Welsh, English and Arabic poetry collection named Book of the Month

The trilingual poetry collection ‘Let the World’s People sing’, a testament to understanding others across language barriers in our uncertain political climate, has been chosen as the Book of the Month of August by the Books Council of Wales.

This unique anthology includes poems originally written by Menna Elfyn in Welsh/Cymraeg and translated into English, and then for the first time, translated into Arabic by two esteemed writers; Rawan Sukkar and Lara Matta.

The selected poems were chosen from previous collections published by Bloodaxe Books: Perffaith Nam/Perfect Blemish (2007); Murmur (PBS Recommended Translation, 2012) and Bondo (2017).

The new volume also features poems drawn from Menna’s previous anthologies, including poems about Catrin Glyndwr, the daughter of the Welsh great hero Owain Glyndwr. The poems were translated to English by: Gillian Clarke, Elin ap Hywel, Damian Walford Davies and Paul Henry.

‘Clarion call’

Menna Elfyn said: “‘Let the World’s People Sing’ is indeed a clarion call for people of all languages to respect their neighbour’s ‘mother tongue’ with a whimsical dream of people learning one another’s language in order to reach harmony between nations. This anthology is a cry of hope in understanding ourselves even in the midst of uncertainty.

“Cymraeg is the descendant of the Celtic language spoken in Britain, before the Angles, Saxons and Jutes started to invade the country, from the fifth century. It is one of the oldest languages in Europe, and it is now an official language in Wales alongside English. Arabic is one of the most powerful languages in the world. It is spoken by around 422 million people and its richness in literature is second to none. It is the tongue of the Holy Qur’an.”

Ali Anwar, CEO of the H’mm Foundation, said: “How beautifully refreshing to see Welsh poetry celebrated in Arabic, the language of ‘Alif Laila Wa Laila’ – The Arabian Nights. This volume interweaves two very different languages from West to East accompanied by English as its iron bridge. A celebration indeed of poetry as a guiding light of our shared humanity. ”

Poet

Menna Elfyn is an award winning bilingual poet and playwright whose fifteen collections in Welsh and English has achieved worldwide acclaim. Some of her collections include: Perffaith Nam/Perfect Blemish (2007) Murmur (2012 PBS Recommended Translation), Bondo (2017) by Bloodaxe Books and her most recent Welsh language Tosturi (2022) Barddas was shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year 2023.

She is President of Wales PEN Cymru and Professor Emerita of Poetry at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, She was made Welsh Children’s Poet Laureate in 2002. Winner of many awards: Aderyn Bach mewn Llaw, was Welsh Book of the Year in 1990.

She received the Anima Intranza, International Foreign Poetry Prize in 2009, for her contribution to European poetry. She received a Cholmondeley award from the Society of Authors Great Britain in 2022. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and the first poet writing in the Welsh language to receive such a recognition.

She is the best known and the most travelled of all Welsh poets and her work has been translated into over 20 languages including; Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian, Catalan and Hindi. She performs her work mostly in English and Welsh and has adopted a unique style by interweaving the musicality of Welsh and English translations, and in so doing reflecting the cultural diversity of Wales to the world and beyond.

Caned Pobl Y Byd – فَلندَعْ شُعوب ألعالم تُغَني – Let the World’s People Sing is written by Menna Elfyn, and published by the H’MM Foundation. It is available from all good bookshops.