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**lindil** · 07-21-2000, 08:32 AM

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Re: Powerful lines

to me the suicide of turin is the saddest part of the entire writings of tolkien.
I recently read the wanderings of hurin -the last[?] addition to that unhappy tale of extreme perseverance gone amok.

earlier he meets his wife at the stone - marking the death of their children .

...but Hurin did not look at the stone , for he knew what was written there, and his eyes had seen that he was not alone. Sitting inthe shadow of the stone was a figure bent over its knees. Some homeless wanderer broken with age it seemed , too wayworn to heed his coming; but its rags were the remnants of woman's garb. At length as Hurin stood there silent she cast back her tattered hood and lifted up her face slowly, haggard and hungry as a long hunted wolf. Grey she was, sharp-nosed with broken teeth, and with a lean hand she clawed at the cloak upon her breast. But suddenly her eyes looked into his and he knew her; for though they were wild now and full of fear, a light still gleamed in them hard to endure: the elven-light that long ago had earned her name, Edelwen, proudest of mortal women in the days of old.
'Edelwen! Edelwen!' Hurin cried; and she rose and stumbled forward, and he caught her in his arms. 'You come at last,' she said. 'I have waited too long.' 'It was a dark road. I have come as I could,' he answered.
'But you are late,' she ssaid'too late. They are lost.'
'I know , ' he said 'But thou art not.'

'Almost,' she said'I am spent utterly. I shall go with the sun. They are lost.' She clutched at his cloak. 'Little time is left, ' she said . 'If you know , tell me ! HOw did she find him?' But Hurin did not answer, and he sat beside the stone with Morwen in his arms;and they did not speak again. The sun went down and Morwen sighed and claspedhis hand andwas still; and Hurin knew she had died.
...'She was not conquered' he saidand he closed her eyes...

</p>

07-21-2000, 08:32 AM	#16
lindil Seeker of the Straight Path Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: a hidden fastness in Big Valley nor cal Posts: 1,680	<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Pile o' Bones Posts: 0</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE> Re: Powerful lines to me the suicide of turin is the saddest part of the entire writings of tolkien. I recently read the wanderings of hurin -the last[?] addition to that unhappy tale of extreme perseverance gone amok. earlier he meets his wife at the stone - marking the death of their children . ...but Hurin did not look at the stone , for he knew what was written there, and his eyes had seen that he was not alone. Sitting inthe shadow of the stone was a figure bent over its knees. Some homeless wanderer broken with age it seemed , too wayworn to heed his coming; but its rags were the remnants of woman's garb. At length as Hurin stood there silent she cast back her tattered hood and lifted up her face slowly, haggard and hungry as a long hunted wolf. Grey she was, sharp-nosed with broken teeth, and with a lean hand she clawed at the cloak upon her breast. But suddenly her eyes looked into his and he knew her; for though they were wild now and full of fear, a light still gleamed in them hard to endure: the elven-light that long ago had earned her name, Edelwen, proudest of mortal women in the days of old. 'Edelwen! Edelwen!' Hurin cried; and she rose and stumbled forward, and he caught her in his arms. 'You come at last,' she said. 'I have waited too long.' 'It was a dark road. I have come as I could,' he answered. 'But you are late,' she ssaid'too late. They are lost.' 'I know , ' he said 'But thou art not.' 'Almost,' she said'I am spent utterly. I shall go with the sun. They are lost.' She clutched at his cloak. 'Little time is left, ' she said . 'If you know , tell me ! HOw did she find him?' But Hurin did not answer, and he sat beside the stone with Morwen in his arms;and they did not speak again. The sun went down and Morwen sighed and claspedhis hand andwas still; and Hurin knew she had died. ...'She was not conquered' he saidand he closed her eyes... </p> __________________ The dwindling Men of the West would often sit up late into the night exchanging lore & wisdom such as they still possessed that they should not fall back into the mean estate of those who never knew or indeed rebelled against the Light.