Poetry of J.R.R. Tolkien
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marbretherese
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Sorry, I should have made myself clearer !
"Torment in the dark was the danger that I feared, and it did not hold me back.
But I would not have come, had I known the danger of light and joy."
http://www.marbretherese.com
http://marbretherese.blogspot.com/
But I would not have come, had I known the danger of light and joy."
http://www.marbretherese.com
http://marbretherese.blogspot.com/
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Iolanthe
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No worries!
This is another passage I love:
Quite amazing!
This is another passage I love:
It's not only beautifully written (of course) but so very Tolkien. It has faith, courage in adversity, hope, the call of the sea, the small and under-equipped pitting themselves against the mighty (here the wind and sea), determination to steer against the common way, the magic of what might be, a quest and even one of his favourite old words 'wraith'... I'm sure there's even more contained in those 4 lines.Blessed are the men of Noah's race that build
their little arks, though frail and poorly filled,
and steer through winds contrary towards a wraith,
a rumour of a harbour guessed by faith.
Quite amazing!
Now let the song begin! Let us sing together
Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather...
Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather...
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marbretherese
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It's fabulous, isn't it? I particularly like "a rumour of a harbour guessed by faith" - the imagery in those four lines is powerful yet also so subtle.
"Torment in the dark was the danger that I feared, and it did not hold me back.
But I would not have come, had I known the danger of light and joy."
http://www.marbretherese.com
http://marbretherese.blogspot.com/
But I would not have come, had I known the danger of light and joy."
http://www.marbretherese.com
http://marbretherese.blogspot.com/
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Merry
- Varda
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If I'm reading this correctly, 'wraith' is used here differently. I had gotten used to the word having an evil connotation, but here it seems to mean the same thing as 'rumour', something we're not sure is entirely real.
Sing and be glad, all ye children of the West,
for your King shall come again,
and he shall dwell among you
all the days of your life.
for your King shall come again,
and he shall dwell among you
all the days of your life.
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Iolanthe
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- Joined: Thu Aug 25, 2005 2:21 pm
- Location: Washing my hair in the Sundering Sea
Good old Gilliver et. al. have wraith as 'an apparition or spectre' in the Ring of Words. So it doesn't have to be something evil (like the Ringwraithes) but something that seems insubstantial and spectre like. I think this is the same meaning Tolkien is going for here.
Now let the song begin! Let us sing together
Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather...
Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather...