Poem of the Day

Apparently, this is the winning wedding poem.

Roads go ever ever on
THE HOBBIT, CHAPTER 19
By J.R.R. Tolkien

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.

I saved all the Aragorn stuff for my last Tolkien poems (for a while at least) because he’s my favorite!

From The Lord of the Rings
By J.R.R. Tolkien

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, BOOK I, CHAPTER X

‘I am Aragorn, and those verses go with that name.’

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.

THE TWO TOWERS, BOOK III, CHAPTER II

‘Gondor! Gondor!’’ cried Aragorn. ‘Would that I looked on you again in happier hour! Not yet does my road lie southward to your bright streams.

Gondor! Gondor, between the Mountains and the Sea!
West Wind blew there; the light upon the Silver Tree
Fell like bright rain in gardens of the Kings of old.
O proud walls! White towers! O winged crown and throne of gold!
O Gondor, Gondor! Shall Men behold the Silver Tree,
Or West Wind blow again between the Mountains and the Sea?’

THE TWO TOWERS, BOOK III, CHAPTER V

‘”Do not let me fall!” I gasped, for I felt life in me again. “Bear me to Lothlórien!”
‘”That indeed is the command of the Lady Galadriel who sent me to look for you,” he answered…
‘Thence by strange roads I came, and messages I bring to some of you. To Aragorn I was bidden to say this:

Where now are the Dúnedain, Elessar, Elessar?
Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar?
Near is the hour when the Lost should come forth,
And the Grey Company ride from the North.
But dark is the path appointed for thee:
The Dead watch the road that leads to the Sea.’

THE RETURN OF THE KING, BOOK VI, CHAPTER V

And before the Sun had fallen far from the noon out of the East there came a great Eagle flying, and he bore tidings beyond hope from the Lords of the West, crying:

Sing now, ye people of the Tower of Anor,
for the Realm of Sauron is ended for ever,
and the Dark Tower is thrown down.

Sing and rejoice, ye people of the Tower of Guard,
for your watch hath not been in vain,
and the Black Gate is broken,
and your King hath passed through,
and he is victorious.

Sing and be glad, all ye children of the West,
for your King shall come again,
and he shall dwell among you
all the days of his life.

And the Tree that was withered shall be renewed,
and he shall plant it in the high places,
and the City shall be blessed.

Sing all ye people!

And the people sang in all the ways of the City.

Poor Legolas, yearning for the Sea…

From The Lord of the Rings
By J.R.R. Tolkien

THE TWO TOWERS, BOOK III, CHAPTER V

Legolas Greenleaf long under tree
In joy thou has lived. Beware of the Sea!
If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore,
Thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more.

THE RETURN OF THE KING, BOOK VI, CHAPTER IV

To the Sea, to the Sea! The white gulls are crying,
The wind is blowing, and the white foam is flying.
West, west away, the round sun is falling.
Grey ship, grey ship, do you hear them calling,
The voices of my people that have gone before me?
I will leave, I will leave the woods that bore me;
For our days are ending and our years failing.
I will pass the wide waters lonely sailing.
Long are the waves on the Last Shore falling,
Sweet are the voices in the Lost Isle calling,
In Eressëa, in Elvenhome that no man can discover,
Where the leaves fall not: land of my people for ever!

Khazad-dûm (sniff sniff)

P.S. I’m nearly done with the book, so we’ll be back to other poetry soon.

From The Lord of the Rings
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, BOOK II, CHAPTER VII
By J.R.R. Tolkien

When evening in the Shire was grey
his footsteps on the Hill were heard;
before the dawn he went away
on journey long without a word.

From Wilderland to Western shore,
from northern waste to southern hill,
through dragon-lair and hidden door
and darkling woods he walked at will.

With Dwarf and Hobbit, Elves and Men,
with mortal and immortal folk,
with bird on bough and beast in den,
in their own secret tongues he spoke.

A deadly sword, a healing hand,
a back that bent beneath its load;
a trumpet-voice, a burning brand,
a weary pilgrim on the road.

A lord of wisdom throned he sat,
swift in anger, quick to laugh;
an old man in a battered hat
who leaned upon a thorny staff.

He stood upon the bridge alone
and Fire and Shadow both defied;
his staff was broken on the stone,
in Khazad-dûm his wisdom died.

The finest rockets ever seen:
they burst in stars of blue and green,
or after thunder golden showers
came falling like a rain of flowers.

Today’s selection is from the lovely Galadriel.

From The Lord of the Rings
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, BOOK II, CHAPTER VIII
By J.R.R. Tolkien

I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew:
Of wind I sang, a wind there came and in the branches blew.
Beyond the Sun, beyond the Moon, the foam was on the Sea,
And by the strand of Ilmarin there grew a golden Tree.
Beneath the stars of Ever-eve in Eldamar it shone,
In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion.
There long the golden leaves have grown upon the branching years,
While here beyond the Sundering Seas now fall the Elven-tears.
O Lórien! The Winter comes, the bare and leafless Day;
The leaves are falling in the stream, the River flows away.
O Lórien! Too long I have dwelt upon this Hither Shore
And in a fading crown have twined the golden elanor.
But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come to me,
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?

I’m way too enthralled with this book to post anything other than Tolkien until I’m done reading it. So you’re stuck! (I do have lots of other lovely poems lined up for later, though!) Poor Boromir, though I feel more sorry for Aragorn since he had the burden of knowing what Boromir did.

From The Lord of the Rings
THE TWO TOWERS, BOOK III, CHAPTER I
By J.R.R. Tolkien

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 over seven streams, over 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.’
‘O Boromir! From the high walls westward I looked afar,
But you came not from the empty lands where no men are.’

From the mouths of the Sea the South Wind flies, from the sandhills and the stones;
The wailing of the gulls it bears, and at the gate it moans.
‘What news from the South, O sighing wind, do you bring to me at eve?
Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve.’
‘Ask not of me where he doth dwell – so many bones there lie
On the white shores and the dark shores under the stormy sky;
So many have passed down Anduin to find the flowing Sea.
Ask of the North Wind news of them the North Wind sends to me!’
‘O Boromir! Beyond the gate the seaward road runs south,
But you came not with the wailing gulls from the grey sea’s mouth.’

From the Gate of Kings the North Wind rides, and past the roaring falls;
And clear and cold about the tower its loud horn calls.
‘What news from the North O mighty wind, do you bring to me today?
What news of Boromir the Bold? For he is long away.’
‘Beneath Amon Hen I heard his cry. There many foes he fought.
His cloven shield, his broken sword, they to the water brought.
His head so proud, his face so fair, his limbs they laid to rest;
And Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, bore him upon its breast.’
‘O Boromir! The Tower of Guard shall ever northward gaze
To Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, until the end of days.’

I love Treebeard! Hm hoom…

From The Lord of the Rings
THE TWO TOWERS, BOOK III, CHAPTER IV
By J.R.R. Tolkien

ENT
When Spring unfolds the beechen leaf, and sap is in the bough;
When light is on the wild-wood stream, and wind is on the brow;
When stride is long, and breath is deep, and keen the mountain-air,
Come back to me! Come back to me, and say my land is fair!

ENTWIFE
When Spring is come to garth and field, and corn is in the blade;
When blossom like a shining snow is on the orchard laid;
When shower and Sun upon the Earth with fragrance fill the air,
I’ll linger here, and will not come, because my land is fair.

ENT
When Summer lies upon the world, and in a noon of gold
Beneath the roof of sleeping leaves the dreams of trees unfold;
When woodland halls are green and cool, and wind is in the West,
Come back to me! Come back to me, and say my land is best!

ENTWIFE
When Summer warms the hanging fruit and burns the berry brown;
When straw is gold, and ear is white, and harvest comes to town;
When honey spills, and apple swells, though wind be in the West,
I’ll linger here beneath the Sun, because my land is best!

ENT
When Winter comes, the winter wild that hill and wood shall slay;
When trees shall fall and starless night devour the sunless day;
When wind is in the deadly East, then in the bitter rain
I’ll look for thee, and call to thee; I’ll come to thee again!

ENTWIFE
When Winter comes, and singing ends; when darkness falls at last;
When broken is the barren bough, and light and labour past;
I’ll look for thee, and wait for thee, until we meet again:
Together we will take the road beneath the bitter rain!

BOTH
Together we will take the road that leads into the West,
And far away will find a land were both our hearts may rest.

Yes, yet another Tolkien entry. This reflects my mood today.

From The Lord of the Rings
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, BOOK II, CHAPTER III
By J.R.R. Tolkien

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.

I can’t help it! I have to post about LotR again! I love that the Hobbits appreciate a good brew!

From The Lord of the Rings
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, BOOK I, CHAPTER IV
By J.R.R. Tolkien

Ho! Ho! Ho! To the bottle I go
To heal my heart and drown my woe.
Rain may fall and wind may blow,
And many miles be still to go,
But under a tall tree I will lie,
And let the clouds go sailing by.

Have I mentioned that I have an obsessive personality? You might expect more entries like this while I’m reading anything Tolkien.

From The Lord of the Rings
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, BOOK I, CHAPTER II
By J.R.R. Tolkien

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.

I’m nearly done with The Silmarillion. I love it! All I have left is the last part: Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, but I know that part. It will be good to have a summary before I start rereading The Lord of the Rings. Today’s poem is from my favorite chapter of The Silmarillion.

From The Silmarillion
OF BEREN AND LÚTHIEN
By J.R.R. Tolkien

Farwell sweet earth and northern sky,
for ever blest, since here did lie
and here with lissom limbs did run
beneath the Moon, beneath the Sun,
Lúthien Tinúviel
more fair than mortal tongue can tell.
Though all to ruin fell the world
and were dissolved and backward hurled
unmade into the old abyss,
yet were its making good, for this—
the dusk, the dawn, the earth, the sea—
that Lúthien for a time should be.

Did I mention that I love LotR?

Fish Riddle
FROM THE LORD OF THE RINGS
By J.R.R. Tolkien

Alive without breath;
as cold as death;
never thirsting, ever drinking;
clad in mail, never clinking.
Drowns on dry land,
thinks an island
is a mountain;
thinks a fountain
is a puff of air.
So sleek, so fair!
   What a joy to meet!
We only wish
to catch a fish,
   so juicy-sweet!

Oliphaunt
FROM THE LORD OF THE RINGS
By J.R.R. Tolkien

Grey as a mouse,
Big as a house,
Nose like a snake,
I make the earth shake,
As I tramp through the grass;
Trees crack as I pass.
With horns in my mouth
I walk in the South,
Flapping big ears.
Beyond count of years
I stump round and round,
Never lie on the ground,
Not even to die.
Oliphaunt am I,
Biggest of all,
Huge, old, and tall.
If ever you’d meet me
You wouldn’t forget me.
If you never do,
You won’t think I’m true;
But old Oliphaunt am I,
And I never lie.