What's your favorite bit of poetry from the books?

[Tinuviel sings again]

My favorite is probably the song that Sam sings when he's in Mordor, and he's trying to rescue Frodo from the Orcs who captured him after Shelob stung him:

Though here at journy's end I lie
in darkness buried deep
beyond all towers strong and high
beyond all mountains steep
above all shadows rides the sun
and stars forever dwell
I will not say the day is done
Nor bid the stars farewell

I also love the poem Bilbo recites:

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...

J.R.R Tolkien was a master with words!

[Wayfarer]

Fancy that.

I memorized several of tolkien's poems when I was younger. Gimli's song is a good one.

The world was young, the mountains green.
No stain yet on the moon was seen.
No words were laid on stream or stone,
when Durin woke and walked alone.
He named the nameless hills and dells,
and drank from yet untasted wells.
He stooped and looked in mirrormere,
and saw a crown of stars appear
as gems upon a silver thread,
above the shadow of his head

The world was young, the mountains tall
in elder days before the fall,
of mighty kings in nargothrond
and gondolin, who now beyond
the western seas have passed away
the world was fair in durins day.

A king he was on a carven throne,
in many pillared halls of stone
with golden roof, and silver floor,
and runes of power upon the door.
The light of sun and star and moon,
in shining lamps of crystal hewn,
undimmed by cloud or shade of night,
there shone forever fair and bright.

There hammer on the anvil smote.
the chisil clove, the graver wrote.
there forged was blade and bound was hilt,
the delver mined, the mason built
there diamond, ruby, and opal pale
and metal wrought like fishes mail,
buckler and corslet, axe and sword
and shining spears he laid in hoard.

unwearied then were durins folk,
beneath the mountain music woke
the harper played, the minstral sang
and at the gates the trumpet rang

the world is gray, the mountains old
the forges fire is ashen cold
no harp is wrung, no hammer falls
and darkness dwells in durin's hall.
there shadow lies upon his tomb,
in moria, in khazad-dum
yet still the sunken stars appear
in dark and windless mirrormere
there lies his crown in water deep
till during wakes again from sleep.

That's all from memory. And a fantastic bit of song it is! expecially the last verse, it really gives you an idea of how things have changed since the elder days.

[Tinuviel sings again]

Nice memorizing job

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear,
O crystal queen beyond the Seas.
O light to us that wander here...

That's all I remember of that one. Not very impressive. But also:

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells,
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells.

And so forth.

[Tinuviel sings again]

I don't know if anyone here has ever listened to the BBC dramatization of LoTR, but they have one (Ian Holm plays Frodo...) I like when Sam sings the song about Gilgalad. I don't really like the words that much, but if anyone here has heard the tune, you'd probably think it was cool too.

[Wayfarer]

Yeah, that's a good one.

[The Lady of the Wood]

ooh i LOVe all that is gold does not glitter

[Ms. Undomial]

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost,
The old that are strong do not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From 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!

Ah yes, lovely poetry, I memorized that one, along with a few others, but now that is the only one I remember.

[Rían]

Originally posted by Tinuviel sings again
I don't know if anyone here has ever listened to the BBC dramatization of LoTR, but they have one (Ian Holm plays Frodo...) I like when Sam sings the song about Gilgalad. I don't really like the words that much, but if anyone here has heard the tune, you'd probably think it was cool too.

I don't know the melody, but for me, it's the words that are so beautiful and poignant...

Gil-Galad was an elven king
Of him the harpers sadly sing
The last whose realm was fair and free
Between the mountains and the sea....

I wrote it out in Tengwar for the "Writing in Tengwar" thread people (of whom Ms. U is one ) click here to see Gil-Galad in Tengwar

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Cool! Is that in Englis, or translated into Sindarin/Quenya?

[Rían]

It's English-mode Tengwar (which means I'm writing phonetic English using Tengwar symbols, the symbols (supposedly)developed by Fëanor). It's really enjoyable, and we had quite a lively thread going for several months. There's also Tengwar modes for Quenya and Sindarin, but I don't use them. I'm just not up to learning Quenya or Sindarin, esp. since they aren't completed languages, and as usual, Tolkien fiddled around with them and there are various versions, IIRC. I think Ms. U. is learning Quenya, though. Writing in Tengwar gives me a feel of Middle Earth and the elves (see my title ), while not putting me through the difficulty of learning a new language.

[Lizra]

I'm not sure about "favorite", I'd have to reread them all again! I really like Bilbo's song when he's saying goodbye to Frodo at Rivendell...

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 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.

[Estel13]

The best is my sig. I'm working on memorizing it.

[Ithildin55]

My favorite is Legolas' Song of the Sea found in RotK:

“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 forever!”

It so poignantly expresses the sea longing experienced by so many of the Elves.

I also especially like Aragorn's "All that is gold does not glitter" rhyme and Bilbo's walking song, "The Road goes ever on and on..."

Other favorites include the portion of the Lay of Leithian concerning Fingolfin's combat with Morgoth and the parts recounting Finrod's participation in Beren’s quest for the silmaril.

Ithildin

[cassiopeia]

I like Bilbo's poem in Rivendell as well, especially:

I sit beside the fire and think,
of people long ago,
and people who shall see a world,
that I shall never know.

I ponder those type of things as well, so I suppose that is why it's my favorite.

I also like the poem in my sig, a part from Bilbo's Last Song.

[Lollypopgurl]

My sig, definitely. I'm gonna write it in tengwar on my mirror. ^^