Shadow-Bride is a short poem by J.R.R. Tolkien that was written on an unknown date, and is said to be of Hobbit-origin. It was the thirteenth poem within the 1961 collection of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book.
It describes a man who is under a spell of stillness, and sits motionless under the sky. He is thought to be dead by the nearby wildlife, until a 'lady clad in grey' arrives at twilight, and sets him free from his spell. He then approaches her, and the two dance until sunrise. This happens once a year, when the 'caverns yawn'.
Lyrics[]
There was a man who dwelt alone,
as day and night went past
he sat as still as carven stone,
and yet no shadow cast.
The white owls perched upon his head
beneath the winter moon;
they wiped their beaks and thought him dead
under the stars of June.
There came a lady clad in grey
in the twilight shining:
one moment she would stand and stay,
her hair with flowers entwining.
He woke, as he sprung of stone,
and broke the spell that bound him;
he clasped her fast. both flesh and bone,
and wrapped her shadow round him.
There never more she walks her ways
by sun or moon or star;
she dwells below where neither days
nor any nights there are.
But once a year when caverns yawn
and hidden things awake,
they dance together then till dawn
and a single shadow make.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Afrikaans | Die Skadu-Bruid |
| Albanian | Nusja Hije |
| Amharic | ጥላ ሙሽራ |
| Arabic | عروس الظل |
| Armenian | Ստվերային Հարսնացուն |
| Asturian | La novia-sombra |
| Azerbaijani | Kölgə Gəlin |
| Breton | An Dimezell Skeud |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Невестата сянка |
| Burmese | အရိပ်သတို့သမီး |
| Cambodian | កូនក្រមុំស្រមោល |
| Catalan | La núvia-ombra |
| Chinese | 影子新娘 |
| Croatian | Nevjesta sjene |
| Czech | Stínová nevěsta |
| Danish | Skyggebruden |
| Dutch | Schaduwbruid |
| Estonian | Varju pruut |
| Faroese | Skuggabrúðurin |
| Finnish | Varjomorsian |
| French | La femme de l'ombre |
| Frisian | De Skaad Breid (Western) |
| Galician | A noiva da sombra |
| Georgian | ჩრდილოვანი პატარძალი |
| German | Schattenbraut |
| Greek | Νύφη Σκιά |
| Gujarati | છાયા કન્યા |
| Hebrew | כלת הצל |
| Hindi | छाया वधू |
| Hungarian | Az Árnyék menyasszony |
| Icelandic | Skuggabrúðurin |
| Indonesian | Pengantin bayangan |
| Italian | La sposa dell'ombra |
| Japanese | 影の花嫁 |
| Javanese | Penganten wewayangan |
| Kannada | ನೆರಳು ವಧು |
| Kazakh | Көлеңке Келін (Cyrillic) Köleñke Kelin (Latin) |
| Konkani | सावळी व्हंकल |
| Korean | 그림자 신부 |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Көлөкө Келин |
| Laotian | ເຈົ້າສາວເງົາ |
| Latvian | Ēnu līgava |
| Lithuanian | Šešėlio nuotaka |
| Luxembourgish | Schatten Braut |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Невестата во сенка |
| Maithili | छाया कनियाँ |
| Malagasy | Ampakarina Aloka |
| Malayalam | നിഴൽ വധു |
| Malaysian | Pengantin bayangan |
| Maltese | L-għarusa dell |
| Manx | Scadoo Ven-phoosee |
| Marathi | सावली वधू |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Сүүдрийн сүйт бүсгүй |
| Nepalese | छाया दुलही |
| Norwegian | Skyggebruden |
| Occitan | La nòvia d'ombra |
| Pashto | د سیوري ناوې |
| Persian | عروس سایه |
| Polish | Narzeczona cienia |
| Portuguese | A noiva sombra |
| Punjabi | ਛਾਇਆ ਵਹੁਟੀ |
| Romanian | Mireasa Umbră |
| Russian | Невеста-тень |
| Sanskrit | छायावधूः |
| Sardinian | Sa nòvida-umbra |
| Serbian | Невеста сенке (Cyrillic) Nevesta senke (Latin) |
| Sicilian | La sposa di l'ùmmira |
| Sindhi | پاڇي جي ڪنوار |
| Sinhalese | සෙවන මනාලිය |
| Slovak | Tieňová nevesta |
| Slovenian | Nevesta senci |
| Somali | Gabadha Hadhka |
| Spanish | La novia-sombra |
| Swedish | Skuggbruden |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Арӯси сояафкан |
| Tamil | நிழல் மணமகள் |
| Tatar | Күләгә кәләш |
| Telugu | నీడ వధువు |
| Thai | เจ้าสาวเงา |
| Turkish | Gölge Gelin |
| Turkmen | Kölegeli Gelin |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Наречена-тінь |
| Urdu | سائے کی دلہن |
| Uzbek | Соя Келин (Cyrillic) Soya Kelin (Latin) |
| Venetian | La sposa ombra |
| Vietnamese | Cô dâu bóng tối |
| Welsh | Briodferch Cysgodol |
| Yiddish | די שאָטן קאַלע |
| Yoruba | Ìyàwó Òjìji |