The first edition of the Avaaz series is dedicated to Cymraeg (Welsh), in which I have translated three poems by three contemporary Welsh writers – Menna Elfyn, Iestyn Tyne, and Gareth Evans-Jones – into Urdu and Punjabi. (The poems of Menna and Gareth have been translated into Urdu, while Iestyn’s poem into Punjabi.)

Welsh, or Cymraeg, belongs to the Celtic family of languages. Welsh is spoken in Wales (Cymru) in western Britain, as well as in Patagonia, Argentina. Before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxon peoples from Germany in the sixth century CE, Welsh (then known as Brittonic) was the language of the entire British Isles, but due to repeated Saxon invasions it was gradually confined to a corner. The renowned philologist J R R Tolkien – author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings – was particularly fond of Welsh, who said that this language is “the first language of this [British] soil, this island, and its people.”

Welsh literature began with poets who wrote epic and tragic verse. Later biographers and poets remembered them by the names of Aneirin, Taliesin, and Myrddin (Merlin). Their poetry was often written about battles between the local British rulers and the Saxon warriors who came from Germany. From the very beginning, poetry has held a special place in Welsh literature, and it is no surprise that the English word bard is in fact derived from the Welsh word bardd. In the Middle Ages, the greatest poet associated with the royal court was awarded a chair as a prize, and this tradition continues today. At the annual Welsh-language literary and cultural festival, the Eisteddfod, the awarding of a chair to the poet who wins the strict-meter verse competition, remains the most celebrated tradition.