# What's your favorite poem or song?



## Quercus (Mar 18, 2002)

One of the (many) things that I like about LOTR is all the wonderful poetry and verses that are scattered throughout the book.. I especially like the way the style of each poem is different according to the race of the people who wrote it. 

But of all the verses in the book, I would have to say that my favorite is the song that Bilbo sings after he gives Frodo Sting and the Mithril shirt.. The one that starts out:

I sit beside the fire and think
of all that I have seen,
of Meadow-flowers and butterflies
in summers that have been;

What’s your favorite poem or song in the book?


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## Legolam (Mar 18, 2002)

I always liked the ones in Elvish, even though I didn't have a clue what they said. For some reason, I've always been able to remember this one, ever since I read LOTR all those years ago (yes, I'm really that old!) and it's my favourite. I even have a tune in my head for it, although it's pretty rubbish!



> A Elbereth, Gilthoniel
> Silivren penna miriel
> O Mena aglar elenath
> Gilthoniel, A Elbereth



Apologies if it's not spelt right, as I said, it's just in my head!


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## UngattTrunn475 (Mar 18, 2002)

My personal favorite was Frodo's about Gandalf. Here's the first stanza:

_When evening in the Shire was grey
his footsteps on the Hill were heard 
before the dawn he went away
on journey long withoout a word..._


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## jks13 (Mar 18, 2002)

my fav. is the one they say through out the series.
Three rings for the elven kings under the sky,
seven for the dwarve lords in there halls of stone 
nine for mortal men doomed to die
one for the dork lord on his dark throne
in the land of mordor where the shadows lie
one ring to rule them all one ring to find them
one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
in the land of mordor where the shadows lie


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## Aldanil (Mar 18, 2002)

*narrowing the difficult choice down to three*

The hymn to Elbereth Star-kindler that Legolam mentioned has always deeply moved me; there is a melody for it that JRRT knew and approved of in Donald Swann's song-cycle The Road Goes Ever On, which also contains a setting to Tolkien's own tune of "Namarie", Galadriel's wistful farewell as the Fellowship leaves Lorien. (Not that the melody you've been carrying around in your head for so long, Legolam, wouldn't be beautiful too; Elvish and "rubbish" seems a hard mix to sustain, somehow, so I'll presume to be doubtful of your self-deprecation.)

The verses that Samwise sings to cheer himself in the Tower of Cirith Ungol still stir my heart: "I will not say that Day is done, nor bid the Stars farewell." Swann set these lines to a fine tune too, and I heard a different melody to suit them which I liked very much not long ago in the BBC Radio's adaptation of LOTR.

Treebeard's song "In the Willow-meads of Tasarinan" goes without saying as (perhaps) the one out of all I'm most fond of; some lines from it may be found in my signature below, and its never-repeating melody sounds really cool on my bassoon.

Only three "bestest" for me, then; and that's not counting the poems!


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## Tao (Mar 18, 2002)

Hm...I would post the whole thing, but it's very long. I enjoy the poem that Bilbo speaks in the Hall of Fire.


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## Eonwe (Mar 18, 2002)

Namarie

For me Galadriel's song while the Fellowship floats away from her (or she from them ) is a pretty incredible set of lines. What a writer! Anyone that can convey the feeling of an ancient Elf in ME wondering whether the Doom of the Noldor still applies to her, and the endless burden of immortality in a world, wow.


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## Niniel (Mar 19, 2002)

I like the song that Merry and Pippin sing when they start out on the joureny. It's a very happy song, as if they are expecting it will just be one happy adventure. It's a song of looking forward to something great that is about to happen, they just don't know what will happen and that adventures aren't always just fun. And apart from that, I like the rhythm and words of the song, of course.


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## Legolam (Mar 19, 2002)

Thank you for your kind words about my tune Aldanil, but I think I might check out the melody that you mentioned to get a better idea of how it should go! 

Oh, and I totally forgot about the inscription on the ring. I love that!


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## elvish-queen (Mar 19, 2002)

Go to this site 
try the demo thingy's. there's one of 'I sit beside the fire...' one of the song in the hobbit where they've just ridden into rivendell, and one of the Bath song in LotR. I agree, 'I sit beside the fire..' is beautiful, and this version is just so gorgeous it just about gets me into tears...


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## Lindir (Mar 20, 2002)

As inicated by my signature, it's the funeral song for Boromir. I won't quote the whole thing, but this is the second verse:


> From the mouths of the Sea the South Wind flies, from the sandhills and the stones;
> The wailing of the gulls it bears, and at the gate it moans.
> 'What news from the South, O sighing wind, do you bring to me at eve?
> Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve.'
> ...


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## Legolas_The Elf (Mar 20, 2002)

> _Originally posted by jks13 _
> *my fav. is the one they say through out the series.
> Three rings for the elven kings under the sky,
> seven for the dwarve lords in there halls of stone
> ...


I would say that is also my favorite one even though....I like all the narration of the movie....LOTR ROCKZZZZ¡¡¡¡(Im crazy or what...need to go to dr. Frodo.. )


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## Dhôn-Buri-Dhôn (Mar 20, 2002)

I think mine may be Frodo's wistful variation on the old walking-song:



> _
> Still round the corner there may wait
> A new road or a secret gate;
> And though I oft have passed them by,
> ...



Sends a chill up my spine every time.


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## Turgon (Mar 21, 2002)

My favourite poem in LOTR is Galadriel's:

'I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew;
Of wind I sang, a wind there came and in the branches blew.'

It's really beautiful. Curse Saruman for mocking it!


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## Prince Legolas (Mar 26, 2002)

My favourite songs are:
Bilbo's bath song which Pippin sings in Crickhollow,
The Ent & Entwives song,
The Lay of Gil-galad,
Sam's song of the west

And the song that Tolkien wrote long after the Lord of the Rings was published about the Ring-bearers leaving Middle Earth.
Bilbo's Last Song

Day has ended, dim my eyes,
A journey long before me lies.
Farewell friends I hear the call
The ships besside the stoney wall.

Foam is white and waves are grey
Beyond the sunset leads my way.
Foam is salt, the wind is free
I hear the rising of the sea....


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## starlight (Mar 26, 2002)

I love so many of the poems, and the rest of you have already mentioned some of my favorites. But I'll just add this one to the list.

For Aragon...

All that's gold does not glitter
Not all those who wander 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 shadows shall spring
Renewed shall be the blade that was broken
The crownless again shall be king.

And The Battle of the Pelenor Fields

Out of doubt, out of dark to the day's rising
I came singing in the sun, sword unsheathing.
To hope's end I rode and to heart's breaking:
Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red nightfall!


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## Urylia (Mar 26, 2002)

My favorite poem is Aragorn's thing:

All that is gold doesn't glitter
Not all those who wander 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 shadows shall spring
Renewed shall be a blade that was broken
The crownless again shall be king

That is commited to memory and is found on my math notebook and on the wallpaper of my computer- of which i made myself!


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