"Ymweliad a Chymru"

Name of traveller

Hugo Schuchardt (1842-1927)

Reason for travel

• study of the Welsh language and Welsh language culture

Date of travel

August 1875

Nid yn yr un modd y barnai Foneddiges Seisnig, cymdeithas yr hon a fwynhasom wrth ddychwelyd i Gaernarfon. Ymddangosai yr Eisteddfod iddi hi yn beth barbaraidd; haerodd yn ychwaneg nad oedd y defaid mor dew,y gwellt mor las, yr adar mor fywiog yn Nghymru ag yn Lloegr. Gymru druan! Gofynodd i mi o ba ran o Germani yr oeddwn i, ac ar ol fy atebiad, “O Brwsia,” dywedodd: “Y mae yn well o lawer genyf yr Awstriaid na’r Prwsiaid.” (Schuchard, 1 Sep. 1875 8)

Content

• customs:
  • observes flirtation between young travellers on the train and the importance of tunnels for same
  • receives warm welcome in Caernarfon
  • finds that eisteddfodau and great Methodist meetings do not differ much
  • recognises cultural importance of eisteddfod tradition, especially for the Welsh language, national identity and literature
• language:
  • two letters to the editor written and published in Welsh
  • except for minor changes in date and content, first letter corresponds to introduction in the detailed essay in German about the same journey; extracts of the second letter have been reused in the detailed essay
• people:
  • alludes to Hwfa Môn (Rowland Williams) (1823-1905) and compares his style of public speaking to Ira Aldridge's (1807-1867) performance as Othello
  • character sketches of various people attending the eisteddfod, a Methodist meeting and chance encounters in different towns
• transport:
  • modes of travel: train
  • complimentary about fast and comfortable trains
• click to read the letters: letter 1, letter 2

Nationality of traveller

Austrian

Language of publication

Welsh

Gender of traveller

Male

Type of publication

letter to the editor

Citation

Schuchardt, Hugo. "Ymweliad a Chymru." Yr Herald Cymraeg (20 Aug. & 3 Sep. 1875): 8, 8. Print.