Copi llawysgrif ddrafft o Cerddi'r Bugail, sef cyfrol goffa o farddoniaeth Hedd Wyn (Ellis Humphrey Evans) (1887-1917), wedi'i olygu gan y Parchedig J. J. Williams ac o bosib yn ei lawysgrifen. = Draft manuscript copy of Cerddi'r Bugail, a commemorative anthology of poetry by Hedd Wyn (Ellis Humphrey Evans) (1887-1917), edited by the Reverend J. J. Williams and possibly written in his hand.
Gohebiaeth, 1913-1928, yn bennaf at Robert (Silyn) Roberts oddi wrth y bardd a'r darlithydd prifysgol R. Williams Parry, y llythyrau cynharaf wedi'u hanfon tra 'roedd Williams Parry yn athro yn ysgol Cefnddwysarn ger y Bala a'r rhan helaeth o'r ohebiaeth ddilynol yn olrhain ei hynt yn y fyddin yn ystod Rhyfel 1914-18. 'Roedd Williams Parry ar y cychwyn yn hynod anhapus yn ei yrfa milwrol ac mae'n erfyn ar Silyn, yn sgîl ei swydd fel ysgrifennydd Bwrdd Penodiadau Prifysgol Cymru, i'w symud i gatrawd sy'n cynnwys milwyr Cymreig (ceir tystiolaeth o ymgais Silyn i gyflawni ei ddymuniad). Cafodd Williams Parry air o'r diwedd (llythyr dyddiedig 24 Ebrill 1917) ei fod am gael ei drosglwyddo i'r '1st Welsh (Caernarvon) Battery Royal Garrison Artillery'. Serch annedwyddwch Williams Parry, ceir enghreifftiau yn ei lythyrau o farddoniaeth a ysgrifennodd ar faes y gâd, sy'n cynnwys ei englynion coffa i'w gyfaill Robert Pritchard Evans (1884-1917) (llythyr dyddiedig 26 Ebrill 1917) a'i soned 'Mater Mea' (llythyr dyddiedig 3 Rhagfyr 1917). Yn ei lythyr dyddiedig 11 Tachwedd 1918, mae Williams Parry yn datgan ei orfoledd ar derfyn y rhyfel. Arwyddir sawl un o'r llythyrau oddi wrth Williams Parry â'r enw 'Llion', sef y ffugenw a ddefnyddiodd ar gyfer ei ymgais lwyddiannus i gipio cadair Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 1910. Arnodir dau lythyr yn llaw Mary Silyn Roberts.
Ceir hefyd y canlynol:
Llythyr, 1 Mai 1915, at Robert (Silyn) Roberts oddi wrth W. J. Williams (1878-1952), sy'n ymddangos fel pe bai'n adrodd hanes dyfarnu cymhwyster R. Williams Parry ac eraill ar gyfer gwaith rhyfel.
Copi o lythyr, 10 Ionawr 1917, oddi wrth Robert (Silyn) Roberts at Capten Hamlet Roberts, 6ed Bataliwn y Ffiwsilwyr Cymreig Brenhinol, mewn ymgais i drosglwyddo R. Williams Parry i gatrawd Gymreig.
Llythyrau, Ebrill 1917, rhwng Robert (Silyn) Roberts a'r bardd Eingl-Gymraeg, llenor ac addysgwr Arthur Glyn Prys-Jones (1888-1987) ynghylch cyhoeddi cyfrol o farddoniaeth Eingl-Gymreig; yn un llythyr, ceir barn Silyn ar feirdd Cymreig cyfoes.
Llythyr, 3 Gorffennaf 1918, oddi wrth 'Kitty' yn Llundain, yn holi am gyhoeddiadau'n ymwneud ag R. Williams Parry ac â'r addysgwraig Lydewig Marie Souvestre (1830-1905).
Cerdyn post, 16 Mai 1930, wedi'i gyfeirio at Robert (Silyn) Roberts ond sydd â rhan helaeth ohono wedi'i dorri'i ffwrdd.
Ynghyd ag atodiad teipysgrif: 'Datganiad gan Angharad Tomos [un o roddwyr y casgliad] Mai 2022', sy'n cynnig sylwadau ynghylch llythyrau R. Williams Parry at Robert (Silyn) Roberts.
= Correspondence, 1913-1928, largely to Robert (Silyn) Roberts from the poet and university lecturer R. Williams Parry, the earliest letters sent whilst Williams Parry was teaching at Cefnddwysarn school, near Bala, with subsequent correspondence following, in the main, his military career during the First World War. Williams Parry's wartime experience was initially extremely unhappy and he begs Silyn, as secretary of the Welsh Appointments Board of the University of Wales, to transfer him to a regiment which includes Welsh soldiers (there is evidence of Silyn's attempts to fulfil his wishes). Williams Parry would finally receive word (letter dated 24 April 1917) of his transfer to the 1st Welsh (Caernarvon) Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. However, despite his melancholy, the war letters contain poetry written at the time by Williams Parry, which includes his commemorative 'englynion' (strict-metre verses) to his friend Robert Pritchard Evans (1884-1917) (letter dated 26 April 1917) and his sonnet 'Mater Mea' (letter dated 3 December 1917). Williams Parry expresses his joy at the end of the war in a letter dated 11 November 1918. Many of Williams Parry's letters are signed 'Llion', which was the pseudonym he used in his successful attempt to win the bardic chair at the 1910 National Eisteddfod. Two letters are annotated in the hand of Mary Silyn Roberts.
The following are also included:
Letter, 1 May 1915, to Robert (Silyn) Roberts from W. J. Williams (1878-1952), which appears to relate an account of how R. Williams Parry and others were assessed for war work.
Copy of a letter, 10 January 1917, from Robert (Silyn) Roberts to Captain Hamlet Roberts of the 6th Battalion of Royal Welsh Fusiliers in an attempt to obtain R. Williams Parry's transfer to a Welsh regiment.
Letters, April 1917, between Robert (Silyn) Roberts and the Anglo-Welsh poet, author and educator Arthur Glyn Prys-Jones (1888-1987) regarding the publication of a volume of Anglo-Welsh poetry; in one letter, Silyn expresses his opinion of contemporary Welsh poets.
Letter, 3 July 1918, from 'Kitty' in London, enquiring about publications relating to R. Williams Parry and to the Breton educator Marie Souvestre (1830-1905).
Postcard, 16 May 1930, addressed to Robert (Silyn) Roberts, a substantial part of which has been torn away.
Together with a typescript supplement comprising a statement made May 2022 by Angharad Tomos, one of the donors of the collection, containing observations on R. Williams' Parry's letters to Robert (Silyn) Roberts.
Llythyrau, 1899-1917, at Robert (Silyn) Roberts oddi wrth yr ysgolhaig, bardd, beirniad a'r golygydd W. J. (William John) Gruffydd (1881-1954), ac un llythyr, 1918, oddi wrth Gwenda Gruffydd, gwraig W. J. Gruffydd. Cyfeirir at yrfa academaidd W. J. Gruffydd yn Rhydychen; ei garwriaeth â'i ddarpar-wraig Gwenda Evans ac â merch o'r enw Winnie, a'i briodas yn y pen draw â Gwenda; "Miss P." (sef Mary Parry, wedyn Mary Silyn Roberts); barddoniaeth, gan gynnwys enghreifftiau o waith W. J. Gruffydd, ac yntau'n holi am farddoniaeth o eiddo Silyn; ei waith golygyddol; crefydd, athroniaeth, gwleidyddiaeth a daliadau personol; a'i gyfnod o wasanaeth yn y llynges, ac yntau'n dyheu am gael gadael. Mae llythyr Gwenda Gruffydd yn cyfeirio at ei brwydr i ryddhau ei gŵr o'r llynges, ac yn erfyn ar ddylanwad Silyn i'w chynorthwyo yn hyn o beth, gyda chefnogaeth 'Tom Jones' (sef, mae'n debyg, Dr Thomas Jones (1870-1955)). Ceir yn ogystal broflen o erthygl dan y teitl 'Addysg yng Nghymru' a ysgrifenwyd gan W. J. Gruffydd ar gyfer Barn Cymru Ieuanc (Rhif 2); llythyr printiedig a ysgrifenwyd gan W. J. Gruffydd i'r newyddlen Y Brython; a llythyr printiedig dan y teitl 'W. J. Gruffydd a'r Hen Feirdd' a anfonwyd gan W. J. Gruffydd at gyhoeddiad nas enwir ac a grybwylla enwau Silyn Roberts ac R. Williams Parry. Ynghyd â thrawsgrifiadau teipysgrif o'r llythyrau a disgrifiad cryno o'r deunydd atodol.
= Letters, 1899-1917, to Robert (Silyn) Roberts from the academic, poet, adjudicator and editor W. J. (William John) Gruffydd (1881-1954) and one letter, 1918, from Gwenda Gruffydd, wife of W. J. Gruffydd. References include W. J. Gruffydd's academic career at Oxford; his courtship of Gwenda (Evans, later his wife), his dalliance with a woman named Winnie, and his eventual marriage to Gwenda; "Miss P." (Mary Parry, later Mary Silyn Roberts); poetry, including examples of work by W. J. Gruffydd and his request to receive some of Silyn's poetry; his editorial work; religion, philosophy, politics and personal theories; and his period in the navy and his longing to leave the service. Gwenda Gruffydd's letter refers to her battle to have her husband released from his naval service, requesting Silyn, with the support of "Tom Jones" (most likely Dr Thomas Jones (1870-1955)) to help bring this about. Together with the proof of an article titled 'Addysg yng Nghymru' ('Education in Wales') written by W. J. Gruffydd for Barn Cymru Ieuanc (No. 2); printed letter written by W. J. Gruffydd for Y Brython newspaper; and a printed letter titled 'W. J. Gruffydd a'r Hen Feirdd' ('W. J. Gruffydd and the Old Poets'), sent by W. J. Gruffydd to an unnamed publication and which references Silyn Roberts and R. Williams Parry. Also included are typescript transcripts of the letters and a brief description of the supplementary material.
Cerdd i Glynn Silyn Roberts a Meilir Silyn Roberts (a adwaenwyd fel Bill), meibion Silyn a Mary Silyn Roberts, gan y bardd, llenor a'r ysgolhaig T. Gwynn Jones. Ysgrifennwyd y gerdd pan oedd Glynn a Meilir yn blant a chyn geni Rhiannon, trydydd plentyn Silyn a Mary; ynghyd â dalen yn cynnwys copi teipiedig o'r gerdd, gyda'r arnodiad: 'Ymgais i ddehongli'r gwreiddiol' (mae'n amlwg o'r gwreiddiol mai 'Y Ddau Ddewin' ddylai'r teitl fod, nid 'I Ddau Ŵr Bach', fel a geir yn y dehongliad). = Poem addressed to Glynn Silyn Roberts and Meilir Silyn Roberts (known as Bill), sons of Silyn and Mary Silyn Roberts, by the poet, author and scholar T. Gwynn Jones. The poem was written when Glynn and Meilir were children and prior to the birth of Rhiannon, Silyn and Mary's third child; together with a sheet of paper containing a typed copy of the poem, alongside an annotation: 'Ymgais i ddehongli'r [gerdd] gwreiddiol' ['An attempt to interpret the original [poem]'] (it is obvious from the original poem that the title should read 'Y Ddau Ddewin' ['The Two Wizards'], not, as has been interpreted in the copy, 'I Ddau Ŵr Bach' [''To Two Little Men']).