Poetry of Love

The Tale of Tinuviel

(This tale tells of a mortal's love for an immortal elf maiden, the daughter of an elven King, and their falling in love.  Despite the consequences of their love, and despite the hardships that would result, they never regretting joining one another and choosing to be with one another.)

The leaves were long, the grass was green,

    The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,

And in the glade a light was seen

   Of stars in shadow shimmering.

Tinuviel was dancing there

    To music of a pipe unseen,

And light of stars was in her hair,

    And in her raiment glimmering.

There Beren came from mountains cold,

    And lost he wandered under leaves,

And where the Elven-river rolled

    He walked alone and sorrowing.

He peered between the hemlock-leaves

    And saw in wonder flowers of gold

Upon her mantle and her sleeves,

    And her hair like shadow following.

Enchantment healed his weary feet

    That over hills were doomed to roam;

And forth he hastened, strong and fleet,

    And grasped at moonbeams glistening.

Through woven woods in Elvenhome

    She lightly fled on dancing feet,

And left him lonely still to roam

    In the silent forest listening.

He heard there oft the flying sound

    Of feet as light as linden-leaves,

Or music welling underground,

    In hidden hollows quavering.

Now withered by the hemlock-sheaves,

    And one by one with sighing sound

Whispering fell the beechen leaves

In the wintry woodland wavering.

He sought her ever, wandering far

        Where leaves of years were thickly strewn,

By light of moon and ray of star

    In frosty heavens shivering.

Her mantle glinted in the moon,

    As on a hill-top high and far

She danced, and at her feet was strewn

    A mist of silver quivering.

When winter passed, she came again,

    And her song released the sudden spring,

Like rising lark, and falling rain,

    And melting water bubbling.

He saw the elven-flowers spring

    about her feet, and healed again

He longed by her to dance and sing

    Upon the grass untroubling.

Again she fled, but swift he came.

    Tinuviel!  Tinuviel!

He called her by her elvish name;

    And there she halted listening.

One moment stood she, and a spell

    His voice laid on her: Beren came,

And doom fell on Tinuviel

    That in his arms lay glistening.

As Beren looked into her eyes

    Within the shadows of her hair,

The trembling starlight of the skies

    He saw there mirrored shimmering.

Tinuviel the elven-fair,

    Immortal maiden elven-wise,

About him cast her shadowy hair

    And arms like silver glimmering.

Long was the way that fate them bore,

    O'er stony mountains cold and grey,

Through halls of iron and darkling door,

    And woods of nightshade morrowless.

The Sundering Seas between them lay,

    And yet at last they met once more,

And long ago they passed away

    In the forest singing sorrowless.

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 187-189