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Tolkien's saddest poems?
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Author:  Sinbearer [ June 13th, 2006, 2:57 am ]
Post subject:  Tolkien's saddest poems?
My boys were really shaken by the death of Gandolf. Yesterday my oldest
wrote out this poem and handed it to me with misty eyes and simply said, "Dad, it's so sad!"

Frodo's Lament for Gandalf

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 throny 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.

He's right...it is sad. Each of us has wondered, "How did Tolkien pull off such great poetry that is so moving and universally loved by kids and adults alike?"

What poem or verse of a poem saddens you most in LotR?
Author:  Meldawen [ June 13th, 2006, 3:56 pm ]
Post subject: 
The one that makes me saddest is Galadriel's song..."I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew..." that one. It seems like she's looking back on all that there used to be that faded and was lost, and how the magic in the world has almost vanished, and soon the elves will leave.
Author:  Lady Erana [ June 13th, 2006, 4:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
For some reason Galadriel's Quenya poem "Ai! Laurie lantar lassi surinen ..." is the saddest for me. I learned it by heart on elvish, and it just reminds me of her long life, all she has been through and how she would love to go home to Valinor again.
It is rather similar to yours, Meldawen, but the elvish poem toughes me more, maybe because of the fact that it is elvish... I don't know.
Author:  vikingmaiden [ June 14th, 2006, 7:56 am ]
Post subject: 
Those are really great ones!


Lament for Boromir


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 hears, 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 me not of 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 sheild, 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.'
Author:  Sinbearer [ June 15th, 2006, 12:11 am ]
Post subject:  Makes my heart tremble...
Sung by Aragorn and Legolas...It is really moving how they both sing it...and it makes my heart tremble every time I read it.
Author:  Calathiel [ June 16th, 2006, 1:38 pm ]
Post subject: 
Almost every poem by Tolkien has something sad in it, I personally like the song Sam sang about Gil-galad when they were on Weathertop, even though it isn't complete. I guess that makes me want to read it completly :)
All of Tolkiens poems, and especially the one Galadriel sang in Quenya, inspires me to write poetry of my own, so much of work is a little sad...
Author:  Larael [ June 17th, 2006, 6:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
There are so many poems that really tug at my heart strings found all through out LotR. Many you have all ready mentioned, but another is the message/poem sent to Legolas from Galadriel.

Legolas Greenleaf long under tree
In joy thou hast 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 sense of foreboding of what is to come makes it sad for both the reader and Legolas. His life has now been planned for him almost, and though he does not wish this to happen, he know's it must.
Author:  GDwarning94 [ June 18th, 2006, 5:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
Lament for Boromir is also the saddest one for me..
Author:  Lady Erana [ June 18th, 2006, 5:07 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yes, this poem is one of my most favourite! I love it! Sooo sad! :'(
Author:  Taurquende [ June 18th, 2006, 8:22 pm ]
Post subject: 
My favorite has always been Nimrodel's song in FotR.

An Elven-maid there was of old,
A shining star by day:
Her mantle white was hemmed with gold,
Her shoes of silver-grey.

A star was bound upon her brows,
A light was on her hair
As sun upon the golden boughs
In Lórien the fair.

Her hair was long, her limbs were white,
And fair she was and free;
And in the wind she went as light
As leaf of linden-tree.

Beside the falls of Nimrodel,
By water clear and cool,
Her voice as falling silver fell
Into the shining pool.

Where now she wanders none can tell,
In sunlight or in shade;
For lost of yore was Nimrodel
And in the mountains strayed.

The elven-ship in haven grey
Beneath the mountain-lee
Awaited her for many a day
Beside the roaring sea.

A wind by night in Northern lands
Arose, and loud it cried,
And drove the ship from elven-strands
Across the streaming tide.

When dawn came dim the land was lost,
The mountains sinking grey
Beyond the heaving waves that tossed
Their plumes of blinding spray.

Amroth beheld the fading shore
Now low beyond the swell,
And cursed the faithless ship that bore
Him far from Nimrodel.

Of old he was an Elven-king,
A lord of tree and glen,
When golden were the boughs in spring
In fair Lothlórien.

From helm to sea they saw him leap,
As arrow from the string,
And dive into water deep,
As mew upon the wing.

The wind was in his flowing hair,
The foam about him shone;
Afar they saw him strong and fair
Go riding like a swan.

But from the West has come no word,
And on the Hither Shore
No tidings Elven-folk have heard
Of Amroth evermore.
Author:  Nauriel Rochnur [ June 18th, 2006, 11:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
One of the saddest poems. Every time I read it I get shivers

Lament for the Rohirrim
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?

They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow.
Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning,
Or behold the flowing years from the sea returning?
Author:  Lady Erana [ June 19th, 2006, 1:07 am ]
Post subject: 
I love all these poems!!! But one of the saddest is the song of the Ents and Entwives!
Author:  Sinbearer [ June 20th, 2006, 3:19 am ]
Post subject:  Sadness....
Calathiel wrote:
Almost every poem by Tolkien has something sad in it......so much of his work is a little sad...


I see what you mean. I guess desparate times bring sadness....

But is it Elton John that sings, "Sad Song Say So Much"? They really do!
Author:  Calathiel [ June 22nd, 2006, 6:34 am ]
Post subject: 
I agree,
When I see more war, unnecessary victems and pain on the news, I think of some of Tolkiens poems and wish I'd be in the Undying Lands with the Elves. Sometimes I make poems myself about it, but most of the time it stinks, especially if you compare it to Tolkiens work! :confuzzled:
Author:  Sinbearer [ June 22nd, 2006, 10:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Our place...
I hear you Calathiel! This world is a pretty painful and sad place.

CS Lewis commented that Tolkien’s LotR had "a profound melancholy." The ending is tearfully sad. Frodo exhausts himself and cannot even enjoy the fruit of his labor in ME. The evil threat is destroyed but the triumph is only temporary. Evil will reinvent itself in some alarming new form, and the free creatures of Middle Earth will have to fight it yet again.

To get out of bed, to answer the phone, to open the door, to fetch the mail—such everyday activities have eternal consequence and plunge us plunge us into the river of time…into the struggle. From the greatest to the smallest acts of courage and cowardice, we travel irresistibly on the path toward ultimate joy or final ruin.

I think for Tolkien the chief question—and thus the real quest—is how you and I are to travel along this troublesome Road. The great temptation is to take short-cuts, to follow the easy way, to arrive quickly. In ME magic offers the surest escape from slowness and suffering.

The destruction of the Ring is nothing less than Frodo's vocation. And in following his torturous path through to the end, he does far more than save his beloved Shire from ruin. Frodo learns—and thus teaches us—what for Tolkien is the deepest of all Christian truths: how to surrender one's life, how to lose one's treasure, how to die, and thus how truly to live.

As you engage in your part of this quest, Calathiel, I think your experience and feelings are every bit as valid as Tolkien’s. I like the way you think and I am sure there is a place for your poetic thoughts in this world.
Author:  nightcrawler [ June 24th, 2006, 5:19 pm ]
Post subject: 
The saddest one for me as well is Lament for Boromir. It is so touching.
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