Gwyneth Lewis, former National Poet of Wales, has been awarded second prize in the Stephen Spender 2014 Prize for poetry in translation, for her English translation of Welsh medieval poet Dafydd ap Gwilym's poem ‘Y Gwynt’ (The Wind).

The Stephen Spender Prize, launched in 2004, was judged this year by Edith Hill, Susan Bassnett, and poets W.N. Herbert and Stephen Romer. The judges praised the aural delicacy and soft vowels of Gwyneth Lewis’ translation, and described the work as a ‘virtuosic, controlled yet euphoric translation.’

The competition aims to raise the profile of translators by shedding light on the process of translation. The commentary therefore gives translators a voice, permitting them for once to explain and justify their decisions.

In her commentary, Gwyneth Lewis notes: “My aim was to preserve the brilliance of ap Gwilym’s metaphorical thinking while retaining his metrical lightness of touch…Welsh poetry is syllabic, English accentual. Dafydd ap Gwilym’s extreme concision in Welsh is hard to convey within seven syllables and without a sense of strain. My priority has been to capture the tone of the poet’s wit and his joie de vivre.”

First prize was awarded to Iain Galbraith, for his translation of ‘Quince Jelly’ by the Hamburg poet Jan Wagner.

The 2015 competition will open in January.

Discover the 2014 winning and commending entries, including the translation by Gwyneth Lewis, here.