| Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien | |
| "The leaves were long, the grass was green," | |
|---|---|
| Poem Information | |
| Other names | Light as Leaf on Lindentree As Light as Leaf on Lindentree Light as Leaf on Linden-tree As Light as Leaf on Linden-tree Light as Leaf on Linden Tinúviel |
| Published | The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lays of Beleriand, The Return of the Shadow, The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Subject(s) | Beren and Lúthien |
'I will tell you the tale of Tinúviel,' said Strider, 'in brief – for it is a long tale of which the end is not known; and there are none now, except Elrond, that remember it aright as it was told of old.'
"The leaves were long, the grass was green," is the first line of an excerpt from the Lay of Lúthien,[1] a lengthy sad tale made in the ann-thennath Elvish verse mode telling the story of Beren, Lúthien, and the Quest for the Silmaril.[2]
First stanza
The leaves were long, the grass was green,
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,
And in the glade a light was seen
Of stars in shadow shimmering.
Tinúviel was dancing there
To music of a pipe unseen,
And light of stars was in her hair,
And in her raiment glimmering.
History
Sometime between the years F.A. 503[3] and F.A. 538[4] of the late First Age, the Lay of Lúthien was likely among many tales and songs that were made in the Havens of Sirion.[4] It was said to be the second longest lay; only being beaten in length by Dírhaval's Narn i Chîn Húrin.[5]
By the time of the late Third Age, the ending of the lay was forgotten and only Elrond in Rivendell could remember it "as it was told of old".[2]
When Aragorn saw Arwen in Rivendell for the first time, he sang an excerpt from the Lay of Lúthien telling of Beren and Lúthien's first meeting in the Forest of Neldoreth.[1]
In the year T.A. 3018, Aragorn sang the same excerpt on Weathertop in the Weather Hills to distract Frodo Baggins, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took, and Samwise Gamgee from their fears. Afterwards, Aragorn summarized the lay and explained its history and form to the Hobbits. He also commented that his Westron-translated excerpt was "but a rough echo of" the original since the lay was difficult to translate.[2]
Other versions of the legendarium
In June of 1925, a poem that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote that year,[6] Light as Leaf on Lindentree, appeared in a volume of The Gryphon Magazine, a Leeds University publication.[7] The poem was revised and incorporated into the second version of the Narn i Chîn Húrin where one of Morwen's servants sang the poem as they entered Doriath with Túrin. In this version, Tolkien gave the poem many variations of names including As Light as Leaf on Lindentree, Light as Leaf on Linden-tree, As Light as Leaf on Linden-tree, and Light as Leaf on Linden. This scene in The Lay of the Children of Húrin was deduced by Christopher Tolkien as being the predecessor of the scene of Aragorn singing the excerpt "before the attack of the Ringwraiths" on Weathertop.[8]
Tolkien later reworked the poem into Canto III of The Lay of Leithian.[9]
While writing The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien made another variation of the poem's name, Light on Linden Tree, and revised it until it came close to the published version.[10]
In an early version of the Rivendell chapters, Bilbo Baggins was to sing Tinúviel, an excerpt from the Lay of Lúthien which may possibly have been the same as Light as Leaf on Lindentree. Tolkien decided against this, having Bilbo sing an early version of the Eärendillinwë instead.[11]
Analysis
The excerpt consists of nine stanzas of eight lines each, rhymed ABAC BABC. The C rhyme in each stanza is triple: the sixth syllable of the fourth line rhymes with the sixth syllable of the eighth line, and the seventh and eighth syllables of the fourth line are identical (or nearly) to those of the eighth. The poem's metre is iambic tetrameter (four pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables).
Following Aragorn's words, Patrick Wynne and Carl F. Hostetter explain that the English metre tries to imitate what the Sindarin metre (ann-thennath) would have been in the original poem.
The song would be an extract translated from the Lay of Leithian, specifically Canto III.[12]
Portrayal in adaptations
1978: The Lord of the Rings (1978 film):
- Bilbo recites the first five lines, accompanied by Elven musicians, in Rivendell before he is cut off by Frodo's arrival.
2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring:
- After passing through the Midgewater Marshes, Aragorn sings the last four lines of the second-last stabza in Sindarin while keeping watch during the night. Frodo asks who the woman he sings of is. Aragorn tells him "'tis the lay of Lúthien, the elf-maiden who gave her love to Beren, a mortal." Frodo asks what happened to her and Aragorn tells him she died and encourages him to go back to sleep.
| Sindarin | Westron |
|---|---|
| Tinúviel elvanui, | Tinúviel the elven-fair, |
| Elleth alfirin edhelhael, | Immortal maiden elven-wise, |
| O hon ring finnil fuinui | About him cast her shadowy hair |
| A renc gelebrin thiliol. | And arms like silver glimmering. |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Knife in the Dark"
- ↑ Mark Fisher, "Lay of Leithian (note 1)" 23 January 2022, The Encyclopedia of Arda, accessed 3 March 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mark Fisher, "Lay of Lúthien (note 1)" 25 December 2022, The Encyclopedia of Arda, accessed 3 March 2025
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Part Two: Valinor and Middle-earth before The Lord of the Rings, VI. Quenta Silmarillion", p. 296
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lays of Beleriand, "III. The Lay of Leithian: Canto I (Of Thingol)", Commentary on Canto I, p. 159 (footnote)
- ↑ The Gryphon, New Series: Vol. VI, no. 6, p. 217
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lays of Beleriand, "I. The Lay of the Children of Húrin: I. Túrin's Fostering", pp. 108-10
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lays of Beleriand, "III. The Lay of Leithian: Canto III (Beren's meeting with Lúthien)", Commentary on Canto III, pp. 181-2
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The First Phase: X. The Attack on Weathertop", pp. 182-7
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The Story Continued: XXIII. In the House of Elrond, Notes", p. 412 (note 6)
- ↑ Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth: Patrick Wynne and Carl F. Hostetter, "Three Elvish Verse Modes: Ann-thennath, Minlamad thent / estent, and Linnod", pp. 113-120