#tolkien poetry

[lunarsigilart]

Théoden's Battle Cry before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

My art in celtic style. Watercolor and ink

[eglerieth]

Surely a Gondorian poem would have a version in Sindarin, right?

*tall ships and tall king. three times three. what brought they from the foundered land. over the flowing sea? seven stars and seven stones. and one white tree*

[camille-lachenille]

I sit beside the fire and think

of all that I have seen

of meadow-flowers and butterflies

in summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

in autumns that there were,

with morning mist and silver sun

and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think

of how the world will be

when winter comes without a spring

that I shall ever see.

For still there are so many things

that I have never seen:

in every wood in every spring

there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

of people long ago

and people who will see a world

that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

of times there were before,

I listen for returning feet

and voices at the door.

– J. R. R. Tolkien

This poem makes me think so much of my grandfather it soothe something in me. Like Bilbo, he has seen many seasons and met many people, and now sits in his armchair, waiting for his loved ones to come visit him. I know he doesn’t have much time left, my grandpa, but he has lived fully and is at peace with the time he has left.

This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that Tolkien’s poetry resonates so much with me and put words on difficult, sometimes painful feelings I struggle with. Tolkien’s words are so universal and soothing I can’t even express how deeply they affect me at times.

[solstce]

these, our bodies, possessed by light.

“My love, take these walls, these wars. Dull my blades. I am tired of the hunt.” Jeanann Verlee, “Your Mouth Is A Church, I Forgot How To Pray”. - In the Halls of Mandos, Nienna comes to Maedhros.

—

these halls may be silent, my love, and the sound of your echoing voice but a mockery of what once was.

(but my love, do you remember? my love, can you forget?)

red blood white sand red sea red sand. red banners, snapping in the wind. the gleam of stars on steel. look, my love, do you remember? look at their faces— yes, look at them! my love, look at what you’ve done.

read it here on ao3!

[stay-close]

How do you move on? You move on when your heart finally understands that there is no turning back.

J.R.R. Tolkien

[surqrised]

How do you move on? You move on when your heart finally understands that there is no turning back.

J.R.R. Tolkien

[theidlespoon]

nothing, just tolkien originally writing down the hobbit because his son christopher kept complaining that he'd change the details from night to night and then christopher later being so crucial in taking tolkien's notes and turning them into fully written novels of worldbuilding. loving someone to the point of creation and then having them help you finish the job.

[heverything]

[thoughtkick]

Do you remember when we first met? I thought I had wandered into a dream.

J.R.R. Tolkien

[fragiledewdrop]

WHERE NOW THE HORSE AND THE RIDER-Aka how I just had a Tolkien related freak out on the train

I can't believe what just happened to me. As in, it's such a weird chain of events that it has left me a little dizzy.

I was reading "Les Nourritures Terrestres" by Gide, and I got to a point he cites parts of a poem which I liked very much. The notes informed me that it's a French translation of "an 8th century saxon elegy called 'The Wanderer' "

That intrigued me, and, being on a train with a lot of time to pass (plus being a little tired of reading in French), I took out my phone and searched for the poem.

I found it here. It's the lament of a warrior in exile who has lost his lord and mourns the joy and glory of a world that has now disappeared. I was enjoying it a lot.

And then I got to this point:

And my mouth actually dropped open, because what?

Are you telling me that the Lament for the Rohirrim, one of my favourite poems in LOTR, which I learnt by heart at 13 and later took care to learn in the original English, which I sing when I do the dishes and which routinely makes me cry, is Tolkien's translation of an 8th century Saxon elegy?

Well, the notes at the end of the page confirmed it:

"Tolkien's rendition is hard to resist" I bet it is. I love that professional philologists add notes to their work saying "yeah, by the way, this bit here? It's in your favourite fantasy novel, and I am kinda jealous of how well it was translated, but it's Tolkien, the man spoke Old English, what can you do? Carry on, xoxo"

I mean, I had gathered that the Tolkien poem played on themes used in medieval literature, but I had no idea it was based on an actual, specific text. That makes it a hundred times cooler!

Maybe it's common knowledge, but it was a delicious tidbit of good news to me. Especially since I wasn't expecting it in the least, so I was blindsided by it.

Cherry on top? I had ignored the Old English text, since I don't understand it, but at the end I gave it a cursory read , and the line "Alas for the splendor of the prince"? "Eala þeodnes þrym!"

Now, I have never studied Old English, but I know roughly how to pronounce it (what kind of Silmarillion fan would I be if I didn’t recognize the thorn?). þeodnes has to be where "Theoden" comes from, right?

Apparently yes. I googled the "Lament for the Rohirrim", and Tolkien Gathaway has a nice little parapraph in which they explain all this. I don't know why I had never read it before, but it was a lot more fun learning it as an unexpected detour from my French practice, not gonna lie.

Bottom line: Tolkien was a both a nerd and a genius and continues to make my life brighter, and this is one of those moments in which I am very happy I have spent years of my life learning languages.

Thanks for coming to my impromptu TedTalk.

[perfectfeelings]

How do you move on? You move on when your heart finally understands that there is no turning back.

J.R.R. Tolkien

[eglerieth]

yet another Sindarized poem! This time, the Riddle of Strider:

*all that is gold does not glitter. not all those who wander are lost the old that is strong does not wither deep roots are not reached by the frost

from the ashes a fire shall be woken. a light from the shadows shall spring renewed shall be blade that was broken the crownless again shall be king*

[thehopefulquotes]

How do you move on? You move on when your heart finally understands that there is no turning back.

J.R.R. Tolkien

[perfeqt]

There is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.

J.R.R. Tolkien

[perfectquote]

How do you move on? You move on when your heart finally understands that there is no turning back.

J.R.R. Tolkien

[thespilledquotes]

How do you move on? You move on when your heart finally understands that there is no turning back.

J.R.R. Tolkien