Elen Gwdman facts for kids

Elen Gwdman was a Welsh poet and writer who lived in the early 1600s. Not much is known about her life, but it's believed she might have been part of the Woods family from the Tal-y-llyn area in Anglesey, Wales. Elen Gwdman is special because there were very few female poets during her time, which was called the early modern period.

Elen Gwdman's Poetry

Only one of Elen Gwdman's poems still exists today. It's called 'Cwynfan merch ifanc am ei chariad', which means 'A young girl's complaint about her sweetheart' in English. This poem is about a girl who loves someone who doesn't love her back. Even though it's the only poem we have from her, it's written so well that it shows Elen Gwdman was a very skilled poet.

The poem is also unusual because it's a very strong love song written for a young man named Edward Wynn from Bodewryd. In the poem, Elen Gwdman feels that Edward Wynn is too important for someone of her simpler background, and her love story doesn't work out. She writes that they often talked when he passed by, and she thought he felt the same way about her.

She shares her sadness because the young man she loved had to marry another girl who was considered a more suitable match for him. Elen Gwdman promises in the poem that she will never love anyone else. She even says she will travel to Rome to become a nun.

When the Poem Was Written

The poem was likely written around the year 1616. This was the same year that Edward Wynn of Bodewryd married Margaret, who was the daughter of Edward Puleston. Edward Wynn later became the Sheriff of Anglesey in 1627–1628, and again in 1634–1635. He passed away on January 9, 1638, leaving behind two sons, John Wynn and Edward Wynn.