Songs have recalled the Elves have sung
in old forgotten elven tongue
how Lúthien and Beren strayed
by the banks of sirion. Many a glade
they filled with joy, and there their feet____2860
passed by lightly, and days were sweet.
Though winter hunted through the wood,
still flowers lingered where she stood.
Tinúviel! Tinúviel!
the birds are unafraid to dwell_______________2865
and sing beneath the peaks of snow
where Beren and where Lúthien go.The isle in Sirion they left behind;
but there on hill-top might one find
a green grave, and a stone set,______________2870
and there there lie the wite bones yet
of Felagund, of finrod’s son—
unless that land is changed and gone,
or foundered in unfathomed seas,
while Felagund laughs beneath the trees______2875
in Valinor, and comes no more
to this grey world of tears and war.To Nargothrond no more he came;
but thither swiftly ran the fame
of their king dead, of Thû o’erthrown,________2880
of the breaking of the towers of stone.
For many now came home at last,
who long ago to shadow passed;
and like a shadow had returned
Huan the hound, and scant had earned_______2885
or praise of thanks of master wroth;
yet loyal he was, though he was loath.
The halls of Narog clamours fill
that vainly Celegorm would still.
There men bewailed their fallen king,_________2890
crying that a maiden dared that thing
which sons of Fëanor would not do.
’Let us slay these faithless lords untrue!’
the fickle folk now loudly cried
with Felagund who would not ride.__________2895
Orodreth spake: ‘The kingdom now
is mine alone. I will allow
no spilling of kindred blood by kin.
but bread nor rest shall find herein
these brothers who have set at nought_______2900
the house of Finrod.’ They were brought.
Scornful, unbowed, and unashamed
stood Celegorm. In his eye there flamed
a light of menace. Curufin
smiled with his crafty mouth and thin.________2905’Be gone for ever—ere the day
shall fall into the sea. Your way
shall never lead you hither more,
nor any son of Fëanor;
nor ever after shall be bond________________2910
of love twixt yours and Nargothrond.’’We will remember it,’ they said,
and turned upon their heels, and sped,
and took their horses and such folk
as still them followed. Nought they spoke_____2915
but sounded horns, and rode like fire,
and went away in anger dire.Towards doriath the wanderes now
were drawing nigh. Though bare the bough,
though cold the wind, and grey the grasses____2920
through which the hiss of winter passes,
they sang beneath the frosty sky
uplifted o’er them pale and high.
They came to Mindeb’s narrow stream
that from the hills doth leap and gleam_______2925
by western borders where begin
the spells of Melian to fence in
King thingol’s land, and stranger steps
to wind bewildered in their webs.There sudden sad grew Beren’s heart:_________2930
’Alas, Tinúviel, here we part
and our brief song together ends,
and sundered ways each lonely wends!’’Why part we here? What dost thou say,
just at the dawn of brighter day?’____________2935’for safe thou’rt come to borderlands
o’er which in the keeping of the hands
of Melian thou wilt walk at ease
and find thy home and well-loved trees.’’My heart is glad when the fair trees__________2940
far off uprising grey it sees
of Doriath inviolate.
Yet Doriath my heart did hate,
and Doriath my feet forsook,
my home, my kin. I would not look___________2945
on grass nor leaf there evermore
without thee by me. Dark the shore
of Esgalduin the deep and strong!
Why there alone forsaking song
by endless waters rolling past______________2950
must I then hopeless sit at last,
and gaze at waters pitiless
in heartache and in loneliness?’’For never more to Doriath
can Beren find the winding path,____________2955
though Thingol willed it or allowed;
for to thy father there I vowed
to come not back save to fulfill
the quest of the shining silmaril,
and win by valour my desire._______________2960
“Not rock nor steel nor Morgoth’s fire
nor all the power of elfinesse,
shall keep the gem I would possess”:
thus swore I once of Lúthien
more fair than any child of Men._____________2965
My word, alas! I must achieve,
though sorrow pierce and parting grieve.’’Then Lúthien will not go home,
but weeping in the woods will roam,
nor peril heed, nor laughter know.____________2970
And if she may not by thee go
against thy will thy desperate feet
she will pursue, until they meet,
Beren and Lúthien, love once more
on earth or on the shadowy shore.’___________2975’Nay, Lúthien, most brave of heart,
thou makest it more hard to part.
Thy love me drew from bondage drear,
but never to that outer* fear,
that darkest mansion of all dread,____________2980
shall thy most blissful light be led.’’Never, never!’ he shuddering said.
But even as in his arms she pled*,
a sound came like a hurrying storm.
there Curufin and Celegorm________________2985
in sudden tumult like the wind
rode up. The hooves of horses dinned
loud on the earth. In rage and haste
madly northward they now raced
the path twixt Doriath to find_______________2990
and the shadows dreadly dark entwined
of Taur-na-Fuin. That was their road
most swift to where their kin abode
in the east, where Himling’s watchful hill
o’er Aglon’s gorge hung tall and still.______2995They saw the wanderers. With a shout
straight on them swung their hurrying rout*,
as if neath maddened hooves to rend
the lovers and their love to end.
but as they came the horses swerved_________3000
with nostrils wide and proud necks curved;
Curufin, stooping, to saddlebow
with mighty arm did Lúthien throw,
and laughed. Too soon; for there a spring
fiercer than tawny lion-king________________3005
maddened with arrows barbéd smart,
greater than any hornéd hart
that hounded to a gulp leaps o’er,
there Beren gave, and with a roar
leaped on Curufin; round his neck___________3010
his arms entwined, and all to wreck
both horse and rider fell to ground;
and there they fought without a sound.
Dazed in the grass did Lúthien lie
beneath bare branches and the sky;__________3015
the Gnome felt beren’s fingers grim
close on his throat and strangle him,
and out his eyes did start, and tongue
gasping from his mouth there hung.
Up rode Celegorm with his spear,____________3020
and bitter death was Beren near.
With elvish steel he nigh was slain
whom Lúthien won from hopeless chain,
buy baying Huan sudden sprang
before his master’s face with fang____________3025
white-gleaming, and with bristling hair,
as if he on boar or wolf did stare.
The horse in terror leaped aside,
and Celegorm in anger cried:
’Curse thee, thou baseborn dog, to dare_______3030
against thy master teeth to bare!’
But dog nor horse nor rider bold
would venture near the anger cold
of mighty Huan fierce at bay.
Red were his jaws. They shrank away,________3035
and fearful eyed him from afar:
nor sword nor knife, nor scimitar,
no dart of bow, nor cast of spear,
master nor man did Huan fear.There Curufin had left his life,_______________3040
had Lúthien not stayed that strife.
Waking she rose and softly cried
standing distressed at Beren’s side:
’Forbear thy anger now, my lord!
nor do the work of Orcs abhorred;___________3045
for foes there be of Elfinesse
unnumbered, and they grow not less,
while here we war by ancient curse
distraught, and all the world to worse
decays and crumbles. Make thy peace!’_______3050Then Beren did curufin release;
but took his horse and coat of mail,
and took his knife there gleaming pale,
hanging sheathless, wrought of steel.
No flesh could leeches* ever heal____________3055
that point had pierced; for long ago
the dwarves had made it, singing slow
enchantments, where their hammers fell
in Nogrod ringing like a bell.
Iron as tender wood it cleft,________________3060
and sundered mail like woollen weft.
But other hands its haft now held;
its master lay by mortal felled.
Beren uplifting him, far him flung,
and cried ‘Begone!’, with stinging tongue;____3065
’Begone! thou renegade and fool,
and let thy lust in exile cool!
Arise and go, and no more work
like Morgoth’s slaves or curséd Orc;
and deal, proud son of Fëanor,_____________3070
in deeds more proud than heretofore!’
Then Beren led Lúthien away,
while Huan still there stood at bay.’Farewell,’ cried Celegorm the far.
’Far get you gone! And better were__________3075
to die forhungered* in the waste
than wrath of Fëanor’s sons to taste,
that yet may reach o’er dale and hill.
No gem, nor maid, nor Silmaril
shall ever long in thy grasp lie!_____________3080
We curse thee under cloud and sky,
we curse thee from rising unto sleep!
Farewell!’ He swift from horse did leap,
his brother lifted from the ground;
then bow of yew with gold wire bound_______3085
he strung, and shaft he shooting sent,
as heedless hand in hand thy went;
a dwarvish dart and cruelly hooked.
They never turned nor backward looked.
Loud bayed Huan, and leaping caught_______3090
the speeding arrow. Quick as thought
another followed deadly singing;
but Beren had turned, and sudden springing
defended Lúthien with his breast.
Deep sank the dart in flesh to rest.__________3095
He fell to earth. They rode away,
and laughing left him as he lay;
yet spurred like wind in fear and dread
of Huan’s pursuing anger red.
Though Curufin with bruised mouth laughed,__3100
yet later of that dastard shaft
was tale and rumour in the North,
and Men remembered at the Marching Forth,
and Morgoth’s will its hatred helped.Thereafter never hound was whelped_________3105
would follow horn of Celegorm
or Curufin. Though in strife and storm,
though all their house in ruin red
went down, thereafter laid his head
Huan no more at that lord’s feet,_____________3110
but followed Lúthien, brave and fleet.
Now sank she weeping at the side
of Beren, and sought to stem the tide
of welling blood that flowed there fast.
The raiment from his breast she cast;_________3115
from shoulder plucked the arrow keen;
his wound with tears she washed it clean.
then Huan came and bore a leaf,
of all the herbs of healing chief,
that evergreen in woodland glade______________3120
there grew with broad and hoary blade.
The powers of all grases Huan knew,
who wide did forest-paths pursue.
therewith the smart he swift allayed,
while Lúthien murmuring in the shade__________3125
the staunching song, that elvish wives
long years had sung in those sad lives
of war and weapons, wove o’er him.The shadows fell from mountains grim.
Then sprang about the darkened North__________3130
the Sickle of the gods, and forth
each star there stared in stony night
radiant, glistering cold and white.
But on the ground there is a glow,
a spark of red that leaps below:______________3135
under woven boughs beside a fire
of crackling wood and sputtering briar
there Beren lies in drowsing deep,
walking and wandering in sleep.
Watchful bending o’er him wakes_______________3140
a maiden fair; his thirst she slakes,
his brow caresses, and softly croons
a song more potent than in runes
or leeches’* lore hath since been writ.
Slowly the nightly watches flit.______________3145
The misty morning crawleth grey
from dusk to the reluctant day.Then Beren woke and opened eyes,
and rose and cried: ‘Neath other skies,
in lands more awful and unknown,______________3150
I wandered long, methought, alone
to the deep shadow where the dead dwell;
but ever a voice that I knew well,
like bells, like viols, like harps, like birds,
like music moving without words,______________3155
called me, called me through the night,
enchanted drew me back to light!
Healed the wound, assuaged the pain!
Now are we come to morn again,
new journeys once more lead us on—____________3160
to perils whence may life be won,
hardly for Beren; and for thee
a waiting in the wood I see,
beneath the trees of Doriath,
while ever follow down my path________________3165
the echoes of thine elvish song,
where hills are haggard* and roads are long.’’Nay, now no more we have for foe
dark Morgoth only, but in woe,
in wars and feuds of Elfinesse________________3170
thy quest is bound; and death, no less,
for thee and me, for Huan bold
the end of weird of yore foretold,
all this I bode shall follow swift,
if thou go on. Thy hand shall lift____________3175
and lay in Thingol’s lap the dire
and flaming jewel, Fëanor’s fire,
never, never! A why then go?
why turn we not from fear and woe
beneath the trees to walk and roam____________3180
roofless, with all the world as home,
over mountains, beside the seas,
in the sunlight, in the breeze?’Thus long they spoke with heavy hearts;
and yet not all her elvish arts,______________3185
nor lissom arms, nor shining eyes
as tremulous stars in rainy skies,
nor tender lips, enchanted voice,
his purpose bent or swayed his choice.
Never to Doriath would he fare________________3190
save guarded fast to leave her there;
never to Nargothrond would go
with her, lest there came war and woe;
and never would in the world untrod
to wander suffer her, worn, unshod,__________3195
roofless and restless, whom he drew
with love from the hidden realms she knew.
’For Morgoth’s power is now awake;
already hill and dale doth shake,
the hunt is up, the prey is wild:_____________3200
a maiden lost, an elven child.
Now Orcs and phantoms prowl and peer
from tree to tree, and fill with fear
each shade and hollow. Thee they seek!
At thought thereof my hope grows weak,________3205
my heart is chilled. I curse mine oath,
I curse the fate that joined us both
and snared thy feet in my sad doom
of flight and wandering in the gloom!
Now let us haste, and ere the day_____________3210
be fallen, take our swiftest way,
till o’er the marches of thy land
beneath the beech and oak we stand
in Doriath, fair Doriath
whither no evil finds the path,_______________3215
powerless to pass the listening leaves
that droop upon these forest-eaves.’Then to his will she seeming bent.
Swiftly to Doriath they went,
and crossed its borders. There they stayed____3220
resting in deep and mossy glade;
there lay they sheltered from the wind
under mighty beeches silken-skinned,
and sang of love that still shall be,
though earth be foundered under sea,__________3225
and sundered here for evermore
shall meet upon the Western Shore.One morning as asleep she lay
upon the moss, as though the day
too bitter were for gentle flower_____________3230
to open in a sunless hour,
Beren arose and kissed her hair,
and wept, and softly left her there.
’Good Huan,’ said he, ‘guard her well!
In leafless field no asphodel,________________3235
in thorny thicket never a rose
forlorn, so frail and fragrant blows.
Guard her from wind and frost, and hide
from hands that seize and cast aside;
keep her from wandering and woe,______________3240
for pride and fate now make me go.’The horse he took and rode away,
nor dared to turn; but all that day
with heart as stone he hastened forth
and took the paths toward the North.__________3245
forhungered- starved, 3076
