 | |
| Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien | |
| The Horns of Ylmir | |
|---|---|
| Poem Information | |
| Written | 1914 |
| Published | 1986, within The Peoples of Middle-earth |
| Subject(s) | Ulmo |
The Horns of Ylmir is a poem first written by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1914, and published in The Shaping of Middle-earth, as an appendix to "The Quenta".[1]
The title refers to the Ulumúri, the conches of Ulmo that give the sea-music and cause sea-longing.
History of composition
The first version of the poem was titled The Tides and dated 4 December, 1914 together with the note On the Cornish Coast, although notes on subsequent manuscripts suggest it was begun as early as 1910 to 1912.[2] It is thought to be inspired by Tolkien's visit to the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, in the summer of 1914, where the sea left a great impression on him.[3]
The second version bears the title Sea Chant of an Elder Day (Fyrndaga Sœléoþ in Old English) and the date March 1915. It has some minor emendations, and already has a prose prologue alleging the song was made by Tuor for his son Eärendel in the Land of Willows.
In the third revision, the title indicated it was a song "from the Fall of Gondolin", therefore it should have been published in The Book of Lost Tales Part Two. Only a few small emendations were made, like changing the name Ulmo to Ylmir (the Gnomish translation of Ulmo) and including references to Ulmo and Ossë within the poem.[1]
Poem excerpt
"Tuor recalleth in a song sung to his son Eärendil the visions that Ylmir's conches once called before him in the twilight in the Land of Willows."
'Twas in the Land of Willows where the grass is long and green—
I was fingering my harp-strings, for a wind had crept unseen
And was speaking in the tree-tops, while the voices of the reeds
Were whispering reedy whispers as the sunset touched the meads
Inland musics subtly magic that those reeds alone could weave
'Twas in the Land of Willows that once Ylmir came at eve.
In the twilight by the river on a hollow thing of shell
He made immortal music, till my heart beneath his spell
Was broken in the twilight, and the meadows faded dim
To great grey waters heaving round the rocks where sea-birds swim.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "III. The Quenta: Appendix 2: The Horns of Ylmir", pp. 213-218
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "III. The Quenta: Appendix 2: The Horns of Ylmir", pp. 214-215
- ↑ Humphrey Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, "II. 1892-1916: Early years", pp. 70-71