04-18-2006, 03:51 PM | #1 |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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Lay of Leithian Fans Unite!
Are you a lover of Tolkien's literature? Are you are a lover of his poetry? Do you think the Lay of Leithian is ****ing awesome? Then this is the thread for you! All Leithianers, come together and spread the word! Bring the true Light, the beauty of this most sacred Lay to the heathen non-Tolkienites, to the "I've only read the Lord of the Rings" folk, and especially to the blasphemous "The Lord of the Rings was based on a book?" heretics.
Unite, Leithianers, and Proselytise! (Also, discuss your favourite parts, and the singular beauty of this text among yourselves.)
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Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle Last edited by Gwaimir Windgem : 04-18-2006 at 05:21 PM. |
04-18-2006, 04:03 PM | #2 |
of the House of Bëor
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*raises hand*
I am! I am! I do! But, it's late in the night here... I'll come back tomorrow with a fresher and probably functioning brain, I promise... ...wandering music, warbling wild, for love of Thingol's elfin child....
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04-18-2006, 04:34 PM | #3 |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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Thu chanted a song of wizardry,
of piercing, opening, of treachery, revealing, uncovering, betraying. Then sudden Felagund there swaying sang in answer a song of staying, resisting, battling against power, of secrets kept, strength like a tower, of trust unbroken, of freedom, escape, of changing and of shifting shape, of snares eluded, broken traps, the prison opening, the chain that snaps. Backwards and forwards swayed their song. Reeling and foundering, as ever more strong Thu's chanting swelled, Felagund fought, and all the magic and and might he brought of Elfinesse into his words. Softly in the gloom they heard the birds, singing afar in Nargothrond, the sighing of the sea beyond, beyond the Western world, on sand, on sand of pearls, in Elvenland. ... ...and black the ravens sat and cried upon their banners black, and wide was heard their hideous chanting dread above the reek and trampled dead.
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Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle |
04-18-2006, 04:41 PM | #4 |
The Lovely Hobbit-Lass
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*raises hand* Oh, me! I love the poem! I have tons of favourite parts, but I don't own the book so I cannot quote them here. I like the beginning, where it is describing Luthien--very evocative and pretty.
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It's New Years Day, just like the day before; Same old skies of grey, same empty bottles on the floor. Another year's gone by, and I was thinking once again, How can I take this losing hand and somehow win? Just give me One Good Year To get my feet back on the ground. I've been chasing grace; Grace ain't so easily found One bad hand can devil a man, chase him and carry him down. I've got to get out of here, just give me One Good Year! |
04-18-2006, 04:44 PM | #5 |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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My favourite section is the first one I cited. I have it (and a few lines after) more or less memorised. I had to look up "singing afar in Nargothrond," though.
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Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle |
04-18-2006, 04:51 PM | #6 |
Word Santa Claus
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Ooh! Ooh! I love that poem! I recited the first 2 cantos for my English class in 12th grade. We had to memorize a poem at least 8 lines long twice each semester. The record was something like 370 lines, so I went the whole hog and hit both cantos. It took 16 minutes to recite, and I was going fast... I think most of the class fell asleep. But DAMN that was fun.
A king there was in days of old Ere men yet walked upon the mold His power was reared in cavern's shade His hand was over glen and glade His shields were shining as the moon His lances keen of steel were hewn Enchantment did his realm enfold Where might and glory, wealth untold He wielded from his ivory throne In many pillared halls of stone. There beryl, pearl and opal pale And metal wrought like fishes' mail Buckler and corset, axe and sword And shining spears were laid in hoard. All these he had, and loved them less Than a maid once in Elfinesse For fairer than are born to men A daughter had he, Luthien. That might not be word-perfect, but it WAS 3 years ago... (and no, that's not all I remember, but it goes to a break).
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Sufficient to have stood, yet free to fall. |
04-18-2006, 04:58 PM | #7 |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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I can imagine; I envy you!
*wants to memorise the whole thing now*
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Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle |
04-18-2006, 05:42 PM | #8 |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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I love that work!!!
Some of my fav. parts are Fingolfin's challenge, and the bit where Beren jumps in front of Luthien to save her from the wolf, with no weapons but his hands - but no time to quote it now ... GTG!
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç å ™ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
04-19-2006, 02:35 AM | #9 |
of the House of Bëor
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Wow, Count!
The longest Tolkien I memorized was the Eärendil-poem from LOTR, but now I tend to mix it up... And Gwaimir, I love the song-duel part too And this one: Farewell, Tinúviel, starlit maiden! Ere the pale winter pass snowladen, I will return, not thee to buy with any jewel of Elfinesse, but to find my love in loveliness, a flower that grows beneath the sky. (might not be 100% accurate...) Have you thought of that how enormous work it would be to translate this? Poetry is the hardest to translate, IMO, and such poetry?... I've been pondering this because, apparently, here they stopped translating & publishing the HoME after Lost Tales I-II... Probably looked at HoME#3 and gave up... So, the parts in the Silmarillion are the only ones ever translated, as far as I know. The song-duel, and Beren's farewell when he is leaving Lúthien. I treasure every line.
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04-19-2006, 12:42 PM | #10 |
AngAdan
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Its is the very soul of JRRT's ME works.
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Gaius Mucius Scaevola Older, richer, and wiser than you "Mighty are the Ainur, and mightiest among them is Melkor, but that he may know, and all the Ainur, that I am Iluvatar, those things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, ... And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me," |
04-19-2006, 12:44 PM | #11 |
Domesticated Swing Babe
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Anduril and I wrote our own Lay......the Lay of Lizra (and Bop)......
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04-19-2006, 12:50 PM | #12 |
Elf Lord
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Favorite piece of Tolkien's work ever...! Especially love the very end of Beren's farewell speech/song.
Though all to ruin fell the world and were destroyed and backward hurled unmade into the old abyss yet were its making good for this: The earth, the sun, the sky, the sea, that Luthien for a time should be! I wish I had my copy here with me... but it's at home, all the way cross the country. *WAIL*
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04-19-2006, 01:15 PM | #13 | |
the Shrike
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It is beautiful, but I like Narn i Chîn Húrin more, sorry!
Quote:
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04-19-2006, 01:49 PM | #14 | |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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Quote:
Whazza matter, Beardy? Poetry not good enough for ya?
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Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle |
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04-19-2006, 10:37 PM | #15 |
Sapling
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mahalo
Thanks for starting this thread. This is the most beautiful story I have ever read and it takes place in the most beautiful world that has ever come to be. I love that Luthien comes to rescue Beren. And that it wouldn't have been possible without her loyal hound. If only there were more Berens in our world.
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06-01-2006, 08:26 AM | #16 |
I'm Eru, and lord of Arda.
Join Date: May 2006
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If you haven't got the poem with you, then there's this website, with the (almost) full poem on it:
http://hem.passagen.se/cirdan/leithian.html And my faverate bit is: In that vast shadow once of yore Fingolfin stood: his shield he bore with field of heaven's blue and star of crystal shining pale afar. In overmastering wrath and hate desperate he smote upon that gate, the Gnomish king, there standing lone, while endless fortresses of stone engulfed the thin clear ringing keen of silver horn on baldric green. His hopeless challenge dauntless cried Fingolfin there: 'Come, open wide, dark king, you ghatsly brazen doors! Come forth, whom earth and heaven abhors! Come forth, O monstruous craven lord, and fight with thine own hand and sword, thou wielder of hosts of banded thralls, thou tyrant leaguered with strong walls, thou foe of Gods and elvish race! I wait thee here. Come! Show thy face!' Then Morgoth came. For the last time in those great wars he dared to climb from subterranean throne profound, the rumour of his feet a 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 o'er the gleaming king it bowed, as huge aloft like mace he hurled that hammer of the underworld, Grond. Clanging to ground it tumbled down like a thunder-bolt, and crumbled the rocks beneath it; smoke up-started, a pit yawned, and a fire darted. Fingolfin like a shooting light beneath a cloud, a stab of white, sprang then aside, and Ringil drew like ice that gleameth cold and blue, his sword devised of elvish skill to pierce the flesh with deadly chill. With seven wounds it rent his foe, and seven mighty cries of woe rang in the mountains, and the earth quook, and Angband's trembling armies shook. Yet Orcs would after laughing tell of the duel at the gates of hell; though elvish song thereof was made ere this but one - when sad was laid the mighty king in barrow high and Thorndor, Eagle of the sky, the dreadful tidings brought and told to mourning Elfinesse of old. Thrice was Fingolfin with great blows to his knees beaten, thrice he rose still leaping up beneath the cloud aloft to hold star-shining, proud, his stricken shield, his sundered helm, that dark nor might could overwhelm till all the earth was burst and rent in pits about him. He was spent. His feet stumbled. He fell to wreck upon the ground, and on his neck a foot like rooted hills was set, and he was crushed - not conquered yet; one last despairing stroke he gave: the mighty foot pale Ringil clave about the heel, and black the blood gushed as from smoking fount in flood. Halt goes for ever from that stroke great Morgoth; but the king he broke, and would have hewn and mangled thrown to wolves devouring. Lo! from throne that Manwë bade him build on high, on peak unscaled beneath the sky, Morgoth to watch, now down there swooped Thorndor the King of Eagles, stooped, and rending beak of gold he smote in Bauglir's face, then up did float on pinions thirty fathoms wide bearing away, though loud they cried, the mighty corse, the elven-king; and where the mountains make a ring far to the south about that plain where after Gondolin did reign, embattled city, at great height upon a dizzy snowcap white in mounded cairn the mighty dead he laid upon the mountain's head. Never Orc nor demon after dared that pass to climb, o'er which they stared Fingolfin's high and holy tomb, till Gondolin's appointed doom. Read it all the way through because you'll find (if you read the sil), that this is mush better then is in the book.
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06-01-2006, 11:16 AM | #17 |
I'm Eru, and lord of Arda.
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if anyone can find the full poem tolken wrote, on the internet, then that would be brill.
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Vote for me, Jammi567, in the 2008 Entmoot elections, and you will get many of the things we need: free, unbiased, newspapers; a strong alliance with many countries, so that war doesn't start over someone breaking their nose on a doorframe; etc, etc This forum is lonely. It's new and confused, and doesn't have many friends yet. Help today by joining for free, posting, and posting this message and link in your sig. So please, join and help make it feel welcomed and loved. |
06-01-2006, 11:38 AM | #18 | |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç å ™ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
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06-01-2006, 03:23 PM | #19 | |
Dreamweaver
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Lord, what fools these mortals be! ---------------- We are the music-makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams, Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams; World-losers and world-forsakers, On whom the pale moon gleams: Yet we are the movers and shakers Of the world for ever, it seems. ---------------- Shanti, shanti, shantih... |
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06-01-2006, 03:35 PM | #20 | |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle |
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