What is your favourite poem/song by Tolkien?

[Lenya]

It really sucks that not all of his works were finished. If I remember correctly, his poetry on Hurin is also unfinished.

[Wayfarer]

Yes... as was the Lay of Leithan, which was absolutely beautiful...

There was a king, in days of old...

[Wayfarer]

And we're talking really, truly, absolutely beautiful poetry here.

Really.

[Lenya]

I know. Lay of Leithian is the ultimate best of them all. I haven't read the whole one, all I could find up to now is bits and pieces, but I ordered
HofME III about a week ago (it's late ) and I can't wait!

[Rían]

I also love Húrin's defiance of Morgoth in the Lay of the Children of Húrin (I guess I just love it when good defies evil!)

Then Húrin answered, Hithlum's chieftan -
his shining eyes with sheen of fire
in wrath were reddened: 'O ruinous one,
by fear unfettered I have fought thee long,
nor dread thee now, nor thy demon slaves,
fiends and phantoms, thou foe of Gods!'
His dark tresses, drenched and tangled,
that fell o'er his face he flung backward,
in the eye he looked of the evil Lord -
since that day of dread to dare his glance
has no mortal Man had might of soul.

Something about that line about his hair is really touching to me.

[BeardofPants]

Originally Posted by Ælfwine

I think that "Kortirion among the Trees" is the best he has written.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that one! I believe I posted that in an older poetry thread. Which BoLT is it from? The first one? I'll see if I can track down my older post, and re-quote it... Beautiful poetry.

[BeardofPants]

Originally Posted by BeardofPants

I love the poetry at the end!

O ancient city on a leaguered hill!
Old Shadows linger in your broken gate,
Your stones are grey, your halls now are still,
Your towers silent in the mists await
Their crumbling end, while through the storeyed elms
The River Gliding leaves these inland realms
And slips between long meadows to the Sea,
Still bearing down by weir and murmuring fall
One day and then another to the Sea;
And slowly thither many days have gone
Since first the Edain built Kortirion.

Truly beautiful pieces of work. I'm also very much smitten with 'Why the Man in the Moon Came Down too Soon', which is a little bit further on from Cottage:

The Man in the Moon had silver shoon
And his beard was of silver thread;
He was girt with pale gold and inaureoled
With gold about his head.
Clad in silken robe in his great white globe
He opened an ivory door
And with a crystal key, and in secrecy
He stole o'er a shadowy floor.

From here.

[Rían]

Another line I liked in Húrin - when Thingol, who had "dungeons filled with Elfin armouries of ancient gear", handled the helm from Morwin "as his hoard were scant".

It always seemed a courteous gesture to me, and I liked him better for it.

And it's so sad when Beleg dies!

[Lenya]

I know, it is the saddest event that ever took place in ME


I think what makes Tolkien's poetry so wonderful is that he uses these extraordinary images. I can really picture everything he says.

Then Morgoth came. For the last time
in those great wars he dared to climb
from subterranean throne profound,
the rumour of his feet the sound
of rumbling earthquake underground.
Black-armoured, towering, iron-crowned
he issued forth; his mighty shield
a vast unblazoned sable field
with shadow like a thundercloud;
and over the gleaming king it bowed...

and so forth.


Oh, I finally got Lays of Beleriand and I love it!

[Rían]

OH, good for you, Lenya! And welcome to the Moot - I don't think I've said hello before

[Rían]

I also love the very end of the Lay of Leithian - when Beren and Lúthien are fleeing, and Carcharoth attacks, and Beren, having no weapon, puts himself in front of Lúthien and ... well, JRRT says it better, so :

Too swift for thought his onset came,
too swift for any spell to tame;
and Beren desperate then aside
thrust Lúthien, and forth did stride
unarmed, defenceless to defend
Tinúviel until the end.

I like that "defenceless to defend" line ...

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

I like the first two lines of that.

[Nurvingiel]

MY favourite is Bilbo's poem about journeys:

"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,
pursuing it with eager feet,
until it joins some larger way
where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."

Thanks to Think Exist for providing the quote, though they neglected to cite the page or the book. Alas, I have no books.

[Rían]

But long ago he rode away,
and where he dwelleth, none can say;
for into darkness fell his star
in Mordor, where the shadows are...

[Rían]

speaking of Beren first seeing Lúthien:

from the Lay of Leithian, 555,556
And now his heart was healed and slain
with a new life and with new pain.

[Lenya]

Thanx, and hi RÃ*an. The end is stunning. Tolkien simply uses the best words to describe situations. I love it

[Manveru]

i love the funny poems and songs tolkien made, the bath song they sing at crickhollow, sams song about tom talking to the troll, the one frodo sings at the prancing pony, and from the hobbit when the dwarves are putting the dishes away

[Holbytla]

My absolute favourite ( among many) is Bilbo's ( and Aragorn's) song of Earendil in the House of Elrond. " ..an errand that should never rest, to bear his shining lamp afar, the Flammifer of Westerness". Yup! that's a good one!

Holbytla

[ethuiliel]

There's so many poems, and they're all so wonderful... it's hard to choose. But I think my favorite is the song Sam sings in the orc tower. It's something about the mix of hope and despair that attracts me...

[Lenya]

Listen to this part, from Lay of Leithian p.148 ln. 786 - 793

And thus in anguish Beren paid
for that great doom upon him laid,
the deathless love of Luthien,
too fair for love of mortal Men;
and in his doom was Luthien snared,
the deathless in his dying shared;
and Fate them forged a binding chain
of living love and mortal pain.

Isn't it stunning? (and so sad)