{"id":100827,"date":"2016-06-26T21:58:20","date_gmt":"2016-06-27T02:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/?page_id=100827"},"modified":"2016-06-26T21:58:20","modified_gmt":"2016-06-27T02:58:20","slug":"the-great-hall-of-poets-june-2016","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/the-great-hall-of-poets\/the-great-hall-of-poets-june-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Hall of Poets – June 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seed of Nimloth<\/strong><\/h4>\n

By Melissa A.<\/em><\/p>\n

High on Mount Mindolluin,
\nHid in ancient hallow barren,
\nIn a waste of stone and snow,
\nThere a single sapling grows,
\nCrowned with buds of purest white,
\n‘Neath dark leaves a silver light,
\nLast fruit of the withered tree
\nThat was born across the sea.<\/p>\n

Single fruit of Nimloth saved
\nFrom the dreaded tidal wave
\nThat buried once blest N\u00famenor,
\nShoot from that which Isildur
\nDid once plant on Minas Anor,
\nThis tree grows untended for,
\nUnguarded, unadmired,
\nSave by lonely stones and briars.
\nIt too is threatened by a storm,
\nBut by sword of Aragorn
\nFrom destruction is it spared.<\/p>\n

Now comes Isildur’s bright heir.
\nElendil’s shoot from Northern waste
\nUp the sacred path makes haste,
\nHe, the child of elves and men,
\nOf Elros, Beren, L\u00fathien,
\nElfstone, Elessar the King,
\nHe whose hands do healing bring.<\/p>\n

To these hands at last do cede
\nRoots of ancient Nimloth’s seed.
\nLong may White Tree bud and flower
\nIn the City of the Tower!<\/p>\n

Neglectful, Gondor, never be
\nLest Nimloth fade eternally!<\/p>\n

~~ * ~~<\/p>\n

\u201cLament of the Last\u201d (Smaug)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

By: April M. Richards<\/em><\/p>\n

Deep in gold I burrow,
\nHeart empty, memories of
\nMy kind floating away
\nLike the smoke that rises
\nFrom my scarred snout.<\/p>\n

Ballads of Men and Elves write
\nMe as Evil, lost to an Ancient Evil.
\nYet my thoughts recall a time
\nLong before the Elves danced
\nUpon the land and the Dwarves
\nDelved deep in search of rare
\nMetals and brilliant gems,
\nDragons prepared the new world,
\nSwallowing fire from the earth and
\nTaming primordial waters into
\nSeas, rivers and lakes, safe for all.<\/p>\n

Yes, I took the Dwarves\u2019 Lonely Mountain,
\nDriving out their kin and killing some.
\nBut I did not do it for greed for their gold.
\nFour hundred years ago, Dwarves
\nFrom Erebor slaughtered my loving parents
\nBefore my hatchling eyes and violated their
\nBodies for their hide. Their bodies rotted, drawing
\nScavengers and forcing me to flee. A dropped
\nCoin my only clue to their identity.<\/p>\n

For centuries, I hunted for their names,
\nFor decades I hid among the cities of Men
\nIn my human form until I learned of reports
\nOf the Arkenstone and of Erebor. I launched
\nMy attack, not wishing to kill any in Dale, but
\nWar takes all. I drove out the Dwarves and
\nSettled in the Treasure Room, the only room
\nI fit in as a full sized Dragon.<\/p>\n

Now, I sit under the gold, hearing light
\nFootsteps sliding down into this room
\nAnd smelling a being connected
\nTo the Earth, to Nature and to Peace.
\nA fleeting wish to meet this being in
\nBetter times crosses my mind.<\/p>\n

Outside the secret door, I hear Dwarven
\nWhispers of Revenge and the lust for
\nTheir gold and the blasted Arkenstone.<\/p>\n

I know I will die by the end of
\nThis day. Dragons will be gone
\nFrom Middle Earth and I wish
\nDragons would be forgotten than be
\nUsed Villains to justify violence against
\nOther beings.<\/p>\n

A brief glimpse of the small being,
\na Hobbit He calls himself,
\nshot a Vision through me.
\nThe Encroaching Darkness will be laid low By Four Hobbits,
\nbut one connected to this\u00a0Hobbit will suffer the most.
\nMay he find\u00a0Peace in the West.<\/p>\n

~~ * ~~<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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