tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548876397286393746.post7497616247066555021..comments2024-03-22T08:47:33.246-04:00Comments on Alas, not me: An Observation on The Ring Verse (FR 1.ii.50)Thomas Hillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11645380693097266173noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548876397286393746.post-55646518142309758002016-04-09T22:46:54.417-04:002016-04-09T22:46:54.417-04:00Thank you, Simon. I love the way the Ring verses c...Thank you, Simon. I love the way the Ring verses combines the descriptive lines we're talking about here with what seems to be (a translation of) the actual incantation Sauron used. "Out of the Black Years come the words that the Smiths of Eregion heard, and knew that they had been betrayed: One Ring...bind them."<br /><br />You can feel the shift in the meter of the lines, too. The whole history of that betrayal and all the tension of that instant of realization are contained in these verses.Tom Hillmanhttp://alasnotme.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548876397286393746.post-29293692464116673222016-04-09T01:10:14.392-04:002016-04-09T01:10:14.392-04:00Just came upon the original version of the Ring ve...Just came upon the original version of the Ring verse (Shadow, p. 269):<br /><br />Nine for the Elven-kings under moon and star,<br />Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,<br />Three for Mortal Men that wander far,<br />One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne<br /><br />The rest is (almost) the same as the final version. Note the 3 and 9 being swapped round for Elves and Men. The appearance of the verse in Shadow marks a definitive point where the idea of Bilbo's ring as *the* ruling ring is set out (the idea appears a little earlier, but is certainly not present in the earlier drafts). I think this early verse complements and enriches the points you make. Men are identified as 'mortal' in their title, although the subsequent restatement of their 'doom' has yet to appear. But while the Elves and Dwarves are indeed identified with particular places in the world, Men are singled out as (as it were) homeless in Arda.Simon Cookhttp://yemachine.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7548876397286393746.post-10960928869180985462016-03-03T04:31:52.656-05:002016-03-03T04:31:52.656-05:00Can you tell that I'm currently working on my ...Can you tell that I'm currently working on my February transactions :) <br /><br />Excellent point, thank you! <br /><br />It is, in my eyes, typical of the anthropocentric viewpoint of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> that the focus is on death, rather than on the true key point about the Gift (or Doom) of Men: their freedom. <br /><br />Though this is not touched on in details, I would guess that Men are the only race who could do this – only because they have the freedom to shape their lives <i>beyond</i> the Music, do they have the possibility of extending that life (or a semblance thereof – at least they are not dead).TroelsForchhammernoreply@blogger.com