Bilbo's Last Song

On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 09:27:36 -0500,
Flame of the West <jsolinas RemoveThis @comcast.net> wrote:
 > emilio.aguinaldo RemoveThis @gmail.com wrote:
 >
  >> Hi,
  >> I was browsing a 2nd book shop this afternoon and I came across a small
  >> book by JJR Tolkien - Bilbo's Last Song. At first I thought that it
  >> might be a parody of some sort like Muddle Earth but Tolkien's name was
  >> bannered on the cover page. It is a relatively small book but has very
  >> nice illustrations. It only cost $3 so I bought it even though I was
  >> not sure if Tolkien did write it because this was the first time that I
  >> have heard of the title.
  >> Even though I bought it in a used book shop that condition was still
  >> fine.
  >> I just wanted to share my find this afternoon.
  >>
 >
 > There's an interesting story behind that book, which can be found here.
 >
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1112.html</font" target="_blank">http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1112.html</font</a>>

It's actually the first time I've read it. It is a tremendously beautiful
poem, a fitting end to the mythos that began during WWI.

--
Aaron Clausen
mightymartianca RemoveThis @hotmail.com<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Bilbo's Last Song 

In article <slrnd37lq8.r8d.mightymartianca.TakeThisOut@aaron.clausen>, AC
<mightymartianca.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> writes

 >It's actually the first time I've read it. It is a tremendously beautiful
 >poem, a fitting end to the mythos that began during WWI.

It is indeed. I read it a few months ago, standing in Blackwells
Bookshop. I had picked up the tiny illustrated hardback edition to see
what it was and found myself reading it... I will have to buy a copy at
some point, but the price rather put me off - relatively speaking, it's
quite expensive, given its size - but since it's illustrated, it would
be worth spending the money on... I think it's a great shame it didn't
appear in LotR, although I don't agree with one of the comments posted
on the website that said it should have been used instead of Annie
Lennox's "Into the West" at the end of the 3rd LotR film - I felt *that*
song was appropriate for the ending of "Return of the King" since it's
takes words and images of Tolkien's: the turning to silver glass, the
white shores, and the grey ships are all there on the final page of
LotR. When I first heard "Into the West" (I bought the soundtrack before
I saw the film), it made me cry because I knew *precisely* which bit of
the story it was related to, and the sailing of the Elven ships into the
West has always left me choked if it doesn't actually make me cry... So
"Into the West", for me at any rate, is the right song to end the film.
But it would be good to have Bilbo's Last Song in the book...

Michele
==
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- Pliny the Younger
==
Now reading: Jingo - Terry Pratchett
==
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 >> Stay informed about: Bilbo's Last Song 

On Sun, 13 Mar 2005 06:48:03 +0000, Michele Fry
(michele@sassoonery.demon.co.uk) said:
 > In article <slrnd37lq8.r8d.mightymartianca DeleteThis @aaron.clausen>, AC
 > <mightymartianca DeleteThis @hotmail.com> writes
 >
  > >It's actually the first time I've read it. It is a tremendously beautiful
  > >poem, a fitting end to the mythos that began during WWI.
 >
 > It is indeed. I read it a few months ago, standing in Blackwells
 > Bookshop. I had picked up the tiny illustrated hardback edition to see
 > what it was and found myself reading it... I will have to buy a copy at
 > some point, but the price rather put me off - relatively speaking, it's
 > quite expensive, given its size - but since it's illustrated, it would
 > be worth spending the money on... I think it's a great shame it didn't
 > appear in LotR, although I don't agree with one of the comments posted
 > on the website that said it should have been used instead of Annie
 > Lennox's "Into the West" at the end of the 3rd LotR film - I felt *that*
 > song was appropriate for the ending of "Return of the King" since it's
 > takes words and images of Tolkien's: the turning to silver glass, the
 > white shores, and the grey ships are all there on the final page of
 > LotR. When I first heard "Into the West" (I bought the soundtrack before
 > I saw the film), it made me cry because I knew *precisely* which bit of
 > the story it was related to, and the sailing of the Elven ships into the
 > West has always left me choked if it doesn't actually make me cry... So
 > "Into the West", for me at any rate, is the right song to end the film.
 > But it would be good to have Bilbo's Last Song in the book...

It was a very good decision to include it in the BBC radio adaptation, I
feel.
--
Matthew<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Bilbo's Last Song 

The Hobbitons did a lovely setting of the song in their CD.
Barbara
 >> Stay informed about: Bilbo's Last Song 

Michele Fry wrote:
 > In article <slrnd37lq8.r8d.mightymartianca.RemoveThis@aaron.clausen>, AC
 > <mightymartianca.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> writes
 >
  > >It's actually the first time I've read it. It is a tremendously
beautiful
  > >poem, a fitting end to the mythos that began during WWI.
 >
 > It is indeed. I read it a few months ago, standing in Blackwells
 > Bookshop. I had picked up the tiny illustrated hardback edition to
see
 > what it was and found myself reading it... I will have to buy a copy
at
 > some point, but the price rather put me off - relatively speaking,
it's
 > quite expensive, given its size - but since it's illustrated, it
would
 > be worth spending the money on...

<snip>

It is a beautiful little book - for those who have'nt seen it, it's a
picture-book, with just one poem, running throughout it's 32 pages. The
illustrations are a delight, especially to anyone who enjoys Pauline
Baynes' style - instantly recognisable as cousins of the Narnia
illustrations, especially those on p24, showing mail-clad figures at
the gate of the Lonely Mountain, and on p.25, the battle of five
armies.
For there are two stories being illustrated here; in the main pictures,
Bilbo leaves Rivendell to go on the ship with Elrond and his company,
then we see his journey to the Grey Havens. Meanwhile, the story of
The Hobbit is being told in a little vignette at the foot of each page.
There are notes at the rear of the book, explaining what each of these
pictures represent, though they are evident to any Tolkien scholar,
such as we are. (ahem)

As for the poem - it's lovely. Donald Swann set it to music. One of my
chief treasures is a tiny booklet of the sheet music for Swann's
setting; signed by him. In _The Road Goes Ever On_, a book of Swann's
settings for various others of Tolkien's poems, Swann tells of how he
sang the song at the memorial service for his friend and musical
partner, Michael Flanders (this is the latest ed. of that book, which
also has a cd of the performances - recommended!) I think I also heard
of this song being played at the funeral of Swann himself, tho' I'm not
sure. Anyone know of this?

Alan<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Bilbo's Last Song