Song of Beren and Lúthien

The Song of Beren and Lúthien was sung by Aragorn at the camp at Weathertop to distract Frodo Baggins, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took, and Sam Gamgee from their fears. Aragorn tells the hobbits that the song is in the ann-thennath mode in the Elvish tongue and that the Westron version is nowhere near as lovely. He also says that no one, except Elrond, remembers the end of the tale correctly anymore. In The Fellowship of the Ring (film), after the Midgewater Marshes, Aragorn sings a song in Elvish while keeping watch during the night. He tells Frodo that it is "the lay of Lúthien, an elf-maid who gave her love to Beren, a mortal." It may be the same song. Tinúviel is another name for Lúthien.


 * The leaves were long, the grass was green,
 * The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,
 * And in the glade a light was seen
 * Of stars in shadow shimmering.
 * Tinúviel was dancing there
 * To music of a pipe unseen,
 * And light of stars was in her hair,
 * And in her raiment glimmering.


 * There Beren came from mountains cold,
 * And lost he wandered under leaves,
 * And where the Elven-river rolled
 * He walked alone and sorrowing.
 * He peered between the hemlock-leaves
 * And saw in wonder flowers of gold
 * Upon her mantle and her sleeves,
 * And her hair like shadow following.


 * Enchantment healed his weary feet
 * That over hills were doomed to roam;
 * And forth he hastened, strong and fleet,
 * And grasped at moonbeams glistening.
 * Through woven woods in Elvenhome
 * She lightly fled on dancing feet,
 * And left him lonely still to roam
 * In the silent forest listening.


 * He heard there oft the flying sound
 * Of feet as light as linden-leaves,
 * Or music welling underground,
 * In hidden hollows quavering.
 * Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves,
 * And one by one with sighing sound
 * Whispering fell the beechen leaves
 * In the wintry woodland wavering.


 * He sought her ever, wandering far
 * Where leaves of years were thickly strewn,
 * By light of moon and ray of star
 * In frosty heavens shivering.
 * Her mantle glinted in the moon,
 * As on a hill-top high and far
 * She danced, and at her feet was strewn
 * A mist of silver quivering.


 * When winter passed, she came again,
 * And her song released the sudden spring,
 * Like rising lark, and falling rain,
 * And melting water bubbling.
 * He saw the elven-flowers spring
 * About her feet, and healed again
 * He longed by her to dance and sing
 * Upon the grass untroubling.


 * Again she fled, but swift he came.
 * Tinúviel! Tinúviel!
 * He called her by her elvish name;
 * And there she halted listening.
 * One moment stood she, and a spell
 * His voice laid on her: Beren came,
 * And doom fell on Tinúviel
 * That in his arms lay glistening.


 * As Beren looked into her eyes
 * Within the shadows of her hair,
 * The trembling starlight of the skies
 * He saw there mirrored shimmering.
 * Tinúviel the elven-fair,
 * Immortal maiden elven-wise,
 * About him cast her shadowy hair
 * And arms like silver glimmering.


 * Long was the way that fate them bore,
 * O'er stony mountains cold and grey,
 * Through halls of iron and darkling door,
 * And woods of nightshade morrowless.
 * The Sundering Seas between them lay,
 * And yet at last the met once more,
 * And long ago they passed away
 * In the forest singing sorrowless.