The Birthright -- Eiluned Lewis

Guest poem sent in by Dave Fortin :

(Poem #1297) The Birthright We who were born In country places, Far from cities And shifting faces, We have a birthright No man can sell, And a secret joy No man can tell. For we are kindred To lordly things, The wild duck's flight And the white owl's wings; To pike and salmon, To bull and horse, The curlew's cry And the smell of gorse. Pride of trees, Swiftness of streams, Magic of frost Have shaped our dreams: No baser vision Their spirit fills Who walk by right On the naked hills. -- Eiluned Lewis

I grew up in rural Missouri and this evokes happy memories, especially
now that I am stuck in a sprawling subruban environment. I like the
usage of the short lines and traditional Welsh imagery to bring forth
the beauty and joys of rural life.

As for the poetess, Eiluned Lewis (1900-1979) was born at Newtown,
Montgomeryshire. She became a journalist and was assistant editor of The
Sunday Times, 1931-36. Her novel _Dew on the Grass_ (1934) won the Gold
Medal of the Book Guild.

Dave Fortin