'I Sit And Think' by Tolkien

There is no more need to establish what a huge, sincere fan of Tolkien I am. Tolkien has always been one of my most favourite authors since the time I picked up to read The Hobbit. A brilliant storyteller, Tolkien has a charm and style that is very unique to him. There's hardly a writer who can weave a fantasy the way he does. 

My top favourite poem of Tolkien has always been, and will always be, The Road Goes Ever On and On of which 'All that is gold does not glitter' is a part of! Here is the my second most favourite poem of this wonder author: 'I sit and think' - a poem where an old narrator contemplates on the past, present, and future, and sits and thinks. 

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

Of yellow leaves and gossamer
in autumns that there were,
with morning mist and silver sun
and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think
of how the world will be
when winter comes without a spring
that I shall never see.

For still there are so many things
that I have never seen:
in every wood in every spring
there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago,
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think
of times there were before,
I listen for returning feet
and voices at the door.

Hope you enjoyed! If you're a fellow Tolkien fan, let me know your favourite poem in the comments!

Where now are the horse and the rider? A Tolkien Gem.

Today, one of my friends, during a conversation asked me to pick out one more favorite of Tolkien's poems, apart from "All that is gold does not glitter" and "The road goes ever on and on". While I love these two, there are so many others that I really like.

Here's one of them, very beautiful, very touching, stimulating your grey cells to think!

“Where now are the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the harp on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow.
Who shall gather the smoke of the deadwood burning,
Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?”

After a really long and tiring day, I was thinking about her question, and flipping through my Tolkien collection and I found this gem from The Two Towers, and thought why not share it! If you have read the two towers, I'm sure you'd recognize the scene, and would be able to bring it before your eyes.

Which is your favourite Tolkien poem? Let me know in the comments!

An excited Tolkien Reader

Tolkein has always been one of my most favourite authors since the time I picked up to read The Hobbit. A brilliant storyteller, Tolkein has a charm and style that is very unique to him. Fantasy is a beautiful genre, but also difficult to write without making it sound foolish. 

Tolkien's world has always made sense. Be it his writing, his poems, or his stories, at the end it leaves you with a feeling that though it is a work of fiction, it is not entirely detached. Here’s one of Tolkien’s poem that is my favourite since the day I first read it-

All that is gold does not glitter,

not All those who wander are lost.

The old and the wise do 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 shall again be king. 

This poem, even as a piece detached from the story, makes so much sense and meaning, and gives you a deep perspective. As a staunch Tolkein fan, I had read all of his books, and there was only one left- The Legend of Sidgurd & Gudrun. I picked up a copy of it recently and started reading it today, which made me write this post as a natural overflow of fond memories. 

I have a weird habit of turning to the last page of a book before beginning it. And, here’s what the last page reads, which makes absolute sense to me, as a Tolkien reader, and would make sense to you too if you are one. 

Thus the glory endeth, 

And the gold fadeth, 

On noise and clamours

The night falleth. 

I am excited to read it, and you’ll have wonderful stories coming your way soon as I bring to you the beauty of Tolkien.

The Tolkien Reader

Title: The Tolkien Reader

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

First of all, here is something about this book- from the book:

“For anyone who has yet to read the The Hobbit or The Lord Of The Rings, here is a brilliant introduction to this most captivating author- and for Tolkien fans it is an indispensable addition to the small shelf of books by J. R. R. Tolkien, a book to read, to enjoy, and to keep.”

I belong to the latter group of people. I have already read and enjoyed The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings. And, I loved reading the short stories and poems of Tolkien in this book.

There were three stories- Tree and Leaf, Farmer Giles Of Ham and The Adventures Of Tom Bombadil. Since, I have already been introduced to Tom Bombadil in the Lord Of The Rings, I already knew who he was. I love Tom Bombadil’s cheerful songs. I also liked Farmer Giles Of Ham. It was very different, and had a completely different set of characters.

The Tolkien Reader also contained a play written by Tolkien-The Homecoming Of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son. That was very nice, too.

In the end, the book had a random collection of poems by Tolkien from the Red Book. All the poems and songs were very nice. I have always loved J. R. R. Tolkien’s songs!

But my most favourite was Oliphaunt and Perry-the-Winkle.

Here, you can read Oliphaunt and one page from Perry-the-Winkle:

 

I loved reading the book. It really was an indispensable addition to my small shelf of Tolkien books! Do read it.

The Lord Of Rings : The Two Towers

Gollum from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: The Lord Of Rings : The Two Towers

Author : J. R. R. Tolkein

Main Characters : Frodo, Sam, Boromir, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, King Theoden and Shadowfax.

Description of one of the main characters: Shadowfax is the horse of Mithrandir, commonly known as Gandalf in many parts of the Middle Earth. Shadowfax is a horse which is the most beautiful, fastest and the roughest. It does not tame to anyone who captures it, if at all someone does. It chooses its master. It has chosen Gandalf, now the White Rider (but still cloaked in grey), as its master.

Whom I like and why: I like Sam Gamgee very much. He is the faithful servent and friend of Frodo Baggins. He loves Frodo dearly. He does not get affected by the ring and does not have any desire to possess the ring or be the ring bearer. He readily accepts to accompany Frodo into any danger that they may have to pass to enter the Land of Shadows. He kills Shelob the spider in Cirith Ungal.

Setting/theme of the story: Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas go in search of Frodo and Sam. At that time, Boromir dies trying to defend Merry and Pippin from orc-soldiers. The orc-soldiers capture Merry and Pippin and start their journey to Isengard over the Eastern Plain of Rohan. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas find Boromir dead and the two hobbits missing. They guess that it must have been an attack from the orcs. They give Boromir a funeral in a boat committed to the falls of Rawios. Meanwhile, The Riders of Rohan led by Eomer, the Marshal, surround the Orcs on the borders of Forest of Fangorn and destroy them. But the hobbits escape into the Fangorn Forest and there encounter the secret master of Fangorn, Treebeard the Ent. Meanwhile, Argorn and his two companions meet Eomer, returning from the battle against orcs, who provides them with horses and they ride on to the forest. While searching in vain for the hobbits, in the forest, they meet Gandalf again, returned from death, now the White Rider.

They all ride to the Hall of King Theoden of  the Mark, where Gandalf helps the aged king by rescuing him from the spells of Wormtongue, the evil councillor, the secret ally of Saruman. They all go with King Theoden against the forces of Isengard to take part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Gandalf defeats Saruman and breaks Saruman’s staff. From a high window, Wormtongue throws a stone at Gandalf but it misses him. Pippin picks it up later. This proves to be one of the three surving palantiri, seeing stones of  Numenor. Later that night, Pippin reveals himself to Sauron as he looks into the stone. Gandalf  gives the palantiri to Aragorn and takes away Pippin to Minas Thirth.

Fordo and Sam lose themselves in the bleak hills of the Emyn Muil. After they escape from the hills, they are overtaken by Smeagol – Gollum. Frodo tames Gollum and Gollum leads them through the Dead Marshes and ruined land to the Morannon, the black gate of the land of Mordor in the North. It is impossible to enter the gate so Fordo accepts Gollum’s advice – to seek the secret gate, away south in the mountains of shadow, the western walls of Mordor. They set off on their last stage of the journey to Cirith Ungol, the spider’s pass. Then a great darkness fell. Sauron sent forth his first army, led by the Black King of the Ring Wraiths : the war of the Ring has begin. Gollum betrays Sam and Frodo to the giant spider Shelob, but Sam defeats Shelob. Frodo gets stung by Shelob and lies dead(Sam thinks so). Sam takes the ring. After sometime he finds out that his master Frodo hasn’t died but is drugged. Orcs carry Frodo away, down a tunnel leading to the rear gate of their tower.

The second part of the Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers, ends here.

Part I enjoyed the most : I enjoyed the part when Gandalf comes back from the dead in the horse called Shadowfax, which chooses the master it wants. Only Gandalf Stormcrow has ever been accepted by the great majestic horse, Shadowfax.

The Lord Of The Rings: The fellowship of the Ring

A 3D model of the One Ring (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: The Lord Of Rings: The fellowship of the Ring

Author: J.R.R.Tolkein.

Main characters: Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Gandalf, Aragorn, Bilbo, Merry Barandybuck, Peregrin Took, Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, Elrond, Gimli, Boromir and Sauron  

Description of one of the main characters: Gandalf is a wizard. He was the one who sent Bilbo, a hobbit, on a journey of adventure with the dwarves to retrieve lost treasures from the great dragon,  Smaug. He is called ‘Gandalf the Grey’. He protects the Shire. He is very good at fireworks. Sam Gamgee, a hobbit, always sings about Gandalf’s fireworks:

The finest rockets ever seen:

They burst in stars of blue and green

Or after thunder golden showers

Came falling like a rain of flowers

Gandalf is a wise man. He knows all abut the rings of power. He dies in Khazad – Dom while leading Frodo and the company to Mordor.

Whom I like and why: I like Aragorn very much. He is a Ranger and son of Arathorn, a great king. He is called Strider by the people of Bree. There is a song referring to him made by Bilbo when they first met and Strider told about himself. This is the song by Bilbo on Aragorn:

All that is 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 crown-less shall be the king.

Aragorn’s sword’s blade is broken a foot below the hilt and it will be forged anew. Aragorn is the descendant of Elendil and Isildur (an old ring-bearer). He is very brave. He is a great friend of Gandalf.

Whom I dislike and why: I dislike Sauron, the dark Lord of Mordor. He took refuge in the Mirkwoods when Elendil and Isildur pulled him off the throne and took away the one ring of the dark lord. Sauron is the “Lord of the rings”. But Isildur takes the ring for himself and becomes the ring bearer. Sauron reforms himself in Mirkwood and takes power of Mordor. He tries to seek the friendship of the dwarves by promising them that he would give back their seven rings, which the dwarf-lords had possessed.

Setting/theme of the story: Bilbo Baggins and his heir celebrate Bilbo's eleventy-first (111^th) birthday and Frodo’s, Bilbo’s heir’s, thirty-third birthday by holding a party in the Shire and calling 144 people (111+33). Suddenly Bilbo vanishes and gives everyone a topic to talk about for the next 60 years. He wears the ring, which he won from Gollum, and which makes people who wear them invisible. He comes back into the Bag End, his house, and decides to go and stay at the House of Elrond, where the elves reside, for the rest of his life. He passes everything he has to Frodo and makes Frodo the master of Bag End. He also gives away the ring, on Gandalf’s advice, to Frodo even though it is his prized possession. He leaves telling goodbye only to Gandalf. Gandalf suddenly comes and tells Frodo that he has to leave Bag End and the Shire and embark on a dangerous quest. He tells Frodo that Frodo is the possessor of the one great ring that Sauron is searching for- that Frodo is the ring-bearer.

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

It is only two lines of a verse long known in Elven-lore.

Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the dwarf-lords in their hall of stone,

Nine for the mortal men doomed to die,

One for the dark 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.

He explains to Frodo that the ring Frodo is having is the master-ring, the one ring to rule them all. He also explains to Frodo that this is the One Ring. When Sauron lost it  many ages ago in helped in the great weakening of his power. He also tells how much the Dark Lord desires it and that he must not get it for the good of the world. He tells  Frodo that Frodo has to leave Bag End and go to Rivendell, to the House of Elrond. Gandalf leaves Frodo to choose his companions to come along with him on the journey. Gandalf leaves Shire. Frodo chooses the faithful Sam Gamgee and his two friends Merry and Pippin. They travel through the woods after lying to the people of the shire that Mr.Frodo would be staying in Buckland forever. The stay in the house of Tom Bombadil and meet Goldberry, the daughter of River. They go to stay in The Prancing Pony, a lodge in a town called Bree. During their travel Frodo travels under the name of Mr. Underhill. They get a letter from Gandalf asking them to become friends with a man called Strider whom they fortunately meet at the Prancing Pony. They all set out to Rivendell. On their way they meet black riders, men from Mordor in search of Frodo. When they almost reach Rivendell, two black riders catch the company. But then, the river rises and they go away. Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Sam and Aragorn are welcomed by the elves of Rivendell. Frodo meets Bilbo in Rivendell. After staying there for sometime everybody hears how the possession of the ring came to Frodo: 

Isildur took it from the Dark Lord and after sometime, the ring fell into a river called Anduin, and vanished. It went to the hands of a quiet-footed little man called Deagol but his friend Smeagol killed his friend and took the ring. Smeagol is none other than Gollum fom whom Bilbo won the ring and it got passed on to Frodo.

 Frodo, Gandalf, Boromir, Aaragorn, Gimli, Merry, Pippin and Sam start journeying towards Mordor. On the way, in Moria, Gandalf dies trying to protect the others from Orcs. The others escape. Gollum follows them. They go to Lady Galadriel and her elves and tell them about the death of Gandalf. Then they continue their journey and come to a stop very near Mordor. Frodo gets threatened by Boromir who suddenly wants to steal the ring from him. He doesn’t want to risk his friends' lives to protect him as he is the ring-bearer. So, he decides to go away from them and complete the quest by himself. But Sam Gamgee, his faithful servant finds out his plan and accompanies Frodo in the last stage of the quest. They cross the river and search for a path that will lead them into the land of shadows.
The Fellowship Of The Ring, the first part of the Lord Of The Rings, ends here.

Part I enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the part when Frodo sings a song about Gandalf to the Elves. Here is a part of the song:

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-liar and hidden door

And darkling woods he walked at will.

The song explains how Gandalf moves in and out of the shire secretly and how he has travelled to many unknown parts and how he mingles with everyone. I enjoyed all the songs in the Lord of the Rings very much. One more song I liked very much is Bilbo’s:

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 I with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way,

Where many paths and errands meet.

And wither then? I cannot say.

Bilbo is very good at creating songs.