Cities in the Sea by Sian Lewis pub Pont 1996

Cantre'r Gwaelod by Sian Lewis pub Gomer 1996

 

This much loved Celtic legend is beautifully retold by Sian Lewis. The story tells of the mythical land of the Lowland Hundred, a rich and wonderful place, full of life, wealth and dance and wonder, where the air blows warm and the orchards are heavy with fruit. But while the people dance and celebrate there is a young poet who caries a sense of unease. Where the king sees fields full of dancing corn he sees golden sands of a beach. Where the king sees people in fine clothes laughing, the boy-poet sees only fish.

As he travels deeper into the land he meets Mererid who takes him to see the strong, high walls that keep the sea at bay. But his sense of unease only grows.

 

This ancient tale,drawn from the Black Book of Carmarthen, a song of an unknown bard, carries with it echoes through time which bear great relevance with the way we live today. Time and again the poet tries to warn the people, but in vain, as the water sweeps in, washing all away. Now, on some days, if you stand on the cliffs of Cardigan Bay, you can hear the sad, slow toll of the bell in the old bell tower beneath the waves.

 

 

Cantre'r Gwaelod was chosen to represent Wales in the European Picture Book Collection. The collection can be seen on the website. Designed to celebrate the many languages of Europe, this is a fantastic collection and a wonderful resource for schools, with translations of all the books and ideas for lessons worked around the images and texts.

To see the books for the collection click here

To see the page for Cantre'r Gwaelod click here

 

 

 

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