Explication of “Farewell We Call To Hearth and Hall”
When reading The Lord of the Rings, one will discover many songs and poems throughout. There is one song in The Fellowship of the Ring that stands out and blatantly brings to the surface some insight into its author: J.R.R. Tolkien. Whether it was intended or not, Tolkien wove into this song, “Farewell We Call To Hearth and Hall,” his views on life and how we as people should meet life and thereafter live. A greater understanding of both The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien can be achieved by analyzing the song’s influences (of its speakers and origins), its technical make-up, and its actual text and what it is saying.
The first step to understanding this song is to assess who the speaker is and who the audience is. The fact that this song is an event that takes place within a book complicates the latter task. There is a speaker and an audience within the book, and there is also the speaker of the book, Tolkien, and his audience, readers of The Lord of the Rings. To deal with issues in the correct order the speaker within the book should be looked at first. The speaker’s voice in the book is that of Merry and Pippin, companions of Frodo. They sing this song after Frodo agrees to let them accompany him on his journey. The audience of this song is, reflexively, the singers. So with that, and a little gratuitous Middle-earth lore, the point of their song becomes clear. Hobbits are very merry and light-hearted; they sing for pleasure. This information alone does not reveal that much about the song itself, since from a hobbit standpoint everything in it should be taken literally. So now the second speaker must be considered. J.R.R. Tolkien is the writer of the book it’s in and so obviously of the song as well. Since this song was included, it can be assumed that it is in the text for a reason. In The Lord of the Rings, the hobbits are the characters most comparable to the people of the real world. Tolkien uses the hobbits as a familiar element that makes the rest of the story more real and able to be related to. With this in mind, one should assume that whatever experiences happen to the hobbits are the ones that readers should be most concerned with understanding on a personal level, because contained within will be Tolkien’s message to his readers. If the hobbits are singing this song literally, the next step is to delve into the verses of the song for its meaning.
“Farewell We Call To Hearth and Hall” is composed very much like most other Tolkien poems or songs. Most Tolkien poems make heavy use of rhyming which this one does. It has the rhyme scheme: AABA CCDC EEFE BB. Several other poems (“The Road” for one) share the meter and rhythm of this poem, as well: iambic tetrameter. Tolkien is fairly exacting in his poetry, and in this poem once the pattern is established it is strictly adhered to. One interesting effect here is the use of internal rhyme to compliment the end rhyme. The fourth syllable (or the second stressed syllable) in every odd numbered line rhymes with the last syllable in its line. So in the first stanza for example:
Farewell we call to hearth and hall!
Though wind may blow and rain may fall,
We must away ere break of day
Far over wood and mountain tall. (li1-4)
call and hall rhyme perfectly in line one, and way and day rhyme perfectly in line three. The similarity in the first and third lines helps to make the third line fit more comfortably in with lines one, two, and four, whereas otherwise the ending rhyme scheme might make the third line seem out of place.
Now every line must be delved into to understand all the implications of this song. The first stanza sets up that the hobbits are going away, although where to is not yet important. The first line ends in an exclamation point, so it should be assumed that it is very important. “Farewell we call to hearth and hall!” (li1) Hearth and hall are stressed in this line and have the connotation of comfort, so not only are the hobbits leaving, they are leaving behind the ease of life that they have always known. The next three lines confirm this:
Though wind may blow and rain may fall,
We must away ere break of day
Far over wood and mountain tall. (li2-4)
The use of the word though at the beginning of line two reveals that they will leave, even despite adverse conditions along the way. Line three pours urgency into their journey; not only must they leave, they must leave before the dawning of the very next day. Line four then provides the expansive scope of where they must go and go through.
The second stanza expands upon the information given in the first. It tells where the hobbits are journeying to.
To Rivendell, where Elves yet dwell
In glades beneath the misty fell,” (li5-6)
The first stanza leaves the reader questioning where they must get to in such a hurry and they are immediately given an answer in the second. The hobbits are going to Rivendell, to the Elves, who live in a pristine valley in the midst of a barren plain, in the shadow of the Misty Mountains. Tolkien’s use of the word fell here is very impressive. The noun form, featured in the verse, is “a high barren field or moor,” according to Webster, but the adjective form describes something “fierce, cruel, or terrible.” With its imagery, the word brings a sense of danger to the song. “Through moor and waste we ride in haste,” simply gives more details as to where they will be traveling and reiterates their urgency. (li7) “And whither then we cannot tell.” (li8) This is classic Tolkien. He actually uses a very similar variation of this in another poem (“The Road”) a chapter earlier: “And whither then? I cannot say.” Line eight shows that the hobbits are going beyond Rivendell and don’t know their final goal.
The next stanza explores another aspect of the hobbit’s journey. It shows some of the reasons for their journey. “With foes ahead, behind us dread,” (li9) This is the reason for all the urgency and haste. Not only are there enemies all around but, they will be sleeping in open unprotected from them. “Beneath the sky shall be our bed,” (li10)
Until at last our toil be passed,
Our journey done, our errand sped. (li11-12)
This is a very important part of the song. There is a purpose to the journey. There is something to be accomplished. The specific purpose isn’t revealed here, and judging by line eight the hobbits probably don’t know it either.
The last stanza is a couplet: a break from the earlier form and a break from the earlier direction.
We must away! We must away!
We ride before the break of day! (li13-14)
It is as if the hobbits remember that they are in a hurry and in danger. They restate their need, and what they must do. With three exclamation points in two lines, an overwhelming, almost despairing, urgency is cast on the situation.
With the song fully explored, its meaning must still be translated from the literal way that the hobbits sing it to the reality implicated to the reader by Tolkien’s figurative writing. Tolkien is using this song to tell the reader how life should be dealt with. First of all, there is a purpose. It may be unknown, but it is there. There are elements that will effort to prohibit the completion of that purpose. There are enemies who will be opposition. Action must be taken. That action should be to seek find the purpose. Just as the hobbits go to Rivendell (the greatest stronghold of wisdom in Middle-earth), one must seek after wisdom and goodness, because only those things can help derive purpose. The process should be started as soon as one realizes the existence of said process. One shouldn’t stop trying to accomplish his goal until it is complete, despite the difficulty and the affliction it may cause. All of this is important. The last lines stress that point. Begin! Begin! Begin! There is no time to spare.
J.R.R. Tolkien, whether intentionally or not, hid a message in ever little part of his book. If one searches hard and deep enough, a much greater understanding of The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien can be achieved.
Works Cited
"Fell." Def. 4,5. Merriam-Webster OnLine. 13 Sept. 2005 .
Tolkien, J.R.R. “Farewell we call to hearth and hall.” The Fellowship of the Ring.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 104.
Tolkien, J.R.R. “The Road.” The Fellowship of the Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 72.
This Essay was supposed to be 900 words. This was as concise as I could be: 1,444 words.
The first step to understanding this song is to assess who the speaker is and who the audience is. The fact that this song is an event that takes place within a book complicates the latter task. There is a speaker and an audience within the book, and there is also the speaker of the book, Tolkien, and his audience, readers of The Lord of the Rings. To deal with issues in the correct order the speaker within the book should be looked at first. The speaker’s voice in the book is that of Merry and Pippin, companions of Frodo. They sing this song after Frodo agrees to let them accompany him on his journey. The audience of this song is, reflexively, the singers. So with that, and a little gratuitous Middle-earth lore, the point of their song becomes clear. Hobbits are very merry and light-hearted; they sing for pleasure. This information alone does not reveal that much about the song itself, since from a hobbit standpoint everything in it should be taken literally. So now the second speaker must be considered. J.R.R. Tolkien is the writer of the book it’s in and so obviously of the song as well. Since this song was included, it can be assumed that it is in the text for a reason. In The Lord of the Rings, the hobbits are the characters most comparable to the people of the real world. Tolkien uses the hobbits as a familiar element that makes the rest of the story more real and able to be related to. With this in mind, one should assume that whatever experiences happen to the hobbits are the ones that readers should be most concerned with understanding on a personal level, because contained within will be Tolkien’s message to his readers. If the hobbits are singing this song literally, the next step is to delve into the verses of the song for its meaning.
“Farewell We Call To Hearth and Hall” is composed very much like most other Tolkien poems or songs. Most Tolkien poems make heavy use of rhyming which this one does. It has the rhyme scheme: AABA CCDC EEFE BB. Several other poems (“The Road” for one) share the meter and rhythm of this poem, as well: iambic tetrameter. Tolkien is fairly exacting in his poetry, and in this poem once the pattern is established it is strictly adhered to. One interesting effect here is the use of internal rhyme to compliment the end rhyme. The fourth syllable (or the second stressed syllable) in every odd numbered line rhymes with the last syllable in its line. So in the first stanza for example:
Farewell we call to hearth and hall!
Though wind may blow and rain may fall,
We must away ere break of day
Far over wood and mountain tall. (li1-4)
call and hall rhyme perfectly in line one, and way and day rhyme perfectly in line three. The similarity in the first and third lines helps to make the third line fit more comfortably in with lines one, two, and four, whereas otherwise the ending rhyme scheme might make the third line seem out of place.
Now every line must be delved into to understand all the implications of this song. The first stanza sets up that the hobbits are going away, although where to is not yet important. The first line ends in an exclamation point, so it should be assumed that it is very important. “Farewell we call to hearth and hall!” (li1) Hearth and hall are stressed in this line and have the connotation of comfort, so not only are the hobbits leaving, they are leaving behind the ease of life that they have always known. The next three lines confirm this:
Though wind may blow and rain may fall,
We must away ere break of day
Far over wood and mountain tall. (li2-4)
The use of the word though at the beginning of line two reveals that they will leave, even despite adverse conditions along the way. Line three pours urgency into their journey; not only must they leave, they must leave before the dawning of the very next day. Line four then provides the expansive scope of where they must go and go through.
The second stanza expands upon the information given in the first. It tells where the hobbits are journeying to.
To Rivendell, where Elves yet dwell
In glades beneath the misty fell,” (li5-6)
The first stanza leaves the reader questioning where they must get to in such a hurry and they are immediately given an answer in the second. The hobbits are going to Rivendell, to the Elves, who live in a pristine valley in the midst of a barren plain, in the shadow of the Misty Mountains. Tolkien’s use of the word fell here is very impressive. The noun form, featured in the verse, is “a high barren field or moor,” according to Webster, but the adjective form describes something “fierce, cruel, or terrible.” With its imagery, the word brings a sense of danger to the song. “Through moor and waste we ride in haste,” simply gives more details as to where they will be traveling and reiterates their urgency. (li7) “And whither then we cannot tell.” (li8) This is classic Tolkien. He actually uses a very similar variation of this in another poem (“The Road”) a chapter earlier: “And whither then? I cannot say.” Line eight shows that the hobbits are going beyond Rivendell and don’t know their final goal.
The next stanza explores another aspect of the hobbit’s journey. It shows some of the reasons for their journey. “With foes ahead, behind us dread,” (li9) This is the reason for all the urgency and haste. Not only are there enemies all around but, they will be sleeping in open unprotected from them. “Beneath the sky shall be our bed,” (li10)
Until at last our toil be passed,
Our journey done, our errand sped. (li11-12)
This is a very important part of the song. There is a purpose to the journey. There is something to be accomplished. The specific purpose isn’t revealed here, and judging by line eight the hobbits probably don’t know it either.
The last stanza is a couplet: a break from the earlier form and a break from the earlier direction.
We must away! We must away!
We ride before the break of day! (li13-14)
It is as if the hobbits remember that they are in a hurry and in danger. They restate their need, and what they must do. With three exclamation points in two lines, an overwhelming, almost despairing, urgency is cast on the situation.
With the song fully explored, its meaning must still be translated from the literal way that the hobbits sing it to the reality implicated to the reader by Tolkien’s figurative writing. Tolkien is using this song to tell the reader how life should be dealt with. First of all, there is a purpose. It may be unknown, but it is there. There are elements that will effort to prohibit the completion of that purpose. There are enemies who will be opposition. Action must be taken. That action should be to seek find the purpose. Just as the hobbits go to Rivendell (the greatest stronghold of wisdom in Middle-earth), one must seek after wisdom and goodness, because only those things can help derive purpose. The process should be started as soon as one realizes the existence of said process. One shouldn’t stop trying to accomplish his goal until it is complete, despite the difficulty and the affliction it may cause. All of this is important. The last lines stress that point. Begin! Begin! Begin! There is no time to spare.
J.R.R. Tolkien, whether intentionally or not, hid a message in ever little part of his book. If one searches hard and deep enough, a much greater understanding of The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien can be achieved.
Works Cited
"Fell." Def. 4,5. Merriam-Webster OnLine. 13 Sept. 2005 .
Tolkien, J.R.R. “Farewell we call to hearth and hall.” The Fellowship of the Ring.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 104.
Tolkien, J.R.R. “The Road.” The Fellowship of the Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 72.
This Essay was supposed to be 900 words. This was as concise as I could be: 1,444 words.