Poems BY Tolkien

Hey all.
This is just a page for all who love poems, especilly, ones by the greatest author. (Tolkien) So if you want you can put poems or quotes by anyone, on this page.
Have fun.
Bye

Dream the impossible, because dreams do come true. (Elijah Wood)

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[ May 06, 2002: Message edited by: Elanor the fair ]

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

Oh that's a good idea, cuz Tolkien really is my favorite poet [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] I love all the poems really. But I memorized quite a few, so I'll just do a couple of those.

Upon the hearth the fire is red
Beneath the roof there is a bed
But not yet weary are our feet
Still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone
Tree and flower and leaf and grass,
Let them pass! Let them pass!
Hill and water under sky,
Pass them by! Pass them by!

Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate
And though we pass them by today
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the Moon or to the Sun
Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe,
Let them go! Let them go!
Sand and stone and pool and dell,
Fare you well! Fare you well!

Home is behind, the world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Then world behind and home ahead
We'll wander back to home and bed
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!
Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,
And then to bed! And then to bed!

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wonder 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.

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

Ai! laurie lantar lassi surinen,
Yeni unotime ve ramar aldaron!
Yeni ve linte yuldar avanier
mi oromardi lisse-miruvoreva
Andunie pella, Vardo tellumar
nu luini yassen tintilar i eleni
omaryo airetari-lirinen.

Si man i yulma nin enquantuva?

An si Tintalle Varda Oiolosseo
ve fanyar maryat Elentari ortane
ar ilye tier undulave lumbule;
ar sindanoriello caita mornie
i falmalinnar imbe met, ar hisie
untupa Calciryo miri oiale.
Si vanwa na, Romello vanwa, Valimar!

Namarie! Nai hiruvalye Valimar.
Nai elye hiruva. Namarie!
[img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

I got so much more favorites too, but I can't write them all. Like I love the Song of Beren and Luthien, and the Song of Nimrodel, but it's kinda long to write.

[Child of the 7th Age]

If possible, could you please put down where the poem came from, i.e., the name of the work and the chapter, in case we'd like to follow through and find them ourselves. (Of course, if you know the poem by heart, and don't have the book handy, just blow this off.) Thanks, I'll add a poem later this evening when I've got more free time. sharon, the 7th age hobbit

[ May 06, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Lomelinde]

I thought this little tidbit by Tolkien about the Istari was pretty neat; it's alliterative verse, which is difficult to write but cool to read:

Wilt thou learn the lore that was long secret
of the Five that came from a far country?
One only returned. Others never again
under Men's dominion Middle-earth shall seek
Until Dagor Dagoreth and the Doom cometh
How hast thou heard it: the hidden counsel
Of the Lords of the West in the land of Aman?
The long roads are lost that led thither
and to mortal Men Manwe speaks not
From the West-that-was a wind bore it
to the sleeper's ear in the silences
under night-shadow when news is brought
from lands forgotten and to lost ages
over seas of years to the searching thought
Not all are forgotten by the Elder King
Sauron he saw as a slow menace...

Have you tried reading the Lays of Beleriand? That's some really nifty poetry, too. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Lanniae of the Axe]

Well, my favorite is still:

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie
One Ring to Rule them all. One Ring to find them
One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie

That one is still the best, of course the runner-up is Boromir's farewell-song, the one that Aragorn and Legolas sing after they cast away his funeral boat.

Through Rohan over fen and field, where the long grass grows
The West Wind comes walking and about the walls it goes
"What news from the West, O wandering wind, do you bring to me tonight?
Have you seen Boromir the Tall
By moon or by starlight?"
I saw him ride o'er seven streams, o'er waters wide and grey
I saw him walk in empty lands until he passed away
Into the shadows of the North, I saw him then no more.
The North Wind may have heard the horn of the son of Denethor."

That's jsut part, of course, and I doubt I got all the punctuation right, but it's my favorite. Very emotional. I love Boromir's poem. Does anyone know if there is an actual title for it?

--Lanniae

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

Sorry, I'll put down the names and stuff. Ok, the first one I wrote was said by Frodo, but I forget where....in the Fellowship of the Ring I know, but I forget when he says it. Sorry [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] but the second one I wrote is The Riddle of Strider, pretty sure that's what it's called. And it's repeated many times in the books, well sorta. And the last is said by Galadriel when the fellowship was in Lothlorien, but I'm pretty sure that she said that song when the fellowship was on their way down Anduin, leaving Lothlorien. But I have to agree with Lanniae; I absolutely love those two poems. Possibly my favorites too [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Thalionyulma]

Hey Elanor! here's the poem I promised you... according to Christopher Tolkien, his father composed it on April 27-28, 1915 (JRRT was then around 23). This is the final version (there are 3 versions). The original title was You and Me/ and the Cottage of Lost Play.

Little House of Lost Play
(Mar Vanwa Tyaliéva)

We knew that land once You and I,
And once we wandered there
In the long days now long gone by,
A dark child and a fair.
Was it on the paths of firelight thought
In winter cold and white,
Or in the blue-spun twilit hours
Of little early tucked-up beds
In drowsy summer night,
That you and I in Sleep went down
to meet each other there,
your dark hair on your white night gown
and mine was tangled fair?

We wandered shyly hand in hand,
Small footprints in the golden sand,
And gathered pearls and shells inpails,
While all about the nightingales
Were singing in the trees.
We dug for silver with our spades,
And caught the sparkle of the seas,
Then ran ashore to greenlit glades,
And found the warm and winding lane
That now we cannot find again,
Between tall whispering trees.

The air was neither night nor day,
An ever-eve of gloaming light,
When first there glimmered into sight
The Little House of Play.
New-built it was, yet very old,
White, and thatched with straws of gold,
And pierced with peeping lattices
That looked toward the sea;
And our own children’s garden-plots
Were there: our own forgetmenots,
Red daisies, cress and mustard,
And radishes for tea.
There all the borders, trimmed with box,
Were filled with favorite flowers, with phlox,
With lupins, pinks, and hollyhocks,
Beneath a red maple tree;
And all the gardens full of folk
That their own little language spoke,
But not to You and Me.

For some had silver watering-cans
And watered all their gowns,
Or sprayed each other; some laid plans
To build their houses, little towns
And dwellings in the trees.
And some were clambering on the roof;
Some crooning lonely and aloof;
some dancing round the fairy-rings
All garlanded in daisy-strings,
While some upon their knees
Before a little white-robed king
Crowned with marigold would sing
Their rhymes of long ago.
But side by side a little pair
With heads together, mingled hair,
went walking to and fro
still hand in hand; and what they said,
ere Waking far apart them led,
that only we now know.

--------- J.R.R. Tolkien (from "The Book of Lost Tales")

Hey all
Thanks so much for all the poems, they are all so nice. I thought when I put this topic up that no one was going to add any. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]
Guess I was wrong, keep them coming and I hope you enjoy them. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Elanor The Fair [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

Dream the impossible, because dreams do come true (ELijah Wood)

[Child of the 7th Age]

Thanks for the great poems. My favorite is Bilbo's Last Song which is issued as a children's book and ilustrated by Pauline Baynes. It shows the Elven procession to Grey Havens and its departure to the West. It's told from Bilbo's perspective, with one page showing his memories from Middle-earth and the facing page showing the procession to Grey Havens, including meeting up with Frodo and the goodbyes of the hobbits. The last picture in the book shows Sam, Merry, and Pippin sadly staring over a golden sea as they watch the ship get smaller and smaller.

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Day is ended, dim my eyes,
but journey long before me lies.
Farewell, friends! I hear the call.
The ship's beside the stony wall.
Foam is white, and waves are grey;
beyond the sunset leads my way.
Foam is salt, the wind is free;
I hear the rising of the Sea.

Farewell, friends! The sails are set,
the wind is east, the moorings fret.
Shadows long before me lie,
beneath the ever-bending sky,
but islands lie behind the Sun
that I shall raise ere all is done;
lands there are to west of West,
Where night is quiet and sleep is rest.

Guided by the Lonely Star,
beyond the utmost harbour-bar,
I'll find the havens fair and free,
and beaches of the Starlit Sea.
Ship, my ship! I seek the West,
and fields and mountains ever blest.
Farewell to Middle-earth at last,
I see the Star above your mast!

sharon, the 7th age hobbit

[ May 07, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Arwen Imladris]

great thread. I don't have a favorite, I like them all! There is a book called Farmer Giles of Ham and the adventures of Tom Bombadil by Tolkien. First there is the story about Farmer Giles and then there is a bunch of poems, I think some of you would enjoy it!

[The Silver-shod Muse]

Thalionyulma, I also read that poem called the Cottage of Lost Play in the Unfinished Tales Volume 1 and it's definitely one of my favorites. It really reminded me of being a small child again; such bitter-sweet memories it recalls...

[Lanniae of the Axe]

Dude, I'm just reading through all of these, and I'm thinking...

Holy flippin' oliphants! TOLKIEN WAS GOOOOOOOD!

Forget Poe, man, and they say The Raven was the best-written poem ever (or one of 'em!). Why is Tolkien not praised, both as a writer and a poet! He was just totally awesome, his peoms have such rythm, no imperfect rhymes, and they really just get to you.

Why Tolkien is not praised more is just beyond me! He was SO talented!!! OMG! It's just scary!

Oh! Also, I have a question, or maybe a suggestion, too. Can we/should we post our OWN Tolkien-related or Tolkien-inspired poetry?! I have a few of my own, not very good, mind, but still. It would be nice to hear a bunch of other people's writings. But that's only with the moderator's permission, of course!

--Lanniae the Axe

[Jessica Jade]

One of my all time favorites:

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.

-Bilbo Baggins, The Ring Goes South, The Fellowship of the Ring, page 271.
That one is so touching and nostalgic.

My ultimate favorite is Bilbo's famous Road Goes Ever On poem:

The road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began
Now far ahead the road has gone
And i must follow if I can
Persuing it with weary feet
Until it joins from larger way
Where many paths and errands
And whither then? I cannot say.
-page 72.
I can never get over that one. It's just simply so TRUE. And I can relate it to anything.

I cried in the last chapter as I read Frodo's Walking Song, in which "the words were not quite the same." Everything had changed so much.
Still round corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.
-Frodo in The Gray Havens, The Return of the King, page 1005.
Soooo sad! [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

Bilbo's new version of the Walking Song is very nostalgic and touching too (also very sad):
The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone
Let others follow it who can!
Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

Well that's all i have for now. This is a nice thread-i think i'm going to start a favorite quotes one very soon, once I can compile all my favorites!

[Thalionyulma]

Elanor, I'll try to post "Trees of Kortirion" soon... its a rather long poem, but a beautiful one nonetheless. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Silver Shod Muse, yes that poem is a favorite of mine! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[The Silver-shod Muse]

I can't recall exactly how it runs, nor do I have the LotR nearby for reference, but the marching song of the Ents is really very cool. You can actually hear their huge woody feet stomping and booming in time to the words.

[Losthuniel]

one of my faves is the verse to Elbereth. (could ya tell? its in the sig) i love all the elvish poems in general. i dont have my LotR here now, ohterwise i would fill up the whole page. i will post again with other poems on it

[littlemanpoet]

Here's a fun one.

Learn now the lore of Living Creatures!
First name the five, the free peoples:
Eldest of all, the elf-children;
Dwarf the delver, dark are his houses;
Ent the earthborn, old as mountains;
Man the mortal, master of horses;
Half-grown Hobbits, the hole dwellers;
Beaver the builder, buck the leaper,
Bear bee-hunter, boar the fighter;
Hound is hungry, hare is fearful...

hoom, hmm, hoom

Eagle in eyrie, ox in pasture,
Hart horn-crowned; hawk is swiftest,
Swan the whitest, serpent coldest...

hoom, hoo now, room tum, room tum, roomty toom tum...