A Hobbit's Tale

:: Poems and Songs by Tolkien from The Lord Of The Rings ::

Tolkien wrote many poems and songs and used them in his books. Here you can read some of them. Only some of the names which are given to the poems are the names that Tolkien himself gave. When we couldn't find a name, we have added one ourselves.

The Road Goes On
This little song was invented by Bilbo. He sang it when he left Bag End at his 111th birthday.
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 path and errands meet. And wither then ? I cannot say

The walking-Song
Bilbo once has wrote this song, and he taught it to Frodo as they walked in the lanes of the Water-Valley and talked about adventure. Frodo sang this song at the evening of the day when they had just seen the Black Rider for the first time. He tried to cheer Pippin and Sam up by singing it.
	Upon the hearth the firs is red, Beneath the roof there is a bed; But not yet weary are our feet Still round the corner we may meet A sudden tree or standing stone That none have seen but we alone Tree and flower and leaf and grass, Let him pass ! Let him pass ! Hill and water under sky Pass them by ! Pass them by ! Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate And though we pass them by today, Tomorrow we may come this way And take the hidden path that run Towards the Moon or to the Sun. Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe, Let them go ! Let them go ! Sand and stone and pool and dell, Fare you well ! Fare you well ! Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many path to tread Through shadows to the edge of night Until the stars are all alight. Then world behind and home ahead, We'll wander back to home and bed. Mist and twilight, cloud and shade, Away shall fade ! Away shall fade ! Fire and lamp and meat and bread, And then to bed ! And then to bed !

Strider
Bilbo made this poem. It describes Aragorn, son of Arathorn.
	All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wonder are lost, The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadow shall spring, Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.

Boromir's dream
This poem describes a dream Boromir had on his journey to the Council of Elrond. He didn't understand it and asked Elrond about ist meaning.
	Seek for the sword that was broken : In Imladris it dwells; There shall be counsels taken Stronger then Morgul-spells. There shall be shown a token That Doom is near at hand, For Isildur's Bane shall waken, And the Halfling forth shall stand.

About Moria
One of the few songs, or probably the only song, Gimli sang. When the Fellowship of the Ring entered Moria, he wants them to know that this place has not always been so dangerous and dark.
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; / He 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 fair, the mountain 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 Durin's Day. A king he was on cavern 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 shown for ever fair and bright. There hammer on the anvil smote / There chisel clove, and graver wrote; There forged was blade, and bound was hilt / The delver mined, the mason built. There beryl, pearl, and opal pale, / And metal wrought like fishe's mail, Buckler and corslet, axe and sword, / And shining spears were laid in hoard. Unwearied then were Durin's folk; / Beneath the mountains music woke; Then harpers harped; the minstrels sang; / And at the gates the trumpets rang. The world is grey, the mountains old; / The forgen's fire is ashen-cold, No harpe is wrung, no hummer falls, / The darkness dwells in Durin's halls, The shadow lies upon his tomb, / In Moria, in Khazad-Dûm. But still the sunken stars appear / In dark and windless Mirrormere There lies his crwon in water deep / Till Durin wakes again from sleep.

Amroth and Nimrodel
Legolas sand that song when the Fellowship of the Ring enterd the woods of Lórien and reached the river Nimrodel.
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 A 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 Besides the falls of Nimrodel, / By water clear and cool Her voice as falling silver fell / Into the shinning 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 weaving 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 and 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 arrows from the string And dive into the 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
------- know more about the tale of Amroth and Nimrodel.

The Pilgrim Grey
Frodo sang this song in Lórien. After Gandalf's death it was the first time that Frodo was able to express his sadness.
	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 tongue he spoke A deadly sword, a healing hand A back that bent beneath ist load A trumpet voice, a bruning 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 thorny 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.
	Sam added this verse :
	The finest rockets ever seen, The burst in stars of blue and green; Or after thunder golden showers Came falling like a rain of flowers.