Song at the Year’s Turning: Poems 1942–1954

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July 15, 2026

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Song at the Year’s Turning: Poems 1942–1954 is a collection by Welsh poet R.S. Thomas. Published in 1955, it showcases his early, unadorned style. The poems offer a critical yet compassionate perspective on the Welsh people and their homeland. Thomas's work often explores themes of common man values, cultural decay, and a deep connection to Wales. He received the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1964.1

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R.S. Thomas
…of the Field (1946) and Song at the Year’s Turning: Poems 1942–1954 (1955), contained a harshly critical but increasingly compassionate view of the Welsh people and their stark homeland. In Thomas’s later volumes, starting with Poetry for Supper (1958), the subjects of his poetry remained the same, yet his questions…
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…of the Field (1946) and Song at the Year’s Turning: Poems 1942–1954 (1955), contained a harshly critical but increasingly compassionate view of the Welsh people and their stark homeland. In Thomas’s later volumes, starting with Poetry for Supper (1958), the subjects of his poetry remained the same, yet his questions…
Read More