| Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien | |
| "The Song of the Ent and the Entwife" | |
|---|---|
| Poem Information | |
| Other names | "Of the Ents and Entwives" |
| Written | Late 1941 or early 1942 |
| Published | The Two Towers, The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Subject(s) | Search of the Ents |
"The Song of the Ent and the Entwife"[1] is a poem recited to Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took by Treebeard, concerning the longing of the Ents for their lost Entwives.[2]
Poem excerpts
Ent:
When spring unfolds the beechen-leaf and sap is in the bough,
When light is on the wild-wood stream, and wind is on the brow,
When stride is long, and breath is deep, and keen the mountain air,
Come back to me! Come back to me, and say my land is fair!
Entwife:
When Spring is come to garth and field, and corn is in the blade,
When blossom like a shining snow is on the orchard laid,
When sun and shower upon the earth with fragrance fill the air,
I'll linger here, and will not come, because my land is fair!
Both:
Together we will take the road that leads into the West,
And far away will find a land where both our hearts may rest.
History
After the loss of the Entwives and their gardens during the War of the Last Alliance[3] in the late Second Age, the Ents began a long search for them. Afterwards, the Search of the Ents became the subject of many Elvish songs; some of which were translated into the many languages of Men. One such song, which the Ents remembered orally, "used to be sung up and down the Great River" according to Treebeard. This song took the form of a dialogue between an Ent and an Entwife and mentioned a prophecy foretelling that they will find a land where they both can be happy together after both have lost everything.[2]
On Tuesday[4] of 29 February in the year T.A. 3019 during the late Third Age,[5] Treebeard recited the song to Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took in Fangorn Forest after they asked what had happened to them.[2]
Background
In late 1941 or early 1942,[6] J.R.R. Tolkien made "four pages"[6] of "rough workings" for the poem in a manuscript with the words "[?Of] the Ents and Entwives".[7] Tolkien wrote the "first completed draft"[1] of the poem on the fifth page[6] of the manuscript.[7] In this manuscript, the first and third stanzas were already in the form of the published text, the sixth stanza differed "only in the first line", and the ending mentions the Ents finding the Entwives "in the rain" and together going "to an island" where they can both be happy.[1] Christopher Tolkien refers to the poem as "the Song of the Ent and the Entwife" at one point.[7] The italicized name The Song of the Ent and the Entwife appears in the note where the first completed draft appears, but it is unknown whether Tolkien wrote that name on the draft or whether Christopher Tolkien wrote the name on the note.[1] Tolkien added speakers for each stanza in a second draft before revising the poem to its published form for "the first typescript of the chapter" it would appear in.[6]
In August of 1952, Tolkien made a recording of the song amongst other poems he recorded.[6] In response to a question from fr. Douglas Carter, Tolkien remarked in a letter on 6 June in 1972 that the song might be evidence "that there would be no re-union in 'history'" between the Ents and the Entwives.[8]
In the 2008 essay, "The Myth of the Ent and the Entwife", Corey Olsen speculated that the song was composed by an Elf who did not hold any bias towards either side, managing to convey multiple meanings "through the layering of the two voices".[9]
While Tolkien never wrote a composition to accompany the song, several fans have made renditions. One version is the work of Bart Zeal entitled "The Epic of The Ent & The Entwife" while another version is sung by Clamavi De Profundis entitled "The Ent and the Ent-Wife".
In 2024, the song was included as entry 165 in The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien. In their commentary, Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull mention that the poem is often referred to as the "Song of the Ent and the Entwife".[6]
Portrayal in adaptations
1981: The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series):
- Treebeard sings a part on the song aloud while on his way to Entmoot.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Treason of Isengard, "XXII. Treebeard", p. 421 (note 10)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "Treebeard"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 144, (dated 25 April 1954)
- ↑ The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings, "[Others of Company]", p. 56
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years", entry for 29 February
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 J.R.R. Tolkien; Christina Scull, Wayne G. Hammond (eds.), The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, "165. When Spring Unfolds the Beechen Leaf (1938-54)"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Treason of Isengard, "XXII. Treebeard", pg. 418
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 338, (dated 6 June 1972)
- ↑ ’Tolkien Studies, Vol. V (eds. Douglas A. Anderson, Michael D.C. Drout, Verlyn Flieger), pp. 39-53