A Hobbit Vid and some poems
I've finally made a Middle Earth vid. This is a happy Hobbit vid for my friend Susannah.
Here are a few of my old Middle Earth related poems:
Before Parting.
Until we stand there at the shore
I will not know what words may come
Or how I'll say farewell to one
Who held my hope when I was numb,
Who bore me when I could not stand
Across a dark and hopeless waste
And never turned away from me
Whatever evil thing we faced.
I'll weep, I know. Well, who would not?
You were my friend when friends were few,
Could I have picked from all who'd lived,
I'd find no better friend than you.
This journey cannot yet be yours
Though I will hope someday to see
A sail upon the shining waves
To bring dear Samwise there to me.
For now, I cannot bid you go,
Too many things now bind you here,
So I will weep, and so will you,
Yet there is beauty in our tears,
For we have seen the darkest things
That ever faced those doomed to die
Yet came alive back home and found
Our hearts are soft enough to cry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wormtongue.
It was always easy for me,
To see their weakness and use it.
Not blessed with looks or charm,
I gained friends by making friends fall out.
I consoled them, shaking my head at the cruelty.
I spoke my contempt for the faithless heart,
Secretly rejoicing in my own.
I owed them nothing! Who had shown me love?
I wanted it unpaid for and unearned.
Those who were kind I hated more,
Seeing their weakness more clearly than my own.
Éomer's honour showed my lack,
But I could break his heart
And send him into exile.
A host of lies, each breach of trust,
The prelude to a thousand more.
In the night I howled with rage,
Within the echoes of my empty heart,
And hated those who did not hate themselves.
The open heart became a target,
The kindly smile a thing to break.
Greyhame looked at me and saw my darkness
And I hated his uncompromising light.
Wormtongue, they call me, well let them!
There are brighter prizes than affection.
If gold is cold, at least it glitters.
A warm heart can only bleed.
Still I shall spend the night in emptiness,
Knowing I am this nothing by my choice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nine.
There will be no farewell, no severing of ties.
We will not say, "It was, but now no more."
We will not say, "He was my friend" but rather
"He is my brother, now and evermore."
I will not say my kingship cancels friendship
I will not turn away and think no more
Of those who stood beside me in the darkness,
Those friends who gave me strength in time of war.
I will not think of them as erstwhile comrades,
Or say that death or westering divides
Those who have risked all that they had in battle
When death, despair and dread came from all sides.
We stood as one, though distance came between us,
As one, defied things ruthless and malign,
Though all the world be changed or cast asunder,
I say and always will say, "We are nine!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Little Things.
Kings and kingdoms have done their best.
Great forces have ridden to battle.
Powers have been unleashed in conflict,
But now we trust in little things.
Hope lies in the strength of two halflings,
The bonds of their long friendship.
In the end, it will come to a single step
And whether Frodo can make it or not.
We can draw the eye away from them,
But cannot stir their feet upon that dark journey
Or still the fears of hearts unused to darkness.
We trust in the strength of the Shire,
Of friendship that grew in gentler pastures
And now finds a test few friendships ever face.
We trust in little things, in love and courage
In souls that were never born for battle,
Never trained to fight despair.
We trust that they can do what we could not,
That they have greater strength than Isildur,
Not through being stronger, but in innocence.
We ask too much, because there is no other
To take this task from two who did not seek it.
Yet now, in the last hours of our hope,
I look to the east and find, to my surprise,
That I believe that they can do it.
My faith in little things is strong today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News for Goldberry.
Now something new begins,
Dawn is light and airy.
Life in a wild dance spins,
Suddenly less wary.
Sweet are the whisperings
Borne by the water.
Sweet are the tidings Tom
Brings the river-daughter.
Gold ring and dreadful lord,
And their evil ended.
Bright shine the deeds of those
You and Tom befriended.
All now returns to peace,
Sweet flows the water.
King's on his proper throne,
Tom, with river-daughter.
Goldberry, Goldberry, glad the news returning,
Elves soon will cross the sea, end their ancient yearning.
Hobbits will hurry home, hasten to hearthside,
Men have the mastery they were so long denied.
Great is the gaiety, sweet is the laughter.
Darkness has lingered long, dawn follows after.
Now comes a clearer day, now fairer weather,
Let's gather lilies now and celebrate together!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas Before the Last Battle
If I die, as my grandfather died,
In battle against darkness, against him,
I have no regrets, my life was good.
What good is an immortal life
Linked with unending remorse?
So life would be, if I lived at the expense of men,
If ancient allegiances were ended by me.
I know his worth, the hope of men.
I see the light of kingship in his eyes.
The darkness of an age flees from it.
Death's shadow shrinks from his glance.
If I die to enthrone Aragorn, I will be glad.
In the mass of lives lost, what is one more?
No price is too high if I can pay it
And this currency is in my hands to give.
There seems to be no hope,
Yet so it seemed before, on another field,
Then we saw the eagles flying to our aid.
Many things can happen under the bright sun.
Hope is not dead because we cannot see it.
There are always friends to fight beside me,
Always a reason to fight through the darkness.
Always, always, there are eagles,
And their great wings may overshadow the darkness
And there may be cries of victory still to be heard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click to viewHere are a few of my old Middle Earth related poems:
Before Parting.
Until we stand there at the shore
I will not know what words may come
Or how I'll say farewell to one
Who held my hope when I was numb,
Who bore me when I could not stand
Across a dark and hopeless waste
And never turned away from me
Whatever evil thing we faced.
I'll weep, I know. Well, who would not?
You were my friend when friends were few,
Could I have picked from all who'd lived,
I'd find no better friend than you.
This journey cannot yet be yours
Though I will hope someday to see
A sail upon the shining waves
To bring dear Samwise there to me.
For now, I cannot bid you go,
Too many things now bind you here,
So I will weep, and so will you,
Yet there is beauty in our tears,
For we have seen the darkest things
That ever faced those doomed to die
Yet came alive back home and found
Our hearts are soft enough to cry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wormtongue.
It was always easy for me,
To see their weakness and use it.
Not blessed with looks or charm,
I gained friends by making friends fall out.
I consoled them, shaking my head at the cruelty.
I spoke my contempt for the faithless heart,
Secretly rejoicing in my own.
I owed them nothing! Who had shown me love?
I wanted it unpaid for and unearned.
Those who were kind I hated more,
Seeing their weakness more clearly than my own.
Éomer's honour showed my lack,
But I could break his heart
And send him into exile.
A host of lies, each breach of trust,
The prelude to a thousand more.
In the night I howled with rage,
Within the echoes of my empty heart,
And hated those who did not hate themselves.
The open heart became a target,
The kindly smile a thing to break.
Greyhame looked at me and saw my darkness
And I hated his uncompromising light.
Wormtongue, they call me, well let them!
There are brighter prizes than affection.
If gold is cold, at least it glitters.
A warm heart can only bleed.
Still I shall spend the night in emptiness,
Knowing I am this nothing by my choice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nine.
There will be no farewell, no severing of ties.
We will not say, "It was, but now no more."
We will not say, "He was my friend" but rather
"He is my brother, now and evermore."
I will not say my kingship cancels friendship
I will not turn away and think no more
Of those who stood beside me in the darkness,
Those friends who gave me strength in time of war.
I will not think of them as erstwhile comrades,
Or say that death or westering divides
Those who have risked all that they had in battle
When death, despair and dread came from all sides.
We stood as one, though distance came between us,
As one, defied things ruthless and malign,
Though all the world be changed or cast asunder,
I say and always will say, "We are nine!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Little Things.
Kings and kingdoms have done their best.
Great forces have ridden to battle.
Powers have been unleashed in conflict,
But now we trust in little things.
Hope lies in the strength of two halflings,
The bonds of their long friendship.
In the end, it will come to a single step
And whether Frodo can make it or not.
We can draw the eye away from them,
But cannot stir their feet upon that dark journey
Or still the fears of hearts unused to darkness.
We trust in the strength of the Shire,
Of friendship that grew in gentler pastures
And now finds a test few friendships ever face.
We trust in little things, in love and courage
In souls that were never born for battle,
Never trained to fight despair.
We trust that they can do what we could not,
That they have greater strength than Isildur,
Not through being stronger, but in innocence.
We ask too much, because there is no other
To take this task from two who did not seek it.
Yet now, in the last hours of our hope,
I look to the east and find, to my surprise,
That I believe that they can do it.
My faith in little things is strong today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News for Goldberry.
Now something new begins,
Dawn is light and airy.
Life in a wild dance spins,
Suddenly less wary.
Sweet are the whisperings
Borne by the water.
Sweet are the tidings Tom
Brings the river-daughter.
Gold ring and dreadful lord,
And their evil ended.
Bright shine the deeds of those
You and Tom befriended.
All now returns to peace,
Sweet flows the water.
King's on his proper throne,
Tom, with river-daughter.
Goldberry, Goldberry, glad the news returning,
Elves soon will cross the sea, end their ancient yearning.
Hobbits will hurry home, hasten to hearthside,
Men have the mastery they were so long denied.
Great is the gaiety, sweet is the laughter.
Darkness has lingered long, dawn follows after.
Now comes a clearer day, now fairer weather,
Let's gather lilies now and celebrate together!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas Before the Last Battle
If I die, as my grandfather died,
In battle against darkness, against him,
I have no regrets, my life was good.
What good is an immortal life
Linked with unending remorse?
So life would be, if I lived at the expense of men,
If ancient allegiances were ended by me.
I know his worth, the hope of men.
I see the light of kingship in his eyes.
The darkness of an age flees from it.
Death's shadow shrinks from his glance.
If I die to enthrone Aragorn, I will be glad.
In the mass of lives lost, what is one more?
No price is too high if I can pay it
And this currency is in my hands to give.
There seems to be no hope,
Yet so it seemed before, on another field,
Then we saw the eagles flying to our aid.
Many things can happen under the bright sun.
Hope is not dead because we cannot see it.
There are always friends to fight beside me,
Always a reason to fight through the darkness.
Always, always, there are eagles,
And their great wings may overshadow the darkness
And there may be cries of victory still to be heard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~