Y Gaer (The Hill Fort)

• "sown yellow in winter/ its lights diminished come summer"


  Passage of time. Emphasises the father has been coming here a long time - grief is an ongoing process with no resolution.
• "the mossy gums of trench and rampart"


  Harsh descriptions of the hill's structure. Nature has taken over, infused with construction. Represents cohesion between nature and man.
• Y Gaer is a tribute to grief and the power of nature
• "The land is three-sixty about you here/an answer to any question"


  Complete encapsulation, nature provides comfort and security. Suggests walking through and viewing nature as a way to overcome/approach difficulty.
• "Where he can lean full tilt/against the wind's shoulder"

  Desire for support - uses nature as a crutch to cope with his son's passing - complete reliance on nature.

  Personification - to reciprocate the father's need for comfort.
• "only in bad weather"

  Pathetic fallacy represents his grief, the storm represents his fury at his son's death.
• "shout into the storm/finding at last/something huge enough to blame"


  Cathartic - the wind would cover his shouts, relates to need to show a hard, masculine front in Welsh society. The elements provide a moment of respite.