My version of Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott
Part
I
On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye
That clothe the Shire and meet the sky;
And thro' the field the road runs by
To many-flower'd Hobbiton;
And up and down the hobbits go,
Gazing where the roses blow
A dreamy hobbit there below,
A Baggins happy with his lot.
Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro' the wave that runs for ever
By the smial, past the river
Flowing down to Buckland.
Tall gray walls, and two tall towers,
Unknown in this place of flowers,
And the quiet land imbowers
A charm’d and charming spot.
But by the margin, shadow veil’d,
Slides the past with poison trail'd
Riding black horses; and unhail’d
The shadows flieth, cloak’d and mail'd
Speeding down and seeking – what?
And who hath seen the Dark Lord’s band?
Or ‘gainst such terrors tried to stand?
Their search is cov’ring all the land
To find what He has not.
Only Frodo, fleeing early
With his friends, and little parley
Hears the shriek that chills him dearly
From the river winding clearly,
Down to tower'd Isengard:
And by the moon the hobbit weary,
Climbing into uplands eerie,
Listening, whispers " 'We must be wary,”
Fearing Mordor’s plot.
Part II
Through Moria by night and day,
then wizard falls with warnings fey,
And Frodo hears a whisper say,
A curse is on him if he may
Leave with the Ring from Rivendell.
He knows now what the curse will be,
And yet he walks on steadily,
So many other griefs hath he,
Until they reach Lothlorien.
And looking thro' a mirror clear
The veil ‘tween past and future sheer,
Shadows of the world appear.
There he sees the highway near
Winding down to Barad-dur:
There an evil Nazgul whirls,
And there the the flame and terror hurls
And there the Lidless Eye unfurls
Its malice from the Tower.
Sometimes a troop of proud Men glad,
A dwarf-lord on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly hobbit-lad,
Or long-hair'd Elf in silver clad,
Will go to tower'd Isengard;
But also thro' the mirror blue
The orcs come running two and two:
He needs a loyal heart and true,
To go when friends cannot.
Now Frodo’s mind holds tortured fights
Not with the mirror's magic sights,
But often thro' the silent nights
Through marshes filled with ghostly lights
And wheels of fire, to Barad-Dur:
And when the moon was overhead,
Came one strange creature foul and dread:
Who tied his hungry fingers in
A bony, fleshless knot.
Part III
A bow-shot from the tower-eaves,
The knights scythed through their foes like sheaves,
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
As Ent in anger rips and cleaves
And Saruman’s power rots.
So many knights for ever kneel'd
And met their death beneath a shield,
While other clashed on distant field,
And fought for Minas Tirith.
A woman’s teardrop glitter’d free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden galaxy.
And yet her voice rang merrily
As she beheld the Witch-King:
And she with blazon’d dagger slung
A mighty stroke and desperate flung,
And death between his armour rung,
Beside the king Theoden.
While in the dark and clouded weather
The hobbits toiled on as ever,
Two true hearts that would falter never
Burn’d like one burning flame together,
As they went down to Barad-dur.
As often thro’ the endless night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over Barad-dur.
One clear white brow in moonlight glow’d;
On blacken’d stone he weary trode;
From underneath his elf-cloak flow'd
His coal-black curls as on he strode,
As he came down to Barad-dur.
Treachery would then deliver
As seen within the crystal mirror,
one to make the bravest shiver
An evil half-forgot.
He fought the web, he fought the gloom,
He walked like lightning into doom,
And horror fell belike his tomb,
While monstrous smoke rose like a fume,
And night fell over Orodruin.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
But Sam’s heart crack’d at Frodo’s side;
“Don’t go where I can’t follow,” cried
he, weeping for all lost.
Part IV
In the stormy east-wind straining,
The armies ever brave were waning,
The stones in dark blood staining,
Heavily the low sky raining
Over Minas Tirith;
Master found and strength renewed
Though his Frodo hope eschewed,
They went forwards, fighting ruin
A wasteland foul and hot.
And down the dark road's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance--
With a glassy countenance
Did he look to Orodruin.
And at the closing of the day
He bore the chain, and down he lay;
The dark pain bore him far away,
The hobbit reached the mountain.
Seeming robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right--
A mood upon him fierce and light-
Thro' the noises of the night
He staggered up to Orodruin:
And as they struggled both along
The ashy wastes and rocks among;
He heard it singing its last song,
Temptation cruel and hot.
Heard its call, so strong, unholy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till his blood was frozen slowly,
And his eyes were darken’d wholly,
Turn'd to tower'd Barad-dur.
For when he reach'd the chasm wide
The creature bit and fell aside,
And shrieking in his joy he died,
To be by most forgot.
Under tower an eagle free,
By cavern-wall and mountain’s knee,
A gleaming shape he soared by,
Pale-gold between the towers high,
Silent upon Orodruin.
Out upon the field they came,
Knight and lady, lord and dame,
And round the city sang his name,
Prais’d Iorhael and Samwise.
But pain will never disappear
And in the Shire his path was clear
Bereft of health and strength and cheer;
And at the Havens a parting dear
Was shared between the comrades:
So Frodo watched the wild waves race;
And light was brighter in his face;
May Eru’s mercy lend him grace
Upon the Tol Eressea.