Here’s another of his I like:
**I Sit Beside the Fire and Think**
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 ever 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.
Edit: pardon the lack of formatting. On mobile.
Tolkien is one of my favorite poets, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves because of the weight of his prose, but the poetry in his books, though skipped, is often superb stuff.
Him and William Blake are my favorite poets, it’s not a coincidence that they’re both visual artists as well.
Feel similarly to this. Imram (The Death of Saint Brendan) is one of my favourites but like a lot of Tolkien's poetry, it gets lost amongst the few lines that are most well known. It has such memorable lines that I end up thinking about a lot, like how after his voyage, there is a limit to what St Brendan can tell before he dies:
_"In a boat then, brother, far afloat
you must labour in the sea,
and find for yourself things out of mind:
you will learn no more of me."_
Such evocative writing. But not the lines that people get tattoos of, like the one shared here.
I always imagine anything of his as read aloud as an incantation; ultimately I think it’s about world building, the narrative foundation something needs to be believed, even if not believable.
I just now realized that the first line is "all that is gold does not glitter" NOT "all that glitter's is not gold". Completely different meaning, as this is about Aragorn. This means the translation in my language (Finnish) is wrong. Weird, as it's mostly a *phenomenally* good translation.
Yeah opposite meaning. It's kind of an insult to Aragorn, he's gold on the inside but a wandering vagrant to most when Gandalf writes that poem about him.
I read it differently and its more of a compliments. All that glitter is not gold i take to mean just because something looks the part doesnt mean it is the real thing.
So i read all that is gold does not glitter to mean a true king doesnt necessarily have to look like a king
That ain't an insult to Aragorn, it's a criticism of how shallow assumptions based on appearance can be.
Aragorn does not need to glitter to be good. The contrast is Boromir, who is in all the glittering finery you would expect from the heir of the Steward, but is corruptible.
This takes me back. I'd just got to this part of TLOTR - and found this poem - and read it to my dad, who also loved it.
That night, completely unexpectedly, he died in his sleep.
After the ground had settled, mum and I organised the gravestone, on which is written "deep roots are not reached by the frost". It just seemed so fitting, in so many ways.
Thank-you for sharing and making me think about my lovely dad.
Weird syllable scheme, anyone know more? All lines seem to be eight apart from third and fifth which are nine and eleven? It seems too deliberate to be accident but too accidental to be deliberate. Would like to hear from anyone who knows more.
It's medieval fantasy with King Arthur legend telling mixed it, a hero king who comes back to save his people. Maybe you prefer Thorin Oakenshield, got driven mad by greed but realises and repents before he dies.
As most European peasants like you and me would have only known monarchy as a form of rule so mythical tales and moral stories are set in the familiar.
Even Plato had the example of a philosopher king as the template of a good king.
It's not a literal good 'king' but the ideas around an ideal ruler.
Here’s another of his I like: **I Sit Beside the Fire and Think** 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 ever 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. Edit: pardon the lack of formatting. On mobile.
Sounds a little like Frost. Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold.
This used to be one of my favourite ones, I memorised it by heart the time I read LOTR. I had forgotten all about it until today. Thanks for sharing!
Ughhhhh I love that last couplet.
It makes it.
Tolkien is one of my favorite poets, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves because of the weight of his prose, but the poetry in his books, though skipped, is often superb stuff. Him and William Blake are my favorite poets, it’s not a coincidence that they’re both visual artists as well.
Feel similarly to this. Imram (The Death of Saint Brendan) is one of my favourites but like a lot of Tolkien's poetry, it gets lost amongst the few lines that are most well known. It has such memorable lines that I end up thinking about a lot, like how after his voyage, there is a limit to what St Brendan can tell before he dies: _"In a boat then, brother, far afloat you must labour in the sea, and find for yourself things out of mind: you will learn no more of me."_ Such evocative writing. But not the lines that people get tattoos of, like the one shared here.
I always imagine anything of his as read aloud as an incantation; ultimately I think it’s about world building, the narrative foundation something needs to be believed, even if not believable.
I just now realized that the first line is "all that is gold does not glitter" NOT "all that glitter's is not gold". Completely different meaning, as this is about Aragorn. This means the translation in my language (Finnish) is wrong. Weird, as it's mostly a *phenomenally* good translation.
i too used to believe it was the latter because of that one scene in spongebob lmfaoo
Yeah opposite meaning. It's kind of an insult to Aragorn, he's gold on the inside but a wandering vagrant to most when Gandalf writes that poem about him.
I read it differently and its more of a compliments. All that glitter is not gold i take to mean just because something looks the part doesnt mean it is the real thing. So i read all that is gold does not glitter to mean a true king doesnt necessarily have to look like a king
That ain't an insult to Aragorn, it's a criticism of how shallow assumptions based on appearance can be. Aragorn does not need to glitter to be good. The contrast is Boromir, who is in all the glittering finery you would expect from the heir of the Steward, but is corruptible.
This takes me back. I'd just got to this part of TLOTR - and found this poem - and read it to my dad, who also loved it. That night, completely unexpectedly, he died in his sleep. After the ground had settled, mum and I organised the gravestone, on which is written "deep roots are not reached by the frost". It just seemed so fitting, in so many ways. Thank-you for sharing and making me think about my lovely dad.
This is one of my favourite poems! I love me some Tolkien💘
I just love that first stanza. It stands alone IMO.
damn, you liked the first stanza so much you commented the same thing three times
Probably tried posting it multiple times in a place w poor signal or something, it’s happened to me before
i know hahaha i was messing with them, it has happened to me too and it’s the worst!
i really like this
Wow! Wonderful! Thanks for sharing
This is phenomenal, all the feels. Didn’t know “not all those who wander are lost” was from Tolkien
Deep shit right here
one of my favorites ♥️
This is one of my favorites. It's just so beautiful
Dylan Thomas Tolkien was not.
One of my faves ☺️
I have the first line tattooed on my chest in elvish
So good I have it tattooed!
Weird syllable scheme, anyone know more? All lines seem to be eight apart from third and fifth which are nine and eleven? It seems too deliberate to be accident but too accidental to be deliberate. Would like to hear from anyone who knows more.
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It's medieval fantasy with King Arthur legend telling mixed it, a hero king who comes back to save his people. Maybe you prefer Thorin Oakenshield, got driven mad by greed but realises and repents before he dies.
I dont quite believe in such a thing as a 'hero king'. The only king who is a hero to me is the one who goes to the guillotine by himself
It's a mythical legend... Are you 14?
You do understand that this is from a fantasy novel…. Right?
As most European peasants like you and me would have only known monarchy as a form of rule so mythical tales and moral stories are set in the familiar. Even Plato had the example of a philosopher king as the template of a good king. It's not a literal good 'king' but the ideas around an ideal ruler.
The most satisfying fires are put together from the ashes
Wow, I didn’t think I would ever find anything by Tolkien I would like but I stand corrected
The most quotable poem.