The Bells of Aberdyfi

The legend lives on...

 

The Bells of Aberdyfi

 

There is a story in the air

Of the Aberdyfi seas.

 

One so sad it could bring you to your knees.

 

The bells that ring will have us remember,

That dreadful night in the month of September.

 

Where the sea hits the sand,

There used to be land.

 

A man named Davies he could see,

Just how different the land could be.

 

He provided work for many a man,

When he decided it would profit him to build a dam.

 

For the Aberdyfi river to change its course,

From the mouth of the sea, where it got its source.

 

When the dam was built more land appeared,

Mr Davies and his workers, they all cheered.

 

New homes could be built to make a city unscathed,

From the horrors of the world that the earth seemed to crave.

 

A church built first with an enormous bell,

Then for fresh water a very deep well.

 

House were built for people who

Wanted a life in pastures new.

 

Mr Davies a very rich man,

Became more arrogant than any man can.

As the money roles in his cares began to wane,

Which became very dangerous as the dam became lame.

 

Villagers began to notice the cracks in its wall,

No one seemed to think of the rising water pressure at all.

 

Mr Davies denied the fact

That the dam wouldn’t stay intact,

 

All he seen was pound signs in his eyes,

He didn’t care about the town’s peoples’ cries.

 

Then one day cracks appeared more,

And Mr Davies was called again to explore.

 

But once again, he said to the men,

“If you’re not happy, go and fix it then.

But don’t think you’ll get paid,

If you don’t think it’s right,

It’s your own time you’ve laid.”

 

A year on

And some people had gone,

But most had to stay,

They had nowhere to go anyway.

 

Then Mr Davies, he had a shock,

It was almost as if he’d been hit by a rock,

 

“Blow me to the ground!”

He couldn’t believe his sight,

The dam’s wall had lost its fight.

 

Screams being heard from miles away,

But nothing could be done once the water had found its way.

 

On the town’s banks, Mr Davies lived,

So even he wasn’t exempt from the waters drift.

 

It’s amazing to say that 7 people survived that day,

But the rest were washed away.

 

Looking for a way to make it right,

Mr Davies still walks the beach at night.

 

To this day on a stormy sea,

You can hear the bells missions’ plea.

 

Reminding the locals of how it used to be,

That’s the bells of Aberdyfi.

 

 

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Reviews

[Relic]

Wow, this was really interesting. I wondered while reading if it was a true story or not. Your embellishments are imaginative and worthy of a good story told through verse. One line, "All he seen was pound signs in his eyes," might be a tad noisy. You might try...all he saw was pound signs in his eyes. This is a good poem I enjoyed. Nice work Angela.

[Tina Louise UK]

I'm from Wales...really enjoyed this piece. A haunting read :) x