Englyn
Quick answer: The englyn is a strict Welsh stanza form over a thousand years old. Learn the englyn unodl union's 10-6-7-7 pattern, cynghanedd, and how to attempt one.
The englyn is the tight little engine of Welsh poetry: a short stanza governed by syllable counts, a single rhyme, and patterns of internal sound so demanding that Welsh bards trained for years to master them. Englynion (the plural) appear in Welsh manuscripts from as early as the ninth and tenth centuries, and the form is still written competitively today; the National Eisteddfod of Wales awards prizes for englynion every year, and memorial englynion are carved on gravestones across the country.
There is not one englyn but a family of them, eight types in the traditional classification of Welsh strict meters. The most prestigious and most common is the englyn unodl union, the 'straight one-rhyme englyn', and when English speakers say englyn without qualification, this four-line, thirty-syllable stanza is usually what they mean.
The englyn unodl union in detail
The stanza has four lines of 10, 6, 7, and 7 syllables, all sharing one main rhyme. The opening pair of lines, called the paladr or shaft, carries a peculiarity that defines the form: the main rhyme does not fall at the end of line one but on its seventh, eighth, or ninth syllable. The syllables after that rhyme, a tail of one to three words called the gair cyrch, must then be answered by rhyme, alliteration, or assonance in the first half of line two. Line two ends on the main rhyme, and the closing couplet, the esgyll or wings, runs 7 and 7, both ending on the main rhyme, with one line ending stressed and the other unstressed.
On top of all this, classical englynion require cynghanedd, the codified Welsh system of alliteration and internal rhyme, in every line. Other family members include the three-line englyn milwr (soldier's englyn) and englyn penfyr, both used in the earliest surviving englynion.
Attempting one in English
Be honest with yourself about the target: even fluent Welsh poets consider a correct englyn hard, and full cynghanedd rarely transfers into English. A sane approach is staged. First build the skeleton, 10-6-7-7 with the single rhyme and the mid-line rhyme placement in line one. Then add the sound-links between the gair cyrch and line two. Only then experiment with alliterative patterning inside lines. Choose a subject worth the labour; the tradition favours epitaph, praise, place, and pointed wit, compressed like an inscription. Draft the closing couplet first, since those two seven-syllable lines carry the memorable turn in most englynion, then engineer backwards.
What it does well, and the usual failure
A finished englyn has the density of an engraved object, which is why Wales uses the form for gravestones, dedications, and public inscriptions; it does grief, praise, and wit with equal economy. English attempts fail most often in one predictable way: treating it as a syllable puzzle and ignoring the sound-weave, which produces a stanza that is technically countable and completely inert. Better a near-englyn with living music than a dead perfect one. If you enjoy this difficulty level, the Welsh strict meters reward long apprenticeship, and testing a polished short form against unfamiliar judges, in a contest such as Writory's monthly round, is a fair way to learn whether the labour is landing.
What poets can take from this
- Start with the englyn milwr (three 7-syllable lines, one rhyme) as a training form.
- Write the final couplet first; it carries the stanza's point.
- Place line one's rhyme on syllable 7, 8, or 9, never on syllable 10.
- Let the gair cyrch echo into line two by alliteration if rhyme will not come.
- Alternate stressed and unstressed rhyme endings in the last two lines.
- Read modern englynion in translation to hear the form's epitaph-like tone.
Try it yourself
Write an englyn unodl union in memory of a building that no longer exists: a demolished cinema, a closed school, a house now a car park. Aim for the exact 10-6-7-7 counts and single rhyme, and let the final seven-syllable line say what was lost.
Questions
What is an englyn?
An englyn is a short traditional Welsh stanza form governed by strict syllable counts, a single rhyme, and internal sound patterning called cynghanedd. Englynion have been written since at least the ninth century and are still composed competitively in Wales.
What is the structure of the englyn unodl union?
Four lines of 10, 6, 7, and 7 syllables sharing one main rhyme. The rhyme falls on syllable 7, 8, or 9 of line one, whose tail (the gair cyrch) links by sound to the start of line two; lines two, three, and four end on the main rhyme.
Can you write an englyn in English?
Yes, and poets have tried since the nineteenth century, though full cynghanedd rarely survives translation. Most English englynion keep the syllable counts, rhyme scheme, and mid-line rhyme of line one, and approximate the internal music with alliteration.
By the Writory editorial team, reviewed by working poets. Updated July 2026.
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