Thomas was born in Swansea, Wales, in 1914. An undistinguished student, he left school at 16, becoming a journalist for a short time. Although many of his works appeared in print while he was still a teenager, it was the publication of "Light breaks where no sun shines", in 1934, that caught the attention of the literary world. While living in London, Thomas met Caitlin Macnamara, whom he married in 1937. Their relationship was defined by alcoholism and was mutually destructive. In the early part of his marriage, Thomas and his family lived hand-to-mouth, settling in the Welsh fishing village of Laugharne.
Although Thomas was appreciated as a popular poet in his lifetime, he found earning a living as a writer difficult, which resulted in him augmenting his income with reading tours and broadcasts. His radio recordings for the BBC during the latter half of the 1940s brought him a level of celebrity. In the 1950s, Thomas travelled to America, where his readings brought him a level of fame, though his erratic behaviour and drinking worsened. His time in America cemented Thomas' legend, where he recorded to vinyl works such as A Child's Christmas in Wales. During his fourth trip to New York in 1953, Thomas became gravely ill and fell into a coma from which he did not recover. Thomas died on 9 November 1953 and his body was returned to Wales where he was buried at the village churchyard in Laugharne.
Although writing exclusively in the English language, Thomas has been acknowledged as one of the most important Welsh poets of the 20th century. Noted for his original, rhythmic and ingenious use of words and imagery, Thomas' position as one of the great modern poets has been much discussed, though this has not tarnished his popularity amongst the general public, who find his work accessible.
---------------------------------------------------
2) A singer-songwriter based in Sydney.
Pieces Of An Overhead View
Grace to Begin
http://www.waterfrontrecords.com/product/71196
--------------------------------------------------
Fern Hill
Dylan Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About the lilting house and happy as the grass was
Green,
The night above the dingle starry,
Time let me hail and climb
Golden in the heydays of his eyes,
And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple
Towns
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light.
And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
In the sun that is young once only,
Time let me play and be
Golden in the mercy of his means,
And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the
Calves
Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear
And
Cold,
And the sabbath rang slowly
In the pebbles of the holy streams.
All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay
Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys,
It was
Air
And playing, lovely and watery
And fire green as grass.
And nightly under the simple stars
As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,
All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the
Nightjars
Flying with the ricks, and the horses
Flashing into the dark.
And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white
With the dew, come back, the c*** on his shoulder: it
Was all
Shining, it was Adam and maiden,
The sky gathered again
And the sun grew round that very day.
So it must have been after the birth of the simple
Light
In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses
Walking
Warm
Out of the whinnying green stable
On to the fields of praise.
And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the g** house
Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was
Long,
In the sun born over and over,
I ran my heedless ways,
My wishes raced through the house high hay
And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time
Allows
In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning
Songs
Before the children green and golden
Follow him out of grace.
Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time
Would
Take me
Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my
Hand,
In the moon that is always rising,
Nor that riding to sleep
I should hear him fly with the high fields
And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless
Land.
Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,
Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.
The poem/song "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas begins with the singer reminiscing about his youthful days, when he was carefree and happy under the apple boughs. He describes the beauty of nature around him, with the grass being as green as it could be and the sky full of stars. He feels like he has all the time in the world and is the prince of the land. He remembers being lordly and having the trees and leaves follow him as he made his way down the river.
As the poem progresses, the singer grows older and the tone becomes melancholic. Thomas uses vivid imagery to describe the beauty of the world around him and how time seemed to move slowly. He remembers being a huntsman and hearing the calves sing to his horn as he roamed through the hills. He talks about the hay fields being high and the tunes from the chimneys filling the air. However, time moves on and eventually, he wakes up from his dream, realizing that the farm he was once so familiar with has become a stranger to him.
In the final stanza, the singer reflects on the past once more and realizes that time has caught up with all of us eventually. He acknowledges the fact that, while he was once carefree, he is now trapped by the limits of time. However, he still sings in his chains, much like the sea.
Overall, this song is both a celebration of youth and a lament for the passage of time. It's a beautiful and poignant tribute to the beauty of nature and the inevitability of change.
Line by Line Meaning
Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs
In my youth, I was carefree and happy, enjoying life under the shade of apple trees.
About the lilting house and happy as the grass was Green,
The house and the grass around it were both lively and cheerful.
The night above the dingle starry,
The night sky was filled with bright stars over the valley.
Time let me hail and climb Golden in the heydays of his eyes,
In my prime, I felt like I could conquer time and life itself.
And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple Towns
I was admired and respected by those around me, and felt like a leader among my community.
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves Trail with daisies and barley Down the rivers of the windfall light.
At one point, I had control over the trees and leaves, which would follow me as I walked or rode through the countryside with daisies and barley flowing around me in the wind.
And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
In my carefree youth, I felt at home among the barns and the farm, singing and enjoying life to the fullest.
In the sun that is young once only, Time let me play and be Golden in the mercy of his means,
In my youth, I was blessed to be able to play and enjoy life while I could, feeling golden and special in the mercy of time.
And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the Calves Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear And Cold,
I was a skilled hunter and herdsman, with the calves singing to my horn, and the foxes on the hills barking in the cold.
And the sabbath rang slowly In the pebbles of the holy streams.
The sound of the Sabbath echoed slowly through the pebbles in the holy streams.
All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, It was Air
Throughout the sunny days, life was lively and beautiful, with tall hay fields and music from the chimneys filling the air.
And playing, lovely and watery And fire green as grass.
Life was playful and beautiful, with water and fire in shades of green like the grass.
And nightly under the simple stars As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,
At night, as I drifted off to sleep, I would hear the sound of owls carrying the farm away under the stars.
All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the Nightjars Flying with the ricks, and the horses Flashing into the dark.
Throughout the moonlit nights, I was blessed among stables, hearing nightjars flying with the ricks and the horses galloping into the dark.
And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white With the dew, come back, the c*** on his shoulder: it Was all Shining, it was Adam and maiden, The sky gathered again And the sun grew round that very day.
Then to wake up and see the farm, shining and beautiful in the dew, with the rooster making his morning call. It was like the beginning of creation, with the sky coming to life and the sun growing stronger.
So it must have been after the birth of the simple Light In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses Walking Warm Out of the whinnying green stable On to the fields of praise.
It must have been like the beginning of time itself, with the horses leaving the stable and walking onto the fields of praise.
And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the g** house Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was Long,
I was honored by foxes and pheasants near the gun house, with new clouds forming overhead and a long-lasting feeling of happiness in my heart.
In the sun born over and over, I ran my heedless ways, My wishes raced through the house high hay And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time Allows In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning Songs Before the children green and golden Follow him out of grace.
Over and over I ran through the sunny fields, with my wishes racing through the tall hay. I didn't care about time and its limitations, with so few opportunities to enjoy life before it's gone. The next generation would follow time with the same grace and beauty as the children green and golden.
Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time Would Take me Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my Hand,
I didn't worry about time carrying me away, to the loft filled with swallows flying around me.
In the moon that is always rising, Nor that riding to sleep I should hear him fly with the high fields And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless Land.
Even when I rode off to sleep under the ever-rising moon, I could still hear time moving through the high fields. And when I woke up, the farm may have been gone forever, but it was now filled with new life and beauty.
Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means, Time held me green and dying Though I sang in my chains like the sea.
Oh, how carefree I was in my youth, enjoying the mercy of time. Although time would eventually trap me like the sea, I sang happily in my chains.
Contributed by Savannah S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.