Category Archives: Bardic Poetry
Road Ballad of a Vagabond King
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Road Ballad of a Vagabond King
Sleeping King, David Wood FFI: http://davidwoodart.com/
Arthur stretched out
his scratched and golden limbs,
matted head of wheat
pillowed upon the Polden Hills,
the Levels below
a damp cloak steaming.
Leaking boots drain into the Sedgemoor.
Fallen rain runs down the rhynes
of his ribs.
Cattle habitually give him
a lockdown haircut.
A king on the road,
footsore and boneweary,
long has he journeyed
the obscure ways of myths,
the hollow lanes of legend,
wearing the oak-leaf crown of his belief –
a fool on the wend,
stepping out of the way
of drivers rushing nowhere.
He has slept in the bleak leeward
of niches facing down
the grey gauntleted
fist of Tintagel,
the fastness of the forest perilous,
the moon-furnished margins of the Tamar.
St Bridget’s Well is off limits,
only bus stops and church porches
offer shelter to the vagabond king.
Lonely as a bedraggled buzzard
sitting on a stump in drizzle,
eyes in the back of his head,
a shiver of feathers
his rain dance.
He lugs his broken
kingdom on his back,
hoping somewhere he will
be able to unroll it and
raise it again.
Grey and hard are the roads,
his blister-scalloped feet prefer the verge,
the scratch choir of birdsong from
the eavesdropping hedgerows
to the rumble and hiss of passing machines.
He avoids the drilling gaze of curious drivers,
except to acknowledge when one acknowledges him
for stepping in – hedge backwards amid the nettles.
Sometimes, he sings as he goes
or walks for hours in brooding
silence. On greener byways,
sun-buntinged, river-garlanded,
a friendly stranger
receives a smile, a blessing, or
cheerful greeting. For we
are all on our way –
moving inexorably in one direction,
the universal terminus.
What we do with each step,
each moment, is the constant
fork in the path we should
ponder and savour, delaying
the need to be anywhere
else but here.
Inspired by walking the King Arthur Way
Copyright (c) Kevan Manwaring 2020
Bardfest 2020
Saturday, 22nd August, 2020, from noon til late
BARDFEST 2020
Poetry*Storytelling*Music*Talks
A day of vibrant voices celebrating the living Bardic Tradition in the British Isles and beyond. Join us to be entertained and stimulated by our inspiring line-up of poets, storytellers, musicians, and speakers. After each slot there will be a chance to discuss, make comments, and ask questions.
CONFIRMED CONTRIBUTORS
Nicola Chester – Berkshire-based nature-writer, Guardian Columnist, Author, Wild Writing Workshops.Blog: https://nicolachester.wordpress.com/ Twitter @nicolawriting @JogLibrary
Kirsty Hartsiotis – storyteller and art-historian.https://www.kirstyhartsiotis.co.uk/
Daru McAleece – druid, bard Website – https://tracscotland.org/storytellers/daru-mcaleece/ Website for anthology – https://www.hauntpublishing.com/books/haunted-voices
Paul Flinn – runner, poet
Rob Farmer – singer-songwriter https://robertfarmer.bandcamp.com/
Charlotte Hussey – Canadian poet (Glossing the Spoils; Soul of the Earth from Awen)
Helen Moore – ecopoet, writer, socially engaged artist & outdoor educator https://www.helenmoorepoet.com/
Peter Alfred Please – storyteller and writer http://www.peteralfredplease.co.uk/
Kirsten Bolwig – writer & storyteller Linked In profile
Brendan Georgeson – pop poet
Richard & Misha Carder – Gorsedd of Caer Badon (Bath), co-ordinators of the long-running ‘Poetry and a Pint’ night in Bath.
Henk Vis – druid, Avebury gorsedd
Gordon Rimes – musical bard of Avebury gorsedd
Scott Freer – banjo-maestro
Simon Andrews – singer-songwriter
Svanur Gisli Thorkelsson – Icelandic writer and tour-guide
Marko Gallaidhe – Irish musician and writer
Kevan Manwaring – author, lecturer, and storyteller
& more
Online via Zoom (100 maximum – booked early to guarantee a space).
Donations invited to the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and the Trussell Trust.
Please make a donation, then contact Kevan for Zoom details.
https://www.wiltshirewildlife.org/
https://www.trusselltrust.org/
Contact Kevan: kevanmanwaring@yahoo.co.uk
The Bardic Path
Follow the Way of Awen
The skills and wisdom of the Bard are as relevant today as they have ever been, in fact, in a world of communication breakdown and collective amnesia – where we fail to honour our geo-cultural heritage, and forget again and again the lessons of the past – possibly more so. The Bard was far more than ‘just’ a teller of tales or singer of songs: he or she was the remembrancer and chronicler for the tribe – of ancient lore, bloodlines, land rites, battles, geasa, great events, important details… In short, their living memory. And furthermore, a celebrant, in an official or unofficial capacity – whose tales and tunes would mark the cycles of life within the circle of the community: the wooings, the weddings, the nativities, comings-of-age, and other thresholds of change. With their words they could bless or blight. Warriors would vie for the honour of being immortalised through their elegies, kings and chiefs would take care to avoid their satire, lords and enemies feared their curses. The system of patronage may no longer be viable, but that also means the Bard is no longer at the behest of a liege. In a world where most forms of communication are monitored, perhaps only the Bard is truly free to speak his or her mind without having to kowtow to so-called ‘political correctness’, corporate values or media fads. In the age of spin, we need more than ever a re-enchantment of language, where people actually mean what they say, free of Post-Modern irony, and a man is as good as his word. It is not a return to spurious ‘old values’ but a re-imagining and renewing of what those values are, by learning from the lessons of the past and acknowledging the perspective which history affords. The wisdom of the past is ever-present, if we but listen. It is an insult to our collective ancestors to do otherwise, for it is their countless sacrifices which have enabled us to have come thus far: to be in this relatively privileged, but precarious, position on the cusp of a new millennia.
In an age of Climate Change and global turmoil, the importance of community, of common people helping one another, having a voice, being heard, validating personal ‘narratives’ outside the hegemony of a grander one, drawing upon their own resources and talents, wealth of experience and motherwit, could never be more imperative. The Bard’s ability to express the inexpressible, to celebrate the lives of all that live and have lived, and preserve for posterity the little epiphanies, personal triumphs and tragedies, heroics and hard-won wisdom from extinction, or from being drowned out in the white noise of endless trivia, enables excellence of expression and freedom of information at a grassroots level beyond webs and nets, dishes and boxes. It offers a folk democracy of the tongue and the limitless possibilities of the imagination.The Bard helps us to celebrate being human and enables us to appreciate other cultures, other perspectives, at the same time as being more fully in our own. It praises the universal through the particular: the local and microcosmic, the parts that make up the whole, which make something bigger than their sum – the biodiversity of humanity.
So, I have devised a 3 year training programme in the belief that everyone can benefit from Bardic skills: either as a listener or performer, whether you only wish to improve your public speaking, entertain your family and friends, or aspire to be a fully-fledged professional Bard, with ‘harp on back’, fire in the head and hundreds of stories at your fingertips. I can claim with complete conviction that you will benefit, however far down the path of the Bard you wish to go, because I certainly have. It has transformed my life: improving not just my communication skills (I never had the ‘gift of the gab’, although I always had a good imagination), but social ones as well (at school I was the introvert wallflower and now, it seems, I can keep most audiences entertained, although everyone has bad days). Becoming a Bard has given me, and is still giving me, so much: it has given me a community and a role to play in it and, perhaps most importantly of all, it has given me a way to live – a true and reliable guide for life.
To summarise: the overall aim of the Silver Branch Bardic Training programme is to empower people to find and use their true voice for the good of all. Its objectives are to:
- offer initiation for the budding Bard
- provide a practical 36 month training programme
- teach the art of storytelling
- teach techniques of poetic inspiration, composition and performance
- develop the power of the memory
- widen understanding of Awen
- develop awareness of the Bardic Tradition
- explore what it means to be a Bard in the 21st Century
- provide resources, such as a reading list, contacts, etc.
- connect with the wider community
- encourage respect for diverse global traditions and cultures
- foster ‘mythic literacy’ and an understanding of mythic levels in modern life
- act as a catalyst for new Bardic circles and the re-establishing of Bardic Chairs
- facilitate deep study on a myth, legend, fairy tale, or song cycle of one’s choice with critical support & appraisal.
- provide critical and creative support for a final project – performance, publication, public event.
An edited extract of the introduction to The Bardic Handbook: the complete manual for the 21st Century bard (Gothic Image, 2006).
The Bardic Study series
Silver Branch Bardic Training
A 3 Year Bardic Development Programme
with Dr Kevan Manwaring, (aka the ‘Bardic Academic’), lecturer, author of The Bardic Handbook, and founder of the Silver Branch Bardic Network.
Awaken the Bard within on this intensive 3 year training programme. Each module can be taken individually, at one’s own speed, and is customised to your unique Bardic path. Silver Branch Bardic Training is not a one-size-fits-all course that is set in stone, but is ‘bespoke’: tailor-made to your individual needs and interests. It is delivered by one-to-one mentoring with an experienced, published Bard.
Learn directly from an acknowledged expert in the field: ‘Kevan is a senior Bard in the UK and world landscape and author of the famous Bardic Handbook.‘ (Dr Thomas Daffern)
Dr Kevan Manwaring, the ‘Bardic Academic’
Programme of Study
Year 1 – Anruth to Bard (for beginners – no experience necessary)
During this year you shall work through the Bardic Handbook, which sets out a 12 month study programme that will take you from Anruth (apprentice stage) to declaring yourself as a Bard in a dedication and naming ceremony – with direct mentoring from the author himself. Your growing bardic skills will be honed through private study and participation in an online bardic circle.
Year 2 – Bardic Deep Study (Intermediate – for students who have completed Year 1)
With a theoretical focus, this year you will use The Way of Awen: journey of a bard as a guide – which explores the Welsh legend of Taliesin in great detail – but you will be asked to self-select a myth, legend, or song-circle to work on intensively. The fruits of this deep study will be manifold, but will include an extended non-fiction essay reflecting upon the themes of the selected tale/s in a critical way.
Year 3 – Bardic Practical Project (Advanced – for students who have completed Years 1 and 2)
With a practical focus, this final year the Silver Branch: bardic poems will be used as a guide as an example of an approach to an original creative project with a community/ecological aspect. You will conceive and complete a Bardic project of your choice: a spoken word performance, a collection of poems or short stories, an audio recording, a film, a stage play, etc. This final project will be the culmination of your study, which will be launched during an end-of-study celebration, which you will design and organise. This is when you fully step into your role as public Bard, serving your community. Your project will be assessed on not only its originality, skill, and vision, but also how it responds to the challenges of modern life, engages with multimodality or emergent technology, and serves and celebrates community and biodiversity.
What’s included:
- Weekly online bardic circle: a chance to raise the awen, connect with fellow bards, and share one’s latest poem, song, or story.
- Fortnightly lecture: a talk and connected activity designed to get the awen flowing.
- Monthly mentoring session: a chance to ask questions, receive feedback and advice, set one’s goals, reflect upon the previous month, and plan future activities.
- Quarterly review: an indepth review to assess progress and plan the next phase of study.
- Bardic declaration ceremony: when you received your bardic name and dedicate yourself to the path of the Bard.
- Critiques: of your creative and critical projects.
- Celebration: for the launch of your graduation project.
In addition:
Year 2: Intensive support and feedback on one’s special study project. Critical appraisal on completion.
Year 3: Editorial support and feedback on one’s special bardic project. Launch celebration.
Fees:
Monthly instalments of £250, or quarterly of £750 by standing order, BACS, or paypal. A discount for full-time students, Senior Citizens, or those in receipt of other benefits is available on application.
Applications open. New term starts in September.
For enquiries: contact Kevan – kevanmanwaring@yahoo.co.uk
21 June 2020
A-Conjuring Summer In
Beltane Fire Society Edinburgh
THE GOLDEN ROOM EPISODE 11
A-Conjuring Summer In
Oh, do not tell the Priest our plight,
Or he would call it a sin;
But–we have been out in the woods all night,
A-conjuring Summer in!
Rudyard Kipling, ‘A Tree Song’
To celebrate May Day, the ancient Celtic fire festival of Beltane which marks the beginning of summer, a merry selection of poems, songs, and field recordings from across Britain – featuring an archive recording from the iconic Padstow Obby Oss celebrations in 1932, the Glastonbury Beltane Celebration, Hastings Jack-in-the-Green, and the Beltane Fire Society of Edinburgh, plus original poetry and folk music. Compiled by Kevan Manwaring.
Track Listings
- Dawn Chorus – a English woodland in May, part 1
- Padstow Obby Oss (1932) Pathé News
- One with the Land – Kevan Manwaring (Silver Branch)
- Maypole Song – The Wicker Man (1973)
- Beltane Fire Society, Edinburgh, montage
- Maid Flower Bride – Kevan Manwaring (Silver Branch)
- To Be Unbuttoned – Gabrielle O’Connell
- Hastings Jack-in-the-Green (2019)
- May Song – Beggars Velvet (1990)
- The Winning of Spring – Kevan Manwaring (Silver Branch)
- Lass of Islington – trad. David Metcalfe (from ‘Rogues & Ravens’)
- The Well – Ella Bloomfield, with drumming by Jay Ramsay (from ‘Phoenix demo’)
- Heartwood – Kevan Manwaring (Silver Branch)
- Dawn Chorus – a English woodland in May, part 2
- River Lover – Gabrielle O’Connell
- Glastonbury Beltane Celebration (2019)
- Prologue – Jehanne Mehta (words); Fred Hagender (harp) (from ‘Heart of Yew’)
- Campfire – Wiltshire downs, late April
Turning the Wheel: seasonal Britain on two wheels by Kevan Manwaring, published by O Books , 2011
Silver Branch: bardic poems published by Awen 2018
With huge thanks to the dedicated and creative communities who have kept the celebrations in Padstow, Hastings, Glastonbury and Edinburgh going all these years. May we gather once again (when it’s safe) to a-conjure summer in.
Extinction Cabaret Podcast
‘Welcome to Extinction Cabaret!’ Kevan Manwaring performs as Dr Greenlove
Come to the Extinction Cabaret and sing the songs of the Earth! Share your praise-poems for our precious planet! Recite your monologues of love and sorrow! Weep and laugh at the madness of it all, and inspire yourself and others to take positive action!
Extinction Cabaret was organised by Kevan Manwaring, and took place on Sunday, 13th October, Downstairs at The Western, Leicester, 7-10pm. It was part of the Everybody’s Reading Festival 2019.
TRACKS
- Planet Blues: Sara Vian
- Introduction: Dr Greenlove
- Choices: Kevan Manwaring
- Extinction Rebellion: Judy from XR Leicester
- House on Fire: Sara Vian
- Do What’s Best for the Planet: floor spot from Tony
- Lament for the Trees: Paul Francis
- 3 Short Poems: Steve Wylie
- When Life Gives You Lemons: Sara Vian
- Zero Time: floor spot from Greg
- Washing the Sea: Paul Francis
- Blessed is the Mother: Kevan Manwaring
- Keep Your Faith: Sara Vian
- Bellwether: Kevan Manwaring
- The Sailor and the Magician: Paul Francis
- The Calving of the Berg: Kevan Manwaring
- Beautiful Love: Sara Vian
- Silent Watchman – Steve Wylie
- Beautiful Soul – Sara Vian
- Don’t Push the River – Paul Francis
Thank you to all the contributors, especially to our special guests Sara Vian and Paul Francis, to Everybody’s Reading Festival, to James and the staff at The Western, and to Chris Watson from Music Eye for recording it all.
Sara Vian
Paul Francis, Troubadour from the 7th dimension aka Dr Space Toad
Choices
Choices
by
Kevan Manwaring
Fill your house with plastic,
and the oceans too.
Fly at least one long haul flight
every year, just for fun.
Drive a dirty diesel, or a 4WD,
even though you don’t live off-road.
Eat meat every day and
insist on out of season produce —
the more food miles, the better.
Have loads of kids, and
encourage them to do their bit for Malthus.
Vote for Climate Change denying,
oil-lobby funded politicians.
Sit in a traffic jam twice a day
alone in your big shiny box.
Only buy junk you know you’ll need
to throw away, or fill your garage with.
Learn the art of head-sand-sticking:
every night have one more drink,
and watch one more episode
until you pass out.
Pretend nothing is wrong,
and whatever you do,
don’t plant any trees!
Or, choose to act
to save the Earth
before it is too
The Golden Room podcast: Episode #2
The Golden Room podcast #02
An Ecobardic Showcase (part 2)
Welcome to The Golden Room podcast – a celebration of poetry, storytelling, music, song, conversation, and creative fellowship.
Created and hosted by writer, poet, and storyteller Kevan Manwaring, the plan is to release a new episode on the 3rd Sunday of the month – with this double launch on the Autumn Equinox being the exception! Roughly an hour long, each episode offers an immersive and relaxing medley of contributions – ideal to commute to, cook to, or sit back and unwind to: however you listen you are most welcome into The Golden Room.
The first two episodes offer a chance to eavesdrop upon An Ecobardic Showcase, a special evening which took place in Stroud, Gloucestershire, on 17th August, 2019. It was a double-celebration of Kevan Manwaring’s 50th and his doctorate. Proceeds went to Tree Aid – a worthy cause which you can still donate too (see below).
The evening was excellently MCed by the inimitable Anthony Nanson. His links and much of the convivial atmosphere is edited out, to tidy up the raw recording (expertly done by Chantelle Smith; with help from Brendan Georgeson on PA, and thanks to Simon Fairbourn for loan of the recording device) , but we hope you still get some sense of the atmosphere.
LISTEN TO THE GOLDEN ROOM PODCAST #02 HERE
Tracks:
-
- [00:00] Intro by Kevan Manwaring/Reverie by Rosemary Duxbury
(Catherine Musker, viola and Patricia Siffert, piano) - [02:14] Welcome – a song by Chantelle Smith
- [02:38] The Harvest of Friendship – a poem by Kevan Manwaring
- [04:28] Skaldic Birthday Tribute – a poem by Svanur Gisli Thorkelsson
- [07: 03] Both Sides o’ Tweed – song by Dick Gaughan/performed by Marko Gallaidhe
- [09:45] The Tories are Going to Eat Us – a poem by Robin Treefellow
- [12:13] Un garçon pas comme les autres – a song performed by Violette Aubry
- [15:00] Lob – poem by Edward Thomas; with additional text from William Anderson; adapted and performed by Paul Flinn
- [18:10] The Corn King – a song by Earthwards (Jehanne & Rob Mehta; Will Mercer)
- [22:03] Extinction Rebellion/No, I Don’t Want to be Arrested, Helen – poems by Steve Micalef
- [22:57] Stoats and Rabbits – a tale by Peter Please
- [32:07] The Field of Runnymede – a song by Earthwards
- [36:03] The Axe: the call of the Earth – a story by Kirsten Bolwig
- [43:26] The Magic Arrows – a story by Anthony Nanson
- [51:19] May Queen – a song by Simon Andrews
- [54:49] Once Upon a Pimplov – monologue by Jim Tom … Say?
- [59:13] Jack in the Green – a song by Simon Andrews
- [00:00] Intro by Kevan Manwaring/Reverie by Rosemary Duxbury
If you have enjoyed listening to An Ecobardic Showcase please donate to Tree Aid and help fight poverty & protect the environment…
https://www.justgiving.com/treeaid
NEXT UP – THE GOLDEN ROOM EPISODE #3: An Extinction Cabaret special!
The Golden Room podcast: Episode #1
The Golden Room podcast #1
An Ecobardic Showcase (pt 1)
Welcome to The Golden Room podcast – a celebration of poetry, storytelling, music, song, conversation, and creative fellowship.
Created and hosted by writer, poet, and storyteller Kevan Manwaring, the plan is to release a new episode on the 3rd Sunday of the month – with this double launch on the Autumn Equinox being the exception! Roughly an hour long, each episode offers an immersive and relaxing medley of contributions – ideal to commute to, cook to, or sit back and unwind to: however you listen you are most welcome into The Golden Room.
The first two episodes offer a chance to eavesdrop upon An Ecobardic Showcase, a special evening which took place in Stroud, Gloucestershire, on 17th August, 2019. It was a double-celebration of Kevan Manwaring’s 50th and his doctorate. Proceeds went to Tree Aid – a worthy cause which you can still donate too, here:
https://www.justgiving.com/treeaid
The evening was excellently MCed by the inimitable Anthony Nanson. His links and much of the convivial atmosphere is edited out, to tidy up the raw recording (expertly done by Chantelle Smith; with help from Brendan Georgeson on PA, and thanks to Simon Fairbourn for loan of the recording device), but we hope you still get some sense of the atmosphere. Finally, many thanks to BAFTA Crew composer Rosemary Duxbury, for kindly allowing use of her sublime track, ‘Reverie’. Check out my interview and review of her latest release, ‘Thread of Gold’, after listening to the show.
LISTEN TO THE GOLDEN ROOM PODCAST #01 HERE
Tracks:
- [00:00] Intro: Kevan Manwaring
- [00:47] Reverie: Rosemary Duxbury (Catherine Musker, viola & Patricia Siffert, piano)/[02:15] The Golden Room by Wilfrid Gibson, read by Kevan Manwaring
- [07:59] Welcome: a song by Chantelle Smith
- [08:22] Fifty: a poem by Kevan Manwaring
- [10:46] Mist-covered Mountains: a song by Chantelle Smith
- [13:20] The Dog: a story by Wayland the Skald
- [21:21] A Valentine for New Albion: a poem by Jeff Cloves
- [29:18] Overheard at Ascot; What the I Says: poems by Gabriel Bradford Millar (with Anthony Nanson)
- [32:35] Pan at My Window: a poem by Richard Austin
- [34:44] Planet Blues: a song by Sara Vian
- [37:51] Therapy: a poem by Brendan the Pop Poet
- [40:22] The Earth, She Moves Within: a poem by Joziat Khimba
- [45:45] The Butterfly Bishop: story by Kirsty Hartsiotis
- [55:21] Claw-hammer: Banjo by Scott Freer
- [59:10] Outro: by Kevan Manwaring/Reverie – reprise.
NEXT: THE GOLDEN ROOM EPISODE #2 An Ecobardic Showcase pt 2 – available from 22nd September.
Look out for episode #3: 20th October – An Extinction Cabaret special!
The Harvest of Friendship
The Harvest of Friendship
A seed is sown in a smile,
in a hand offered in fellowship.
The eyes can fertilize
with a curious glance,
a knowing look.
And a single word
the bud of love compels.
A friendship can grow
in the stoniest of soil,
Tested by cruel frosts
and the bite of wind.
Blessed by the bounty of rain,
by the kiss of the sun.
Fair weather or foul, it flourishes.
In every cycle of the day,
the moon’s tide, the year’s wheel,
friendship’s crop is strengthened.
By those four chancy siblings, the seasons
it is forged, by icy time itself
it is tempered.
and iron stalks to golden grains transmute.
Then, when it is ripened
what riches it shall produce –
the sacred bread of trust,
the holy wine of tears,
the sweet mead of laughter,
of secrets shared and truths revealed.
And all shall share in its feast.
The goodness is gathered in by all –
the tithe of effort for the tribe,
who fill their grain store with it.
Their barns brim with its bounty,
its gleaned treasure spread
to all those in need.
Friendship,
the harvest of a life well-spent.
Kevan Manwaring
Lammas, 2019
Look out for The Golden Room podcast – the finest poetry, storytelling, song, and conversation, in celebration of creative fellowship – launching on Saturday 21 September – a live recording of this poem by the author will feature in episode 2. Watch this space!
The Bardic Academic 