Oliphaunt (poem): Difference between revisions

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{{disambig-more|Oliphaunt|[[Oliphaunt (disambiguation)]]}}
'''Oliphaunt''' is the title of a short comic poem about the beast quoted by the hobbit [[Samwise Gamgee]] to [[Gollum]] as they and [[Frodo Baggins]] rested in the dell before the [[Morannon]].<ref>{{TT|IV3}}</ref>  It was a piece of traditional bestiary lore of the [[Shire-hobbits]].<ref>{{ATB|Preface}}</ref>
==The poem==
==The poem==
 
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">Grey as a mouse,
''Oliphaunt'' is also the title of a short comic poem about the beast quoted by the hobbit [[Samwise Gamgee]], based on traditional bestiary lore.
 
<poem>
'''Oliphaunt'''
Grey as a mouse,
Big as a house,
Big as a house,
Nose like a snake,
Nose like a snake,
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Biggest of all,
Biggest of all,
Huge, old, and tall.
Huge, old, and tall.
If ever you'd met me
If ever you'd meet me
You wouldn't forget me.
You wouldn't forget me.
If you never do,
If you never do,
You won't think I'm true;
You won't think I'm true;
But old Oliphaunt am I,
But old Oliphaunt am I,
And I never lie.
And I never lie.<ref>{{AB|Oliphaunt}}</ref>
</poem>
</poem>
==Other versions==
An early version of the poem was published as "[[Iumbo]], or ye Kinde of ye Oliphaunt" in [[The Stapeldon Magazine#June 1927|''The Stapeldon Magazine'' (June 1927)]].<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://www.tolkienbooks.net/php/details.php?reference=13290|articlename=Stapeldon Magazine. 1927|dated=|website=TB|accessed=6 April 2014}}</ref>
{{references}}
{{title}}
==See also==
* [[Poems in The Lord of the Rings|Poems in ''The Lord of the Rings'']]
[[Category:Poems in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]
[[Category:Poems in The Two Towers]]

Revision as of 07:10, 16 October 2021

The name Oliphaunt refers to more than one character, item or concept. For a list of other meanings, see Oliphaunt (disambiguation).

Oliphaunt is the title of a short comic poem about the beast quoted by the hobbit Samwise Gamgee to Gollum as they and Frodo Baggins rested in the dell before the Morannon.[1] It was a piece of traditional bestiary lore of the Shire-hobbits.[2]

The poem

Grey as a mouse,
Big as a house,
Nose like a snake,
I make the earth shake,
As I tramp through the grass;
Trees crack as I pass.
With horns in my mouth
I walk in the South,
Flapping big ears.
Beyond count of years
I stump round and round,
Never lie on the ground,
Not even to die.
Oliphaunt am I,
Biggest of all,
Huge, old, and tall.
If ever you'd meet me
You wouldn't forget me.
If you never do,
You won't think I'm true;
But old Oliphaunt am I,
And I never lie.[3]

Other versions

An early version of the poem was published as "Iumbo, or ye Kinde of ye Oliphaunt" in The Stapeldon Magazine (June 1927).[4]

References


See also