{"id":102431,"date":"2016-10-25T08:05:20","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T13:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/?page_id=102431"},"modified":"2016-10-25T08:14:51","modified_gmt":"2016-10-25T13:14:51","slug":"the-great-hall-of-poets-october-2016","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/the-great-hall-of-poets-october-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Hall of Poets – October 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love and Loss: The Lament of Legolas<\/strong><\/h4>\n

By Lydwina Marie<\/em><\/p>\n

Best friends we were for many years,
\nWe shared our laughter, shared our tears,
\nNow he is gone, I weep alone
\nIn halls before the empty throne.<\/p>\n

To no one can I turn and go,
\nFor boundless grief they cannot know.
\nNow he is gone; I am alone
\nIn the dark halls by empty throne.<\/p>\n

His mortal years were less than mine,
\nbut in the night his eyes would shine
\nwith love and strength, unkindled fire
\nand from his sword would pour his ire.<\/p>\n

I weep and sing for Aragorn,
\nfor from my eyes his life was torn.
\nAnd now I weep, I am alone
\nIn the dark hall by empty throne.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sea Maiden<\/strong><\/h4>\n

By Tony M.<\/em><\/p>\n

In a dream of northern lands
\nI walked along the rainy strand
\nWhere Vikings peoples once had planned
\nA venture far and new<\/p>\n

In truth and legends down through time
\nIn Saxon tales and bardic rhyme
\nOf heroes and of heathen crime
\nAnd travels on the blue<\/p>\n

But now a modern nation-state
\nWith Church and King and cities great
\nRemembers how it changed the fate
\nAnd knowledge of the world<\/p>\n

And there I walked, and softly dreamed
\nAs in a Christmas card it seemed
\nAmong the streets that fairly teemed
\nI came upon a girl<\/p>\n

With strawberry hair and eyes so blue
\nThat with a smile she could undo
\nA man’s resolve and fealty true
\nTo home so far away<\/p>\n

Who is this girl who smiles on me?
\nBe she Elf or Valkyrie?
\nOr Viking queen upon the sea,
\nBut lost in modern day?<\/p>\n

She spoke to me in foreign tongue
\nIn words it seemed to me had sprung
\nFrom ancient soul through mouth too young
\nTo carry all they be<\/p>\n

I followed her across the the land
\nThrough mountain, wood, and fjord and strand
\nAnd out upon a ship unmanned
\nWe traveled on the sea<\/p>\n

I sang to her the songs I wrote
\nBut notes rang hollow in the boat
\nAnd with a knowing smile she smote
\nTo ruins all my pride<\/p>\n

But with a touch beneath my cheek
\nI felt no longer need to speak
\nAnd knew that things I thought were weak
\nI need no longer hide<\/p>\n

And then at last she bade me go
\nBack into the world I know
\nAnd I awakened cold and slow
\nIn bed where I was laid<\/p>\n

But now again in waking life
\nFull of dull and petty strife
\nI would that I could take to wife
\nMy dreamed-of fairy maid.<\/p>\n

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

L\u00fathien’s lament before Mandos<\/strong><\/h4>\n

By Sarah Idr\u00edel The Fair<\/em><\/p>\n

Ai!<\/p>\n

This is the tale of L\u00fathien\u2019s lament
\nbefore Mandos to seek her love<\/p>\n

Finally the quest for Silmaril
\nwas accomplished but
\nBeren was mortally wounded
\nand L\u00fathien held him in her arms
\nand Beren smiled and said<\/p>\n

\u2018At last thou are mine<\/em>
\nmore beautiful than any of jewel! \u2018<\/em><\/p>\n

And L\u00fathien said to him
\nher voice filled with sorrow<\/p>\n

It is time to bid thee farewell<\/em>
\nBeren Erchamion! (one-handed)<\/em>
\nI seek you, I come to you<\/em>
\nthru grief and death<\/em>
\nand we will meet again<\/em>
\nbeyond the Great Sea!<\/em><\/p>\n

And Beren died in her arms
\nand her tears were overflowed
\nand all the birds went silent in the woods<\/p>\n

And so left
\nBeren son of Barahir
\nfrom the House of B\u00ebor
\nthe knowledge of Men<\/p>\n

Thus L\u00fathien slowly faded
\nand vanished and with the
\nhelp of her divine mother<\/p>\n

her soul went to the Halls of Mandos
\nand there she stood in front of him
\nwho pronounces judgement in matters of fate<\/p>\n

And Mandos spoke<\/p>\n

Come, thou hast now entered<\/em>
\nthe Halls of Awaiting<\/em>
\nand on what errand thou have<\/em>
\ncome to me thru time<\/em>
\nand thought?<\/em><\/p>\n

And then L\u00fathien spoke
\nwith trembling voice
\nin front of Mandos;<\/p>\n

O thou Great N\u00e1mo<\/em>
\nthe Doomsman of the Valar<\/em>
\nThou know my mother<\/em>
\nMelian the Divine<\/em>
\nIt has been a long time since<\/em>
\nshe has sung with the nightingales<\/em>
\nin the gardens of L\u00f3rien<\/em><\/p>\n

And L\u00fathien told one of the saddest
\ntales of the Elder Days when the world
\nwas still young and she, daughter of
\nMelian the Beautiful, used to dance
\nin the woods of Doriath<\/p>\n

and L\u00fathien told about Beren and the
\nundying love between them
\nand she told about the Quest for the Silmaril
\nand how it all went wrong<\/p>\n

And she spoke<\/p>\n

O thou Great F\u00ebanturi<\/em>
\nthe Master of Spirits<\/em>
\nfor the sake of my mother<\/em>
\nwho are known to thy brother<\/em>
\n(Irmo the master of visions and dreams)<\/em>
\nand because of the love which she<\/em>
\nfeels to her daughter<\/em>
\nI beg you to grant me a wish<\/em>
\nto seek my love who has gone<\/em>
\nI gave my promise to him<\/em>
\nto seek him beyond those dark paths of loneliness<\/em><\/p>\n

And so happened that
\nMandos was moved for the first time
\nafter hearing her speaking
\nand it has never happened since<\/p>\n

and even the Ruler of the Death
\nwas moved before Melian\u2019s daughter<\/p>\n

And Mandos sat silent for a long time
\nand considered the matter in his heart<\/p>\n

At last Mandos asked for advice from
\nManw\u00eb S\u00falimo who was closest
\nto Il\u00favatar\u2019s mind<\/p>\n

and for a long time Manw\u00eb pondered
\nthese things in his mind and heart
\nand Il\u00favatar gave him an answer
\nas a purest and highest tone that spoke to him<\/p>\n

In the meanwhile L\u00fathien had become
\nalmost like a shadow and a memory
\nand at last Mandos called her to come in front of him
\nto hear his judgement<\/p>\n

And Mandos spoke<\/p>\n

O hear thou Tin\u00faviel<\/em>
\ndaughter of Melian<\/em>
\nwho is dear to us<\/em>
\nI cannot revoke what has<\/em>
\nalready happened<\/em>
\nand I cannot take away the gifts<\/em>
\nthat Il\u00favatar has given<\/em><\/p>\n

But I will grant thy wish<\/em>
\nso that thou can lead Beren<\/em>
\nforth once more into the world<\/em>
\nbut still as mortal and also thou<\/em>
\nshalt have the gift of Men<\/em>
\nin exchange for this second span of life<\/em><\/p>\n

How long it will be<\/em>
\nor wherever ye must go after it<\/em>
\nI cannot say<\/em>
\nbecause only Eru knows it<\/em><\/p>\n

And it was told that L\u00fathien and Beren
\nthey lived away from the others and
\nnever again talked to Men.<\/p>\n

And L\u00fathien danced there
\nbeside the nightingales
\nand Beren was with her
\nin that blissful island
\nof Tol Galen.<\/p>\n

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

To the Halls of Mandos<\/strong><\/h4>\n

By Chen\u00e9 \u00a0R.<\/em><\/p>\n

How did it come to this?
\nA memory now are the days of old
\nSpent frolicking among Elanor and Niphredil blossoms
\nAs the birds of the Golden Wood filled the air with their song
\nWe would gallop through the Valley of Singing Gold
\nWeaving through the silver bark
\nStopping to sit by the falls
\nAnd trade stories from far across Arda.
\nDays of joy are over, and no dreams fill this darkened wood
\nFor now it is abandoned; our kindred long departed for the West.
\nThere was a time I yearned to visit Aman,
\nThat too has come to an end
\nFor what I desire most
\nIs lost from all this world has to offer
\nI will see you again, my love
\nin the Halls of Mandos, from where I call to you.<\/p>\n

~~ * ~~<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Love and Loss: The Lament of Legolas By Lydwina Marie Best friends we were for many years, We…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-102431","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t