The Elvish Song in Rivendell is a lullaby that was written by J.R.R. Tolkien before 1936. The poem was intended by Tolkien to represent the omitted song in the third chapter of The Hobbit, the Elves "went into another song as ridiculous as the one I have written down in full". That part of the poem exists in two versions. The latest version of that part was published for the first time by Douglas A. Anderson in The Annotated Hobbit: Revised and Expanded Edition in 2002.[1]
History[]
During the Quest of Erebor, when Thorin and Company first entered Rivendell, the Elves were just finishing up one song before beginning "another song" that was just as ridiculous.[2]
Between May 1 and May 2 of the year 2942, the Elves sung their Elvish Song "loud and clear on the banks of the stream" under the open window of Bilbo Baggins whom they woke up with their singing.[3]
Poem[]
Come home, come home, ye merry folk!
The sun is sinking, and the oak
In gloom has wrapped his feet.
Come home! The shades of evening loom
Beneath the hills, and palely bloom
Night-flowers white and sweet.
Come home! The birds have fled the dark,
And in the sky with silver spark
The early stars now spring.
Come home! The bats begin to flit,
And by the hearth 'tis time to sit.
Come home, come home and sing!
Sing merrily, sing merrily, sing all together!
Let the song go! Let the sound ring!
The moon with his light, the bird with his feather:
Let the moon sail, let the bird wing!
The flower with her honey, the tree with his weather:
Let the flower blow, let the tree swing!
Sing merrily, sing merrily, sing all together!
Sing all ye joyful, now sing all together!
The wind's in the tree-top, the wind's in the heather;
The stars are in blossom, the moon is in flower,
And bright are the windows of Night in her tower.
Dance all ye joyful, now dance all together!
Soft is the grass, and let foot be like feather!
The river is silver, the shadows are fleeting;
Merry is May-time, and merry our meeting.
Sing we now softly, and dreams let us weave him!
Wind him in slumber and there let us leave him!
The wanderer sleepeth. Now soft be his pillow!
Lullaby! Lullaby! Alder and Willow!
Sigh no more Pine, till the wind of the morn!
Fall Moon! Dark be the land!
Hush! Hush! Oak, Ash, and Thorn!
Hushed be all water, till dawn is at hand!
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Afrikaans | Elwe Wiegelied |
| Albanian | Kukudhët ninull |
| Arabic | الجان تهويدة |
| Armenian | Էլֆեր օրորոցի երգ |
| Azerbaijani | Elflər layla |
| Basque | Elfoak lo-kanta |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Эльфы калыха́нка |
| Bengali | এল্ভ লাল্যাবি |
| Bosnian | Patuljak uspavanka |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Елфите приспивна песен |
| Catalan | Els Elfs cançó de bressol |
| Chinese | 多精靈 搖籃曲 |
| Croatian | Vilenjacima uspavanka |
| Czech | Elfové ukolébavky |
| Danish | Elvere Vuggevise |
| Dutch | Elfen Slaaplied |
| Esperanto | Elfoj lulkanto |
| Estonian | Elvesid hällilaul |
| Finnish | Alfit kehtolaulu |
| French | Elfes berceuse |
| Galician | Elfos cantiga de berce |
| Georgian | ელფები იავნანა |
| German | Elfen Wiegenlied |
| Greek | Ξωτικά Νανούρισμα |
| Gujarati | ઝનુન લોલાબી |
| Hebrew | אֶלפים שיר ערש |
| Hindi | कल्पित बौने लोरी |
| Hungarian | Tündék altató |
| Icelandic | Álfar vögguvísa |
| Indonesian | Peri-peri nina-bobok |
| Italian | Elfi Ninna nanna |
| Japanese | エルフ子守唄 |
| Kannada | ಎಲ್ವೆಸ್ ಲಾಲಿ |
| Kazakh | Эльфтер Бесік жыры (Cyrillic) Élfter Besik jırı (Latin) |
| Korean | 엘프는 자장가 |
| Latvian | Elfiem šūpuļdziesma |
| Lithuanian | Elfai lopšinė |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Елфите приспивна песна |
| Marathi | एल्व्स लोला |
| Nepalese | एल्व्स पालना गीत |
| Norwegian | Alver Bånsull |
| Persian | الف ها لالایی |
| Polish | Elfy kołysanka |
| Portuguese | Elfos Cantiga de ninar |
| Romanian | Elfii cântec de leagăn |
| Russian | Эльфы Колыбельная |
| Serbian | Вилењаци успаванка (Cyrillic) Vilenjaci uspavanka (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | එල්ව්ස් ඉස්සර ? |
| Slovak | Elfovia uspávanka |
| Slovenian | Vilini uspavanka |
| Spanish | Elfos Canción de cuna |
| Swedish | Alver Vaggvisa |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Элвф алла |
| Tamil | எல்வ்ஸ் தாலாட்டு |
| Telugu | దయ్యములు లాలి పాట |
| Thai | เอลฟ์เพลงกล่อมเด็ก |
| Turkish | Elfler ninni |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Ельфи Колискові піс |
| Urdu | یلوس لالچ |
| Uzbek | Елфлар алла қўшиғи (Cyrillic) Elflar alla qo'shig'i (Latin) |
| Yiddish | עלוועס וויגליד |
References[]
- ↑ The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide, Volume II: Reader's Guide, pgs. 243-4 (entry "Elvish Song in Rivendell")
- ↑ The Annotated Hobbit: Revised and Expanded Edition, pgs. 92-3
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter XIX: "The Last Stage"