| Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien | |
| Princess Mee | |
|---|---|
| Poem Information | |
| Other names | Princess Nî, Mægden Ní Owéne Dohtor, Princess Nî daughter of Osse and Ônen, The Princess Ní |
| Written | 1915 |
| Revised | Around 1961 |
| Published | Leeds University Verse 1914-24, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Poems and Songs of Middle Earth, The J.R.R. Tolkien Audio Collection, The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Subject(s) | Elves, Hobbits, Nî, Osse, Ônen |
Princess Mee is a nonsense Hobbit poem that was among those written in the margins of the Red Book of Westmarch.[1]
First stanza
Little Princess Mee
Lovely was she
As in elven-song is told:
She had pearls in hair
All threaded fair;
Of gossamer shot with gold
Was her kerchief made,
And a silver braid
Of stars above her throat.
Of moth-web light
All moonlit-white
She wore a woven coat,
And round her kirtle
Was bound a girdle
Sewn with diamond dew.[2]
Background
The first draft of the poem was dated 9 July 1915 and entitled Mægden Ní Owéne Dohtor[3] and Princess Nî. A revised version entitled The Princess Ní was published in 1924 within Leeds University Verse 1914-24 (p. 58).[4] The name probably refers to the Celtic feminine patronymic ní.[5]
The poem was one of those Tolkien rediscovered, refurbished and revised around 1961 while preparing The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, where it was published as Princess Mee.[2]
The poem derives from The Princess Ní, a poem Tolkien wrote in his youth, and one of those he refurbished and revised while preparing The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "Preface"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "Princess Mee"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Christina Scull, Wayne G. Hammond (eds.), The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, "32. Princess Nî · The Princess Ní · Princess Mee (1915-62)"
- ↑ Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (2006), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: I. Chronology, p. 853
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 J.R.R. Tolkien; Christina Scull & Wayne G. Hammond (eds), The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "Commentary"