Sir Thomas Herbert Parry-Williams (21 September 1887 – 3 March 1975) was a Welsh poet, author and academic. Parry-Williams was born at Tŷ'r Ysgol ('the Schoolhouse') in Rhyd Ddu, Caernarfonshire,

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. He was educated at the University College of Wales,

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Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

, the

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and the Sorbonne in Paris. He was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. As a poet, he was the first to win the double of

Chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

(for an , or long poem in strict metre) and

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

(for a

free verse Free verse is an open form of poetry which does not use a prescribed or regular meter or rhyme and tends to follow the rhythm of natural or irregular speech. Free verse encompasses a large range of poetic form, and the distinction between free ...

poem) at the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...

, a feat which he first achieved at

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in 1912 and repeated at Bangor in 1915. He was Professor of Welsh at the

University of Wales, Aberystwyth Aberystwyth University () is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across three academic facul ...

, from 1920 until 1952. He co-founded the university's Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. In 1931, while Parry-Williams was Professor of Welsh at the

, he published his own scholarly edition of the complete extant poems of

Elizabethan era The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female ...

Welsh poet and Catholic martyr St. Richard Gwyn, along with original source material about his life in

Middle Welsh Middle Welsh (, ) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh (). Literature and history Middle Welsh is ...

Elizabethan English Early Modern English (sometimes abbreviated EModEFor example, or EMnE) or Early New English (ENE) is the stage of the English language from the beginning of the Tudor period to the English Interregnum (England), Interregnum and Stuart Restor ...

, and

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. He was awarded D.Litt. degrees by the Universities of Wales (1934) and Oxford (1937). He was knighted in 1958. He was also given an honorary doctorate by the University of Wales in 1960 and made an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, in 1968.

Published works

*''The English element in Welsh'' (1923) *''Ysgrifau'' (1928) *''Cerddi'' (1931) *''Carolau Richard White'' (1931) *''Canu Rhydd Cynnar'' (1932) *''Olion'' (1935) *''Synfyfyrion'' (1937) *''Hen benillion'' (1940) *''Lloffion'' (1942) *''O'r pedwar gwynt'' (1944) *''Ugain o gerddi'' (1949) *''Myfyrdodau'' (1957) *''Pensynnu'' (1966) *''Detholiad o gerddi'' (1972)

Bibliography

*Meic Stephens (ed.) ''Cydymaith i Lenyddiaeth Cymru'' Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru (1986) ** 2nd edition, Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru (1997)

References

External links

English verse-translation of Parry-Williams's poem "Tŷ'r Ysgol"
* some English verse translations in the ''Penguin Book of Welsh Verse'' (1967) {{DEFAULTSORT:Parry-Williams, T. H. 1887 births 1975 deaths Chaired bards Crowned bards Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford University of Paris alumni Alumni of Aberystwyth University Academics of Aberystwyth University People from Caernarfonshire Knights Bachelor People educated at Ysgol Eifionydd, Porthmadog 20th-century Welsh poets Welsh-speaking academics Welsh conscientious objectors