Dafydd Nicolas, or David Nicholas (c.1705 – 8 February 1774) was a Welsh poet.
Life
He was born in
Llangynwyd
Llangynwyd is a village (and electoral ward) 2 miles to the south of Maesteg, in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales. It was part of the medieval commote (Welsh: ''cwmwd'') of Tir Iarll.
History and amenities
The village is the site of Llangy ...
, near Maesteg, Wales; the folklorist identified him as the Dafydd Nicolas baptised on 1 July 1705, son of Robert Nicolas and Anne Rees, and who later kept a school in the parish. Nicolas lived later in Ystradyfodwg.Nicolas, Dafydd (1705? – 1774), poet ''Dictionary of Welsh Biography''. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
Around the middle of the 18th century, his abilities were noticed by the Williams family of Aberpergwm House, in Glynneath, Glamorgan, and the house was his home for the rest of his life. It was supposed in the 19th century that he was engaged as a family bard (), the last in Wales; but the antiquary William Davies of Cringell (1756–1823) stated in the 1790s that Nicolas was engaged as a private tutor to the family.
According to
Iolo Morganwg
Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10 March 1747 – 18 December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encycloped ...
, Nicolas knew Latin, Greek and French, and was the most talented of all the Welsh poets he had known. In the Neath valley it was said that he had translated Homer's
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Ody ...
into Welsh.
He is known for his poems in free metre. In ''Ancient National Airs of Gwent and Morganwg'' (1844) collected by
Maria Jane Williams
Maria Jane Williams (c.1795 – 10 November 1873) was a 19th-century Welsh musician and folklorist born at Aberpergwm House, Glynneath in Glamorgan, South Wales. She rescued many Welsh songs from obscurity, including '' Y Deryn Pur (The Gent ...
, two lyrics are attributed to him: "Callyn serchus" and "Ffanni blodau'r ffair". He is thought to have also written "Y deryn pur".
Nicolas died at Aberpergwm on 8 February 1774, and was buried there.