All You Can Books

Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery

George Henry Borrow

162 ratings
Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery | George Henry Borrow

Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery

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his Young—Poets of the Gael—The Oxonian—Master Salisburie.

My wife had told me that she had had some conversation upon the Welsh language and literature with a venerable old man, who kept a shop in the town, that she had informed him that I was very fond of both, and that he had expressed a great desire to see me.  One afternoon I said: “Let us go and pay a visit to your old friend of the shop.  I think from two or three things which you have told me about him, that he must be worth knowing.”  We set out.  She conducted me across the bridge a little way; then presently turning to the left into the principal street, she entered the door of a shop on the left-hand side, over the top of which was written: “Jones; Provision Dealer and General Merchant.”  The shop was small, with two little counters, one on each side.  Behind one was a young woman, and behind the other a venerable-looking old man.

“I have brought my husband to visit you,” said my wife, addressing herself to him.

“I am most happy to see him,” said the old gentleman, making me a polite bow.

He then begged that we would do him the honour to walk into his parlour, and led us into a little back room, the window of which looked out upon the Dee a few yards below the bridge.  On the left side of the room was a large case, well stored with books.  He offered us chairs, and we all sat down.  I was much struck with the old man.  He was rather tall, and somewhat inclined to corpulency.  His hair was grey; his forehead high; his nose aquiline; his eyes full of intelligence; whilst his manners were those of a perfect gentleman.

I entered into conversation by saying that I supposed his name was Jones, as I had observed that name over the door.

“Jones is the name I bear at your service, sir,” he replied.

I said that it was a very common na

Ed 11/02/2018
Though it is a long read this is a highly entertaining one. Published in 1862, George Borrow rambled around a huge area of Wales on foot, searching for the birthplaces of Welsh poets and bards, warming himself by the fire of every inn he went past and talking to those from every station and way of l
Martin 01/03/2016
A travelogue from a vanished world! Borrow walked through wild Wales, detailing his experiences and those he meets. The book provides a window in to a world where the first language of Welsh people was the mam iaith, the mother tongue. The book contains snippets of Welsh myth and legend. My own grea
Helen 10/14/2015
George Borrow was the ultimate groupy. He travelled the length & breadth of Wales in search of his favourite poets..........where they lived, where they died, where they had been! This book (as with Sheryl Strayed's "Wild") wanted me to pull on my hiking boots and set out and explore the world. A bi
Katrin 04/16/2014
was fuer ei n interessantes kleines buch! borrow ist durch wales gewandert, sprach auch sehr gut walisisch und hat auf seinen wanderungen immer den kontakt zu den menschen gesucht und konnte mit seinen dialogen mehr ueber die waliser herausfinden als jemand anderes zu seiner lebenszeit erreichen koe
Helen 01/08/2014
Very enjoyable and readable - why haven't I read this before now? George Borrow was a great eccentric and what in Welsh is known as a "iaithgi", a largely self-taught linguist who acquired a knowledge of many languages, including Welsh. This book is an account of a trip he made to Wales in 1854, sta
Liz 12/30/2013
Borrow was in his early 50s when he began his walking tour of Wales. He recounts conversations and vistas, reflecting an interesting time before cars but after trains. The Industrial Revolution is at hand, and the landscape is suffering, but the people still walk barefoot upon the road and dress acc
Lucy 08/12/2012
This was much more readable than either Lavengro or Romany Rye - I think there were fewer tall tales in this work as well. His descriptions of the Welsh landscape are beautifully written, and his love of the language is evident. While I can't believe the Welsh peasants talked quite as fluently as he

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