Owain Glyndwr
By John H Thomas Jr

The bards still sing of Owain Glyndwr
True Prince of Wales, that’s for sure
He kept the English running round
Trying to keep his Welshmen down
The land was wasted hill to shore
For fifteen bitter years or more

Now Rome had left the Britons free
Way back in the fifth century
Then the Saxons tried and failed
The wily Welshmen still prevailed
Next came William from o’er the sea
To unify the whole country
Marcher lords ruled ‘tween the lands
Of proud wild Wales and England’s hand

But Henry III, bless his soul
Put brave Llewelyn in the role
The first acknowledged Prince to stand
For all of Wales, Red Dragon grand
The English used those proud Welsh bows
To thwart their valiant Frenchy foes
And brave Calwaladar died beneath
The ancient flag which Rome bequeathed

But back in the land where the green leek grows
Down in the valley where the Sevren flows
Imperial Edward had taken the throne
And conquered westward sword and stone
Girded Wales with castles round
Trying to keep those Welshmen down

He rendered Wales to rag and bone
The fertile seeds of hate were sown
In fourteen hundred Owain yelled enough
For English laws had grown too tough
With Mortimer and Hotspur Percy
Owain showed the Foe no mercy
Wales and Welsh soon showed their stuff
And being English soon got rough

Land and weather was on Owain’s side
There weren’t many places the English could hide
Some say Owain had the Druid’s mind
He rendered his enemies deaf and blind
He raised forever his country’s pride
Which still lives on years after he died

But things turned round when Henry IV
Like a violent storm rumbled out of the north
And took the Welshmen by surprise
Victory vanished from their eyes
When Owain was called, no one came forth
No track, no trace from south or north

The bards still sing of Owain Glyndwr
True Prince of Wales and that’s for sure
He kept the English running round
Trying to keep his Welshmen down
Old England’s blind to what’s in store
He’ll rock that island hill to shore

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