Song of Durin's Awakening

The world was young, the mountains green,
No stain yet on the Moon was seen,
No words were laid on stream or stone,
When Durin woke and walked alone.
He named the nameless hills and dells;
He drank from yet untasted wells;
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
And saw a crown of stars appear,
As gems upon a silver thread,
Above the shadow of his head.

The world was fair, the mountains tall,
In Elder Days before the fall
Of mighty Kings in Nargothrond
And Gondolin, who now beyond
The Western Seas have passed away:
The world was fair in Durin's Day.

A king he was on carven throne
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and silver floor,
And runes of power upon the door.
The light of sun and star and moon
In shining lamps of crystal hewn
Undimmed by cloud or shade of night
There shown forever far and bright.

There hammer on the anvil smote,
There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
There forged was bladed and bound was hilt;
The delver mined the mason built.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale
And metel wrought like fishes' mail,
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in horde.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk;
Beneath the mountains music woke:
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang.

The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm.

But still the sunken stars appear
In dark and windless Mirrormere;
There lies his crown in water deep,
Till Durin wakes again from sleep.

Casataro Cuivë Lindë

I Ambar né nessa, i oronti laiqui,
Lá vaxë sín né cenna Isilessë,
Lá quettar nér caitanë celussë ar ondo,
Íre Casataro cuivanë ar vantanë eressë.
Estanëro i essevilti ambor ar nelli;
Suncëro ho sín alatyavë linyattallor;
Hautanero ar tirnë Hyelleringessë,
Ar cennë rië elenion tanië,
Ve míri telemna-lianna,
Or i lëo cáro.

I Ambar né vanima, i oronti halla,
Enwinë-Sanassen ilapa i lantë
Taurë-Aranion Naracostorondossë
Ar Ondolindë, ya sí pella
I Númenya Ëari avániër oa:
I Ambar né vanima mi Casataro Sana.

Aran néro pelehtana-mahalmassë
Mardessen Tarmalíva ondo
Undu laurëa tópa ar telemna paca,
Ar certar túreva i andonna.
I Cálë Anaro ar Elen ar Isil
Caltala-calmassen hyellëo pelehtana
Alanécë lumbonen ar lómin lómeva
Tanomë tananë tennoio haira ar calina.

Tanomë namba taminessë nambanë,
Tanomë ondorísil pelehtanë, ar tecindo tencë;
Tanomë carna në russë ar mapalemen
I caróta rondanë, i samno carnë.
Tanomë hyelerë, marilla, hyelondo marya
Ar tinca canta ve lingwion varmë,
Turma ar hroavarmë, pelecco ar macil,
Ar caltala ehti ner caitanë hormassë.

Alayeryë san ner Casataro casaliër;
Undu i oronti lindelë cuivanë:
I Nandaror nandaner, nyellor lirner,
Ar andossë i rombar lamner.

I Ambar na sinda, i oronti enwinë,
I tirino nárë ná ringa ve apanár;
Lá nandë anandië, lá namba alantië:
I Mornië mára mardissen Casataro;
I Fuinë caita noirennarya
Moraltassë, Casarrondossë.
Nan er i nútanë eleni atánië
Mi morna ar súreviltë Hyelleringë;
En caita riero nénessë tumna,
Tenna Casataro ciuva ata fumello.

Notes:

  1. Casaroto is what I invented for Durin's Quenya name, someting possibly meaning Dwarven father, but very unclear.
  2. Hyelleringë is the translation of Kheled-zâram into Quenya, from its original meaning "glass lake".
  3. Naracostorondo is the translation of Nargothrond from Sindarin into Quenya. (My interpretation)
  4. Moralta is the translation of Moria from Sindarin into Quenya. (My interpretation)
  5. There is a high number of hypothethical words, and invention, the most radical include the equivalents for "beril" -> hyelerë (glass-steel), "opal" -> hyelondo (glass-stone), "There" -> tanomë, "Mail/corslet" -> hroavarmë (lit. body protection), "chisel" -> ondorísil (lit. stone cutter), to name just a few.

2 comments:

Lorenzo Carrera said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lorenzo Carrera said...

I love this poem, so I'm so thankfull for this! in the same year this was made, Parma Eldalamberon #17 came out. There is given the word 'cilintilla' or 'cilintír', which can be used as 'mirror'.