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| Poems and Tales of Middle-Earth: |
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(illustration by Alan Lee) |
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Song to Théoden:
"Out of doubt, out of dark,
to the day's rising
he rode singing in the sun,
sword unsheathing.
Hope he rekindled,
and in hope ended;
over death, over dread,
over doom lifted
out of loss, out of life,
unto long glory."
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(illustration by John Howe) |
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The Lord of the Rings
Part III. The Return of the King
Quotes from Tolkien's Novel
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| Gondor: The Ride of the Rohirrim |
"A smell of burning was in the air and a very shadow of death. The horses were uneasy.
But the king sat upon Snowmane, motionless, gazing upon the agony of Minas Tirith, as if stricken suddenly by anguish,
or by dread. He seemed to shrink down, cowed by age. Merry himself felt as if a great weight of horror and doubt had
settled on him. His heart beat slowly. Time seemed poised in uncertainty. They were too late! Too late was worse than
never!" |
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"Yet one stood there still: Dernhelm the young, faithful beyond fear; and he wept,
for he had loved his lord as a father. [...] Merry crawled on all fours like a dazed beast, and such a horror was on
him that he was blind and sick.
'King's man! King's man!' his heart cried within him. 'You must stay by him. As a father you
shall be to me, you said.' But his will made no answer, and his body shook. He dared not open his eyes or look up."
Then out of the blackness in his mind he thought that he heard Dernhelm speaking; yet now
the voice seemed strange, recalling some other voice that he had known.
'Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion! Leave the dead in peace!'
A cold voice answered: 'Come not between the Nazgûl and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in
thy turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation,beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured,
and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye.'
A sword rang as it was drawn. 'Do what you will; but I will hinder it, if I may.'
'Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!'
Then Merry heard of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and
the clear voice was like the ring of steel.
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"And he [Éomer] looked at the slain, recalling their names. Then suddenly he beheld the body of
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He stood for a moment as a man who is
pierced in the midst of a cry by an arrow through the heart; and then his face went deadly white, and a cold fury
rose in him, so that all speech failed him for a while. A fey mood took him." |
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| The Pyre of Denethor |
"So Pippin poured out his tale, reaching up and touching Gandalf's knee with
trembling hands. 'Can't you save Faramir?'
'Maybe I can,' said Gandalf; 'but if I do, then others will die, I fear. Well, I must come, since no
other help can reach him. But evil and sorrow will come of this. Even in the heart of our stronghold, the Enemy has power
to strike us: for his will it is that is at work.' [...]
They turned away and hastened along the road to the Closed Door. It stood wide open, and the porter
lay before it. He was slain and his key was taken.
'Work of the Enemy!' said Gandalf. 'Such deeds he loves: friend
at war with friend; loyalty divided in confusion of hearts.' " |
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"Denethor started as one waking from a trance, and the flame died in his eyes,
and he wept; and he said: 'Do not take my son from me! He calls for me.' " |
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" 'Authority is not given to you, Steward of Gondor, to order the hour of your
death,' answered Gandalf. 'And only the heathen kings, under the dominion of the Dark Power; did thus, slaying
themselves in pride and despair, murdering their own kin to ease their own death.' " |
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