The Return of the King

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-White Tower of Ecthelion-----------

Poem 1 [Back To Top]

Over the land there lies a long shadow,
westward reaching wings of darkness.
The tower trembles; to the tombs of kings
Doom approaches. The Dead awaken;
for the time has come for the oathbreakers:
at the stone of Erech they shall stand again
and hear there a horn in the hills ringing.
Whose shall the horn be? Who shall call them
from the grey twilight, the forgotten people?
The heir of him to whom the oath they swore.
From the North shall he come, need shall drive him;
He shall pass the Door to the Paths of the Dead.

Poem 2 [Back To Top]

From dark Dunharrow in the dim morning
with thane and captain rode Thengel’s son:
to Edoras he came, the ancient halls
of the mark-wardens mist-enshrouded;
golden timbers were in gloom mantled.
Farewell he bade to his free people,
hearth and high-seat, and the hallowed places,
where long he had feasted ere the light faded.
Forth rode the king, fear behind him,
fate before him. Fealty kept he;
oaths he had taken, all fulfilled them.
Forth rode Theoden. Five nights and days
east and onward rode the Eorlingas
through Folde and Fenmarch and the Firienwood,
six thousand spears to Sunlending,
Mundburg the mighty under Mindolluin,
Sea-kings’ city in the South-kingdom
foe beleagured, fire encircled.
Doom drove them on. Darkness took them,
horse and horsemen; hoofbeats afar
sank into silence: so the songs tell us.

Poem 3 [Back To Top]

Arise, arise, Riders of Theoden!
Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter!
spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered,
a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun arises!
Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!
Ride now, Ride now! Ride to Gondor!

Poem 4 [Back To Top]

Mourn not overmuch! Mighty was the fallen,
meet was his ending. When his mound is raised,
women then shall weep. War now calls us!

Poem 5 [Back To Top]

Faithful servant yet master’s bane,
Lightfoot’s foal, swift Snowmane.

Poem 6 [Back To Top]

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

Poem 7 [Back To Top]

We heard of the horns in the hills ringing,
the swords shining in the South-kingdom.
Steeds went striding to the stoningland
as wind in the morning. War was kindled.
There Theoden fell, Thengling mighty,
to his golden halls and green pastures
in the Northern fields never returning,
high lord of the host. Harding and Guthlaf,
Dunhere and Deorwine, doughty Grimbold,
Herefara and Herubrand, Horn and Fastred,
fought and fell there in a far country:
in the mounds of Mundburg under mould they lie
with their league-fellows, lords of Gondor.
Neither Hirluin the Fair to the hills by the sea,
nor Forlong the old to the flowering vales
ever, to Arnach, to his own country
returned in triumph; nor the tall bowmen,
Derufin and Duilin, to their dark waters,
meres of Morthond under mountain-shadows.
Death in the morning and at the day’s ending
lords took and lowly. Long now they sleep
under grass in Gondor by the Great River.
Grey now as tears, gleaming silver,
red then it rolled, roaring water:
foam dyed with blood flamed at sunset;
as beacons mountains burned at evening;
red fell the dew in Rammas Echor.

Poem 8 [Back To Top]

When the black breath blows
and death’s shadow grows
and all lights pass,
come athelas! Come athelas!
-------- Life to the dying
In the king’s hand lying!

Poem 9 [Back To Top]

Silver flow the streams from Celos to Erui
In the green fields of Lebennin!
Tall grows the grass there. In the wind from the Sea
The white lilies sway,
And the golden bells are shaken of mallos and alfirin
In the green fields of Lebennin,
In the wind from the Sea!

Poem 10 [Back To Top]

In western lands beneath the Sun
-------- the flowers may rise in Spring,
the trees may bud, the waters run,
-------- the merry finches sing.
Or there maybe ‘tis cloudless night
-------- and swaying beeches bear
the Elven-stars as jewels white
-------- amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey’s end I lie
-------- in darkness buried deep,
beyond all towers strong and high,
-------- beyond all mountains steep,
above all shadows rides the Sun
-------- and Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
-------- nor bid the Stars farewell.

Poem 12 [Back To Top]

To the Sea, to the Sea! The white gulls are crying,
The wind is blowing and the white foam is flying.
West, west away, the round Sun is falling.
Grey ship, grey ship, do you hear them calling,
The voices of my people that have gone before me?

I will leave, I will leave the woods that bore me;
For our days are ending and our years failing.
I will pass the wide waters lonely sailing.
Long are the waves on the Last shore falling,
Sweet are the voices in the Lost Isle calling,
In Eressea, in Elvenhome, which no man can discover,
Where the leaves fall not: land of my people for ever!’

Poem 16 [Back To Top]

Still round the corner there may wait
-------- A new road or a secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
-------- West of the Moon, East of the Sun.

Poem 17 [Back To Top]

-------- A! Elbereth Gilthoniel!
-------- silivren penna miriel
-------- o menel aglar elenath,
-------- Gilthoniel, A! Elbereth!
We still remember, we who dwell
In this far land beneath the trees
The starlight on the Western Seas.