Elen Gwdman facts for kids

Elen Gwdman was a Welsh poet and writer who lived in the early 1600s. We don't know much about her life. It's thought she might have been part of the Woods family from the Tal-y-llyn area in Anglesey, Wales. Elen Gwdman is special because very few women poets from her time are known. She is a rare example of a female writer from the early modern period.

Elen Gwdman: A Poet from the Past

Elen Gwdman lived a long time ago, in the 17th century. This was a time when it was unusual for women to be well-known writers. Her work gives us a peek into what life and feelings were like back then. Even though we don't know many details about her, her poetry tells us she was a talented person.

Her Only Known Poem

Only one of Elen Gwdman's poems still exists today. It is called 'Cwynfan merch ifanc am ei chariad'. This means 'A young girl's complaint about her sweetheart'. The poem is written in the Welsh language. It tells a story about a girl who loves someone who doesn't love her back. This is called unrequited love.

What the Poem Tells Us

The poem is very well-written. It shows that Elen Gwdman was skilled at writing poetry. The poem is also quite unique for its time. It's a love song about a young man named Edward Wynn. The poem suggests that Edward Wynn was from a higher social class than the girl in the poem. Because of this, her love for him was not successful.

In the poem, the girl says that she and Edward often talked when he passed by. She believed he felt the same way about her. But then, she complains about her bad luck. Edward Wynn had to marry another girl who was a better match for him. The girl in the poem promises she will never love anyone else. She even says she will travel to Rome to become a nun.

The Story Behind the Poem

The poem was probably written around the year 1616. This was the year Edward Wynn of Bodewryd got married. He married Margaret, who was the daughter of Edward Puleston. Edward Wynn was an important person. He served as the Sheriff of Anglesey in 1627-1628 and again in 1634-1635. A sheriff was like a main law officer in a county. Edward Wynn passed away in 1637 or 1638. He had two sons, John Wynn and Edward Wynn.