The Narn i Chîn Húrin: Beleg & Falivirn - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Aiwendil · 04-17-2009, 05:16 PM

Another thought before I forget it - I wonder whether perhaps we should try somehow to incorporate the two short 'independent poems' in alliterative verse that Tolkien developed from passages in the Lay and which are given at the end of the chapter in III.

One of them, untitled, is based on part of Gwindor's speech about the river Sirion at Eithel Ivrin, lines 1554-1570 in the Lay. I'm almost tempted to suggest that it was in fact a replacement passage for those lines. We may want to consider using it as such.

The other is 'Winter Comes to Nargothrond', developed from lines 2082-2113. This is a bit different, since it not only expands on the passage in the Lay but also leaves out the narrative portions. So it would seem there's no way for us to incorporate it; at least we can't simply replace the corresponding section of the Lay with it. This is a shame as 'Winter Comes to Nargothrond' is in my opinion one of Tolkien's finest pieces of verse, but I suppose that's neither here nor there.

04-17-2009, 05:16 PM	#11
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	Another thought before I forget it - I wonder whether perhaps we should try somehow to incorporate the two short 'independent poems' in alliterative verse that Tolkien developed from passages in the Lay and which are given at the end of the chapter in III. One of them, untitled, is based on part of Gwindor's speech about the river Sirion at Eithel Ivrin, lines 1554-1570 in the Lay. I'm almost tempted to suggest that it was in fact a replacement passage for those lines. We may want to consider using it as such. The other is 'Winter Comes to Nargothrond', developed from lines 2082-2113. This is a bit different, since it not only expands on the passage in the Lay but also leaves out the narrative portions. So it would seem there's no way for us to incorporate it; at least we can't simply replace the corresponding section of the Lay with it. This is a shame as 'Winter Comes to Nargothrond' is in my opinion one of Tolkien's finest pieces of verse, but I suppose that's neither here nor there.