Errantry

From Tolkien Gateway
Revision as of 19:49, 17 March 2008 by Ederchil (talk | contribs) (rewrote so it doesn't COMPLETELY look like a wp ripoff)

Errantry is a three-page long poem by J.R.R. Tolkien, first published in 1933. Tolkien himself considered it his most attractive poem.

Metre

The poem has complex trisyllabic assonances with a metre that Tolkien invented, and was difficult enough that he never wrote another poem again in this style. A much shorter version would be included in The Fellowship of the Ring: the Song of Eärendil. Errantry was, within the Legendarium, envisioned as a song of Hobbit folklore.

Melody

This poem was set to music by Donald Swann. The sheet music and an audio recording are part of the song-cycle The Road Goes Ever On.

List of words

Below is a partial list of rare and/or obsolete words used in the poem.

References