| Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien | |
| Bealuwérig | |
|---|---|
| Poem Information | |
| Written | Possibly the 1930s |
| Published | The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Subject(s) | Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky |
Well, no wonder I couldn’t find the words in dictionaries.
Bealuwérig is a poem that was written by J.R.R. Tolkien in which he translated "Lewis Carroll's famous nonsense poem Jabberwocky"[1] into Old English, making "up words to represent Carroll’s made-up words"[1] on a single manuscript.[2]
First stanza
Old English
Þa wæs swelswoloð. Slíðe tófas
gurron ⁊ gimbledon on græswǽfan;
mímsæde murnon morgengrófas,
⁊ hræðmóman hlúde grǽfon.[2]
Modern English
There was burn-burning. The savage toves
grunted and gimbled on the grass-wabe;
mim-fully mourned the morning-groves,
and the quick-momes loudly grabe.[2]
Etymology
Bealuwérig is a name in Old English likely meaning "weary of evil" from bealu ("evil" and "harm, destruction, malice") and wérig ("weary, sad, unfortunate").[2] This etymology for the name made Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull think about Tolkien's verse translation[3] of Beowulf.[2]
Bealuwearge, or Bealuwearg,[2] is a name meaning "malicious outlaw" in Old English, recalling "Tolkien's fell creature…, the Balrog,…and the wolf-like beasts…called Wargs".[1] In a list of Elvish names translated into Old English, Balrog is translated by Tolkien as Bealuwearg and Bealubróga. The etymology of these words were noted by Christopher Tolkien[4] on page 209 in The Shaping of Middle-earth.[2]
Background
While it is not known when the poem was written, Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull theorized based on the handwriting that it was possibly written in the 1930s. After the poem was finished, Tolkien gave it to C.S. Lewis sometime before his death in 1963, after which, it came into the possession of Walter Hooper.[2]
In 2023, the Bodleian Library acquired the manuscript from Walter Hooper's estate by way of the Arts Council. Sometime while finalizing the general parts of a collection of Tolkien's poems, Bealuwérig came to the attention of Hammond and Scull. In their analysis of Bealuwérig, they initially did not realize that it was a translation of Jabberwocky, "looking up words in Old English dictionaries, but could not find them".[1] Eventually, they did find out that the poem was a translation.[1] Though there was no way to include it with the other poems, they found it to be "too interesting not to present by itself as" Appendix V. Arden R. Smith assisted them with translating the poem.[2]
In 2024, the translation was published in September as part of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Dalya Alberge, "Beyond Bilbo: JRR Tolkien’s long-lost poetry to be published" 24 August 2024, The Guardian, accessed 29 August 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 J.R.R. Tolkien; Christina Scull, Wayne G. Hammond (eds.), The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, "Appendix V. Bealuwérig"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Christina Scull, Wayne G. Hammond (eds.), The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, "88. The Song of Beewolf Son of Echgethew (c. 1925-?40)"
- ↑ Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond, "Addenda and Corrigenda to The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien (2024) Arranged by Date#Prior to 24 December 2024" 17 September 2024, Hammond&Scull.com, accessed 22 September 2025 , note to "p. 1404, l. 15"