys ha les through the length and breadth of the wood glas tanow’n lanwes blue and thin the flood stream reverthi a res a spring tide runs Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Chapel Porth is a deep mining valley in St Agnes on the northern coast. Its caves are stained red with the ore. According to legend, the district was plagued by a giant called Bolster, who became infatuated with Agnes herself. She tricked him into filling a little hollow with blood to prove his love. The blood ran down into the caves and Bolster died. The episode is commemorated at the beginning of May. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called besontenn (‘little bezant’). It has fifteen syllables, one for each of the fifteen golden bezants on the black Cornish shield.

Code: CC127	Porth Ysek / Port Isaac glanheudhder ha gloes the pure merriment and the hurt an vlydhen gespoes of the balanced year yn-dann gommol poes underneath heavy cloud Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders The name of the village, Porth Ysek, means ‘corn harbour’. Once an outlet for agricultural produce, Port Isaac today is a fishing village with a rich history and culture. The Fisherman’s Friends, an ensemble of local men who regularly sing down by the water’s edge, now have a worldwide audience. Port Isaac has often been used as a location for film and TV productions, such as Doc Martin. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called besontenn (‘little bezant’). It has fifteen syllables, one for each of the fifteen golden bezants on the black Cornish shield.

Code: XCC301	Penneglos Truru,Truru / Truro Cathedral, Truro An muryow men a gan an gwers, The sturdy walls sing the verse, notennow fers yn korrwyrys a sen: fierce notes that resound in microscopic crystal: dewdour a vwrdhen a dhassonow pers. twin towers that chorus with light-blue echoes. Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Truro Cathedral’s twin Western Towers echo the outline of Quimper Cathedral in the Breton region of Kerne or Cornouaille, named after Cornwall. Cornwall’s capital grew with the mining industry and contains many handsome buildings along its Georgian streetscapes. The late-Victorian Cathedral asserted both Cornwall’s distinct identity and Truro’s place within it. Cathedral Square is a space where people can meet casually, gather for a festival, or just pause during a busy day. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called teyrlinenn vaghek (‘hooked three-liner’), with an intricate pattern of internal cross-rhymes.

Code: XCC302	Porth an Chapel / Chapel Porth unn vordonn heb ken only one sea-wave a lanow’n vlydhen from the tide of the year ow frappya a sen resounds as it breaks Bardh Gwerin / Tim Saunders Christmas in Cornwall is rarely freezing, but the Atlantic weather brings people together for warmth, celebration, and enjoyment. The sea is never far, and so fish have featured in Christmas meals. The ancient Sans Day Carol tells us that ‘Yma Greun War an Gelynnenn’ – ‘Now the Holly Bears a Berry’ – and greenery traditionally adorned houses at Christmas. The eglyn (pronounced ‘eh-glinn’) is an ancient Celtic verse-form. Like the epigram and the haiku, it is terse and disciplined, ideal for crystallising experience and focussing reflection. This poem is in the measure called besontenn (‘little bezant’). It has fifteen syllables, one for each of the fifteen golden bezants on the black Cornish shield.

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