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La, Huru

2026-05-10T07:32:42Z

DmitryJemerov: Add translation excerpt from "Collected poems"

{{short description|A poem in Old English by J.R.R. Tolkien}}
'''''La, Huru''''' is an [[Old English]] song by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], to be sung to the tune of ''Are You the O'Reilly Who Keeps This Hotel?'', written around [[1924]].<ref name=Leeds>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/378427|articlename=Archive File: Syx Mynet and Lá Húru|dated=|website=[http://library.leeds.ac.uk/ library.leeds.ac.uk]|accessed=9 May 2017}}</ref> It is published as the 17th song in ''[[Songs for the Philologists]]'' in [[1936]].

The manuscript of the poem was rendered in pen and ink, together with another Tolkien's poem [[Syx Mynet]], on one leaf. The manuscript is kept in the Tolkien-Gordon Collection at the Library of the [[University of Leeds]].<ref name=Leeds/>

==Poem excerpt==
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">
'''La, Huru'''

Eala hu is wynsum þeos woruld to-niht,
And medu and myrgu, þeos deore gedriht;
Her is blæd, her is bliss, her hroþor and hyht;
Nis her nænig pæca, ne prattas, ne pliht.
La huru, la huru, la leofa, la hu! (four times)</poem>

==Translation excerpt==
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">
Oh, how joyful is this world tonight,
Pride and pleasure, this dear gathering;
Here is splendour, here is bliss, here is solace and hope;
Here are no deceits, tricks, or risks.
Oh truly, oh truly, oh beloved, oh how! (4 times)</poem>

{{references}}

{{poems}}

[[Category:Poems and songs in Songs for the Philologists]]

Syx Mynet

2026-05-10T07:28:33Z

DmitryJemerov: Add translation from "Collected poems of J.R.R. Tolkien"

{{short description|A poem in Old English by J.R.R. Tolkien}}
'''''Syx Mynet''''' is an [[Old English]] song by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], a translation of the English [[Wikipedia:Nursery rhyme|nursery rhyme]] ''I Love Sixpence'', written around [[1924]].<ref name=Leeds>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/378427|articlename=Archive File: Syx Mynet and Lá Húru|dated=|website=[http://library.leeds.ac.uk/ library.leeds.ac.uk]|accessed=9 May 2017}}</ref> It is published as the ninth song in ''[[Songs for the Philologists]]'' in [[1936]].

The manuscript of the poem was rendered in pen and ink, together with another Tolkien's poem [[La, Huru]], on one leaf. The manuscript is kept in the Tolkien-Gordon Collection at the Library of the [[University of Leeds]].<ref name=Leeds/>

==Poem excerpt==
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">
'''Syx Mynet'''

Syx mynet lufige ic,
Maðum mynelic,
Syx mynet lufige ic
ofer selfe lif.
Heora anes ic ann,
Oþer sceal oþer mann
And feower habban freolic wif.

Feower mynet lufige ic,
Maðum mynelic,
Feower mynet lufige ic
ofer selfe lif.
Heora anes ic ann,
Oþer sceal oþer mann
And twa sceal habban tornmod wif.</poem>

==Translation excerpt==
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">
I love six coins,
Pleasing treasure,
I love six coins
better than my life.

One of them I give to thee,
Another I give to another man
And four I (shall) have for my good wife.

I love four coins,
Pleasing treasure,
I love four coins
better than my life.

One of them I give to thee,
Another I give to another man
And two I shall have for my angry wife.
</poem>

{{references}}

{{poems}}

[[Category:Poems and songs in Songs for the Philologists]]

Grace

2026-05-10T07:05:14Z

DmitryJemerov: Add source for "Grace"

{{sources}}
'''Grace''' is a part of drinking song from the 1831 novel ''[[wikipedia:Crotchet Castle|Crotchet Castle]]'' by Thomas Love Peacock, to be sung to the tune of ''The King of France''. It is published as the first song in ''[[Songs for the Philologists]]'' in [[1936]].

Being the opening verse of the ''Songs'', it suits well the style of the "[[Viking Club]]", where [[Tolkien]] and [[E.V. Gordon]] would "read Old Norse sagas and drink a lot of beer" with students.

==The song==
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">
'''Grace'''

If I drink water while this does last,
May I never again drink wine:
For how can a man, in his life of a span,
Do anything better than dine?

We'll dine and drink, and say if we think
That anything better can be;
And when we have dined, wish all mankind
May dine as well as we.
</poem>

[[Category:Poems and songs in Songs for the Philologists]]

Bring Us In Good Ale

2026-05-09T22:18:51Z

DmitryJemerov: Add source for "Bring Us In Good Ale"

'''Bring Us In Good Ale''' is a 15th century carol.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wright |first1=Thomas |title=Songs and Carols: Now First Printed from a Manuscripts of the Fifteenth Century |date=1847 |publisher=Richards |location=London |page=63 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aW3gWV7SpT4C |access-date=9 May 2026}}</ref> It is published as the fourth song in ''[[Songs for the Philologists]]'' in [[1936]].

==The song==
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">
'''Bring Us In Good Ale'''

Bring us in no browne bred, for þat is made of bran,
Nor bring us in no white bred, for þerin is no gane,
But bring us in good ale!
Bring us in good ale, and bring us in good ale,
For our blessed Lady sake bring us in good ale!

Bring us in no befe, for þere is many bones,
But bring us in good ale, for bat gob downe at ones,
And bring us in good ale!

Bring us in no bacon, for þat is passing fat,
But bring us in good ale, and gife us enough of þat;
And bring us in good ale!

Bring us in no mutton, for þat is often lene,
Nor bring us in no tripes, for þey be seldom clene,
But bring us in good ale!

Bring us in no egges, for þer are many shells,
But bring us in good ale, and gife us noþing elles.
And bring us in good ale!

Bring us in no capons flesch, for þat is often dere,
Not bring us in no dokes flesh, for þey slobber in þe mere;
But bring us in good ale!
</poem>

{{references}}

[[Category:Poems and songs in Songs for the Philologists]]

Salve!

2026-05-09T21:16:55Z

DmitryJemerov: Add Wikipedia link

'''Salve!''' is a song written in [[Latin]] and Swedish ("Greetings!") by [[Wikipedia:Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Gröndal|Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Gröndal]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jónsson |first1=Egil |last2=Magnussón |first2=Gisli |last3=Thóroddsen |first3=Jón Þórðarsson |title=Snót. Nokkur Kvædi |date=1865 |location=Reykjavik |page=373 |url=https://archive.org/details/sntnokkurkvi00thgoog/ |access-date=9 May 2026}}</ref> It is published as the 25th song in ''[[Songs for the Philologists]]'' in [[1936]].

==The song==
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">
'''Salve!'''

Salve, mi bone frons;
para te, mea frons,
para te circumdari lauro.
Beatissima nox,
vina nunc tibi mox
splendent sane potius auro.

O, du herlige Drik,
du som avled den Skik
apud patres atque parentes,
at med Næven man slog
og var tapper og klog;
erant arma pugnus et dentes
</poem>

{{references}}

[[Category:Poems and songs in Songs for the Philologists]]

Salve!

2026-05-09T21:10:41Z

DmitryJemerov: Specify author and source for Salve!

'''Salve!''' is a song written in [[Latin]] and Swedish ("Greetings!") by Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Gröndal.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jónsson |first1=Egil |last2=Magnussón |first2=Gisli |last3=Thóroddsen |first3=Jón Þórðarsson |title=Snót. Nokkur Kvædi |date=1865 |location=Reykjavik |page=373 |url=https://archive.org/details/sntnokkurkvi00thgoog/ |access-date=9 May 2026}}</ref> It is published as the 25th song in ''[[Songs for the Philologists]]'' in [[1936]].

==The song==
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">
'''Salve!'''

Salve, mi bone frons;
para te, mea frons,
para te circumdari lauro.
Beatissima nox,
vina nunc tibi mox
splendent sane potius auro.

O, du herlige Drik,
du som avled den Skik
apud patres atque parentes,
at med Næven man slog
og var tapper og klog;
erant arma pugnus et dentes
</poem>

{{references}}

[[Category:Poems and songs in Songs for the Philologists]]

Songs for the Philologists

2026-05-09T21:07:59Z

DmitryJemerov: /* The remaining songs */ Correct languages of some texts

{{book
|title=Songs for the Philologists
| image = Songs for the Philologists 1936.png
|author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[E.V. Gordon]], and others
|publisher=London: English Department, University College
|date=[[1936]]
|format=Booklet
|pages=30
}}
'''''Songs for the Philologists''''' is a booklet containing thirty poems and songs, some of which are written by [[E.V. Gordon]] and [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], others are folk songs from various traditions. It is perhaps the rarest and most difficult to find Tolkien related book, as it was printed privately in [[1936]] and has never been reprinted since.

The verses are written in a number of languages, including Modern English, [[Middle English]], [[Old English]], Icelandic, Latin, and [[Gothic]].

In [[2023]], a revised and edited transcript of the book was made available by [[Ronald Kyrmse]] (see the bottom of the page), with corrections based on ''[[The Road to Middle-earth]]'' ([[1982]]).<ref>{{HM|A}}E.V. Gordon, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ronald Kyrmse (ed.) ''Songs for the Philologists''</ref>

==Physical appearance==
''Songs for the Philologists'' is privately printed in the Department of English at University College, London, in 1936. It is the first and only edition, 8vo (214mm.), pp. iv, 30, [2]; orig. printed pale blue wrappers, saddle-stitched; with staples.

The text is in both English and Anglo-Saxon and is printed in both Roman and Anglo-Saxon types. On the verso of the title: "Printed by G. Tillotson, A.H. Smith, B. Pattison and other members of the English Department, University College, London." SUNY-Buffalo and Oxford University only in OCLC.<ref>Collier, P. "[https://tolkienlibrary.com/reviews/songsforthephilologists.htm Songs for the Philologists (20.02.05 by Pieter Collier)]" (accessed 14 September 2022)</ref>

==Background==
During his tenure at [[Leeds University]], Tolkien formed, with Gordon, a society known as the "[[Viking Club]]" devoted to reading Old Norse sagas and drinking beer. Sometime in 1934, Tolkien and Gordon prepared a set of typescripts of verses, including original compositions of their own devising as well as traditional songs in Old and Modern English and other languages. The typescripts were distributed to students from the club for their amusement.<ref>{{HM|A}}Carpenter, H. [1977] ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography]]'' pp. 112</ref>

Among those who received copies was former student A.H. Smith, then of University College London, who used his copies of the typescripts as a printing exercise for his own students in 1936. An unknown (but undoubtedly small) number of pamphlets were hand-set and privately printed by students on a replica wooden common press (not unlike the replica press located on the 2nd floor of U.Va.’s Alderman Library in the Stettinius Gallery). Smith realized, after the pamphlets had already been printed, that he had not obtained permission from Tolkien and Gordon, so the pamphlet was never distributed. Instead, copies were kept in storage at the pressrooms on Gower Street.

The building was bombed in WWII. The pressrooms burned, along with the presses and any stock stored on the premises. The only copies of the pamphlet that survived were those that had been taken by the students who printed it. It is not known how many copies survived, though H. Winifred Husbands, one of the students involved in the printing, has estimated the number to be no less than thirteen.<ref>Schwartzburg, M. "[https://smallnotes.library.virginia.edu/2014/08/14/tolkien-black-swan/ This Just In: A Tolkien Black Swan]" (accessed 14 September 2022)</ref>

==Tolkien's songs==
[[Image:Songs for the Philologists page 1.jpeg|thumb|250px|''The Root of the Boot'' as printed in the book]]
Of the 30 poems and songs in the collection, 13 were contributed by Tolkien:
<br>("#" indicates the order of appearance)

#''[[From One to Five]]'' #8 — tune: ''Three Wise Men of Gotham''.
#''[[Syx Mynet]]'' #9 — in [[Old English]], tune: ''I Love Sixpence''.
#''[[Ruddoc Hana]]'' #10 — in Old English, tune: ''Who Killed Cock Robin?''
#''[[Ides Ælfscýne]]'' #12 — in Old English, tune: ''Daddy Neptune'', translated as "Elf-fair Lady" by T. Shippey.
#''[[Bagme Bloma]]'' #13 — in [[Gothic]], tune: ''O Lazy Sheep!'', translated as "Flower of the Trees" by T. Shippey.
#''[[Éadig Béo Þu!]]'' #14 — in Old English, tune: ''Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'', translated as "Good Luck to You" by T. Shippey.
#''[[Ofer Wídne Gársecg]]'' #15 — in Old English, tune: ''The Mermaid'', translated as "Across the Broad Ocean" by T. Shippey.
#''[[La, Huru]]'' #17 — in Old English, tune: ''O'Reilly''.
#''[[I Sat Upon a Bench]]'' #19 — tune: ''The Carrion Crow''.
#''[[Natura Apis: Morali Ricardi Eremite]]'' #20 — tune: ''O'Reilly''.
#''[[The Root of the Boot]]'' #22 — tune: ''The Fox Went Out'', an early version of ''[[The Stone Troll]]''.
#''[[Frenchmen Froth]]'' #26 — tune: ''The Vicar of Bray''.
#[[Lit' and Lang'|Two Little Schemes: ''Lit' and Lang''']] #28 — tune: ''Polly Put the Kettle On''.

Four of the songs (''Bagme Bloma'', ''Éadig Béo Þu!'', ''Ides Ælfscýne'', and ''Ofer Wídne Gársecg'') were reprinted, with Modern English translations, in [[Tom Shippey]]'s book ''[[The Road to Middle-earth]]''. Shippey had also incorporated the revisions and changes to these songs made by Tolkien himself.<ref>{{HM|A}}Shippey, T. [1982] "Appendix B "Four 'Asterisk' Poems"". ''[[The Road to Middle-earth]]'' pp. 227</ref>

==The remaining songs==
[[Image:Songs for the Philologists back.jpeg|thumb|250px|A device on the back cover, used by the print shop of University College]]
#''[[Grace]]'' #1 — tune: ''The King of France''.
#''[[Fara Með Vikingum]]'' #2 — in Old Norse, "To Go with the Vikings".
#''[[Ja, Lattu Gamminn]]'' #3 — in Icelandic.
#''[[Bring Us In Good Ale]]'' #4
#''[[Bjort Mey Og Hrein]]'' #5 — in Icelandic.
#''[[Rokkvisa]]'' #6 — in Icelandic, "Rock-song".
#''[[Olafur Liljuros]]'' #7 — in Icelandic.
#''[[Gaudeamus]]'' #11 — in Latin, "Let Us Rejoice".
#''[[Icelandic Song]]'' #16 — in Icelandic, tune: ''O'Reilly''.
#''[[Su Klukka Heljar]]'' #18 — in Icelandic, "That Bell of Hell", tune: ''The Bells of Hell'', by [[E.V. Gordon]].
#''[[Gubben Noach]]'' #21 — in Swedish, "Old Man Noah", with an Icelandic translation.
#''[[Bi, Bi Og Blaka]]'' #23 — in Icelandic.
#''[[Guþ Let Vaxa|Guþ Let [Vinper] Vaxa]]'' #24 — in Icelandic, tune: ''Laus Deo''.
#''[[Salve!]]'' #25 — in Latin and Swedish, "Greetings!"
#''[[When I'm Dead]] [Hwan Ic Beo Dead]'' #27 — in Old English, Scots, and Gothic, by E.V. Gordon.
#''[[Visur Islendinga]]'' #29 — in Icelandic, "Icelandic Song".
#''[[Gomul Kynni]]'' #30 — in Icelandic.

==See also==
*[[Index:Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien|Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien]]

==External links==
*[https://www.academia.edu/s/a5c18ef27a Digital transcript of the book] on [https://www.academia.edu/ academia.edu] <br><small>(There are three lines missing in the second stanza of ''Ofer Wídne Gársecg'')</small>
*Molly Schwartzburg, [https://smallnotes.library.virginia.edu/2014/08/14/tolkien-black-swan/ This Just In: A Tolkien Black Swan] at [https://smallnotes.library.virginia.edu/ UVA Library]

{{references}}
{{title|italics}}
[[Category:Books with contribution by J.R.R. Tolkien]]
[[Category:Poetry books]]
[[Category:Publications by title]]

Rokkvisa

2026-05-09T20:18:03Z

DmitryJemerov: Add original author for Rokkvisa

'''Rokkvisa''' is an Icelandic song ("Rock-song") by Jón Thóroddsen<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jónsson |first1=Egil |last2=Magnussón |first2=Gisli |last3=Thóroddsen |first3=Jón Þórðarsson |title=Snót. Nokkur Kvædi |date=1865 |location=Reykjavik |page=219 |url=https://archive.org/details/sntnokkurkvi00thgoog/ |access-date=9 May 2026}}</ref>. It is published as the sixth song in ''[[Songs for the Philologists]]'' in [[1936]].

==The song==
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">
'''Rokkvisa'''

Ur þeli þrað að spinna
mer þykir næsta indæl vinna
eg enga iðn kann finna
sem öllu betur skemti mer.
Eg sit i hægu sæti
og sveifla rokk með kvikum fæti,
eg iða öll af kæti

er ullarlopinn teggjast fer,
og kvæða kver,
a skauti skikkju minnar
æ opið er,
þvi verð eg bratt að sinna
rokkurinn meðan suðar ser,
rokkurinn suðar ser.
</poem>

{{references}}

[[Category:Poems and songs in Songs for the Philologists]]