As I had no internet for the entire morning, I was working on this piece from memory, and I'm rather proud that a good chunk of it was written without any aid from Google! On the flip side, one stanza is in bad need of rhyme/synonym suggestions to reword the phrases. Had to change the ending, because of course I remember V1 better ("The price to stand before the throne of Day"), but it's different in the newer lyrics, and it has to be replaced because otherwise Finrod's and Beren's final duet doesn't make sense. The duet is an expansion on the changed stanza. Also, for logic purposes, I think the duet should go after Captivity. First of all, it makes more sense for the duet to happen when there are only the two of them left. Secondly, in Captivity Finrod still thinks he will be the last to die, it's in the duet that he asks Beren to go ahead of him (or, in V1, in the "price" stanza).
ELVES:
The ice of our enchanted bonds chills
And the dark is frightening. <--[EDITED late for rhythm]
Like hammer falling on a cracked (?) shield
The foe is hammering.
SAURON:
Who will first confess his feeble nature under pain? *
Who will be the first to break beneath the weight of chains?
Many captives I have known, and none were made of steel!
May the first among this band be last his death to feel!
ELVES:
Through years of hardship we held hope high
And despite heavy load
We followed the Oath through the Great Ice
Through Death, onward...
Alas! we cannot cross the Sea twice
By foot or boat...
SAURON:
I sense vague unease about that upstart ministrel **
Who would dare to challenge me in song to battle fell.
I think that the rest of them won't be of any gain,
Let the strongest warrior the last alive remain!
ELVES:
Like piercing arrow through the throat, ruthless ***
Cuts breath, cuts song... [cuts thread? as reference to the Duel, as opposed to just life]
FINROD:
I've been a proud king. How upon my death
I shall be known
When I am left alone in this darkness?...
SAURON:
Not much courage needed to meet dreadful death but once,
But with each companion he will face it many times!
He will be the witness and the cause of their demise. [He will hold the blame for every death before his eyes. - I think I prefer this version. Or maybe not. Flip flop time.]
For his bold impertinence this is a worthy price!
FINROD:
The price for which my honour to defame,
To leave it in the dust, defiled and ravaged.
Don't lie to me that you know not my name!
Don't lie to me that your price seems too lavish! ****
BEREN:
Perhaps there lies a curse upon my fate.
Forgive me that I did not see it sooner!
FINROD:
The grief is not that you were then too brave,
The grief is that you are bereft of hope now... [here? For the rhyme?]
* This creeps me out more than I expected.
I was hoping to go for the same feeling with "dreadful death" in Sauron's last stanza, but the more creepy variants (horrifying, agonizing, etc) are a syllable too long.
** When internet turned on, google told me it's not spelled that way (duh, it's said that way in Russian, and I can't keep my languages straight). But those lines were so hard to get to rhyme!
*** How bad is it? Yeah, never mind, it's that bad... As an alternative:
Like ruthless arrow pierces life, cuts off
Breath [thread], cuts off song
Nah, still weird.
**** Google to the rescue, and suddenly it starts sounding good!
A late edit: I am thinking "Don't lie to me that you guessed not my name". Less literal, but I think more fitting.
Also, now having doubts about "lavish" in this context, though I have lovely rhymes for it and all. Trialing another version to have something to pick from:
The price for which my honour to defame
To trample in the dust [to ravage and defile] my last posession.
Don't lie to me that you guessed not my name!
Don't lie to me that your price is excessive!