Renewal and Continuation in September: Analysis of John Ormond's Poem

1. Welsh writing in English Choose a task In September – John Ormond – Choose a task based on the poem. Activity A Activity B Activity C Activity D Activity E Activity F Activity G

2. Activity A Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Menu Before reading this poem, look at this prose version of the poem and decide where the stanza and line breaks might be. Again the golden month, still favourite, is renewed; once more I’d wind it in a ring about your finger, pledge myself again, my love, my shelter, my good roof over me, my strong wall against winter. Be bread upon my table still and red wine in my glass; be fire upon my hearth. Continue, my true storm door, continue to be sweet lock to my key; be wife to me, remain the soft silk on my bed. Be morning to my pillow, multiply my joy. Be my rare coin for counting, my luck, my granary, my promising fair sky, my star, the meaning of my journey. Be, this year too, my twelve months long desire. Share the different versions and consider how ideas are grouped and separated into stanzas. What different effects are created by the different choices of line breaks?

3. Activity B Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Menu Considering the title of the poem, how are the seasons used in the first stanza? Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. What might the month of September symbolise for the poet? What does the word ‘golden’ convey? Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire.

4. Activity C Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Menu Identify the words and phrases throughout this poem that convey the idea of continuation and renewal. Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. What is significant about this idea for the poet? Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire.

5. Activity D Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Menu Identify the adjectives used in this poem. Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. Consider the words shaded in yellow and blue. Click to show shading. Click on the blue shading to show some possible alternatives. sturdy Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. What do you notice about the kinds of adjectives used in each stanza? Try substituting different adjectives which have similar meanings. Why do you think the poet chose these words? Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire. valuable beautiful

6. Activity E Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Menu Identify the imperatives used in this poem and discuss their effect. Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. Imperative sentences are not used in the first stanza. What is different about the meaning of this stanza? Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. Imperatives are considered to be commands. What does the poet ask of his wife, suggested by the imperatives here? Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire.

7. Activity F Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Menu List the different images in the poem and group them under the stanza in which they appear. Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. What do you notice about the number of images in each stanza? What effect does this have? Read the poem aloud to consider these effects. Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire.

8. Activity G Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Menu How are the images linked and contrasted in this poem? Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. Group any associated images together to find links between them and decide on a heading for each group. Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. Choose one of the images in the last stanza. Explore the ideas the poet might have wanted to convey by these images. Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire.