Now that I find myself back in England (eventually) after wanting to come back here since 1968, I have started delving into my personal history. I've already ordered archive birth certificates of my Grandads (on my mother and father's side) ... in a bid to trace origins. David of the White Rock is a national anthem of Wales and a song that I've always loved (Yes, David, you are named in honour of that song). For some reason, I've always felt a connection with Wales (hell, even my Chinese astrological sign is a Dragon and my favourite flowers are Daffodils). Whilst I was listening to the Welsh language version on YouTube (Dafydd y Garreg Wen), I clicked another link and came across this :
Music is such a powerful sensory thing ... listening to this old Welsh lullaby (and it's Ar Hyd Y Nos - All through the Night) ... sends me hurtling back to a time in my childhood when I was at my Grandad's house in Preston (was it Ribble Road?). He would sometimes sing this song, though I don't think he sang it in Welsh - he was from Lancashire, although his ashes have been scattered in the Malvern Hills. I remember listening to my Aunt Jean singing this song (as well as my mother) and it was one of the first songs I learnt to play on the piano. It is a song that resonates deeply within my emotional subconscious and both this song and David of the White Rock make me cry! (but in a good way). Welsh is a mystical, magical language, it is so historically rich and I would like to learn it.
No comments:
Post a Comment