For Avon, think Afon, itself ‘river’
flowing from the source in Brythonic Abona
For Severn, think Sæfern, and before that Sabrina
or Habrena, then Hafren, today’s Welsh river.
Brythonic ‘flowing’ is heard in Thames, Tavy,
Team, Tame and Tamar; Tawe, Taf and Teifi.
These speak of a common spring far back, streams
of speech that still resonate in the veins
of the land, sources that leak silver ore
from the age of Iron, and before
through the valleys of Ynys Prydain.
Dubris > dwfr > dŵr, delving through terrains
of rock and soil, dark waters with names like this:
Dulas, Dowlais, Douglas, Dawlish, Divelish
from Dubglas, source of all Blackwater streams,
the Island’s diversity diverging in these names.