1. Welsh writing in English Choose a task Choose a task based on the poem. Activity A Activity C Activity E Activity G Activity F Activity D Activity B In September – John Ormond –

2. Welsh writing in English Before reading this poem, look at this prose version of the poem and decide where the stanza and line breaks might be. Activity A Menu Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Again the golden month, still favourite, is renewed; once more I’d wind it in a ring about your finger, pledge myself again, my love, my shelter, my good roof over me, my strong wall against winter. Be bread upon my table still and red wine in my glass; be fire upon my hearth. Continue, my true storm door, continue to be sweet lock to my key; be wife to me, remain the soft silk on my bed. Be morning to my pillow, multiply my joy. Be my rare coin for counting, my luck, my granary, my promising fair sky, my star, the meaning of my journey. Be, this year too, my twelve months long desire. Share the different versions and consider how ideas are grouped and separated into stanzas. What different effects are created by the different choices of line breaks?

3. Welsh writing in English Considering the title of the poem, how are the seasons used in the first stanza? Activity B Menu Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire. What does the word ‘golden’ convey? What might the month of September symbolise for the poet?

4. Welsh writing in English Identify the words and phrases throughout this poem that convey the idea of continuation and renewal. Activity C Menu Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire. What is significant about this idea for the poet? Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading.

5. Welsh writing in English Identify the adjectives used in this poem. Activity D Menu Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire. What do you notice about the kinds of adjectives used in each stanza? Try substituting different adjectives which have similar meanings. Why do you think the poet chose these words? Consider the words shaded in yellow and blue. Click to show shading. Click on the blue shading to show some possible alternatives. sturdy valuable beautiful

6. Welsh writing in English Identify the imperatives used in this poem and discuss their effect. Activity E Menu Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire. Imperative sentences are not used in the first stanza. What is different about the meaning of this stanza? Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. Imperatives are considered to be commands. What does the poet ask of his wife, suggested by the imperatives here?

7. Welsh writing in English List the different images in the poem and group them under the stanza in which they appear. Activity F Menu Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire. What do you notice about the number of images in each stanza? What effect does this have? Read the poem aloud to consider these effects.

8. Welsh writing in English How are the images linked and contrasted in this poem? Activity G Menu Welsh writing in English In September – John Ormond – Again the golden month, still Favourite, is renewed; Once more I’d wind it in a ring About your finger, pledge myself Again, my love, my shelter, My good roof over me, My strong wall against winter. Be bread upon my table still And red wine in my glass; be fire Upon my hearth. Continue, My true storm door, continue To be sweet lock to my key; Be wife to me, remain The soft silk on my bed. Be morning to my pillow, Multiply my joy. Be my rare coin For counting, my luck, my Granary, my promising fair Sky, my star, the meaning Of my journey. Be, this year too, My twelve months long desire. Choose one of the images in the last stanza. Explore the ideas the poet might have wanted to convey by these images. Group any associated images together to find links between them and decide on a heading for each group.