The Harpstrings Of Dee Comments

The Dee here mentioned is the river which flows out of North Wales in a large curve and travels, via Chester to the sea into Liverpool Bay. For many years it has caused severe problems for traffic from the North into North Wales, all of which had to cross it by a small blue-painted bridge at Queensferry. A new bridge has been built which bypasses the old, with fine approach roads. Traffic is now speeded up much to the relief of all road users. But there is more to this than convenience; it is a bridge of great beauty with suspended roadway each side of an inverted Y tower giving the appearance of an enormous harp. Given that this is a major entry point into Wales, that the national instrument of Wales is the Harp, and Wales’ well deserved reputation as a musical nation, it seemed to me that the ‘Welsh Harp Bridge’ had to be its name – but no. Some Civil Servant without a shred of imagination called it ‘The Flint Bridge’.

Here beside the Dee, separating Welsh hills and Wirral countryside
See the sparkle of air-frost spangle sparse-clad winter trees;
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