Errantry
Errantry is a three-page long poem by J.R.R. Tolkien, first published in 1933. Tolkien himself considered it his most attractive poem.
Errantry was, within the Legendarium, envisioned as a song of Hobbit folklore, attributed to Biblo Baggins. While it referred to original Elvish names, they were probably fictitious.
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.
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.
- Aerie, or an invention that rhymes on Faerie.
- Argosies
- Belmarie - unknown, possibly an invention.
- Cardamom
- Chalcedony
- Derrilyn - unknown, possibly a invention.
- Dumbledors, see also Dumbledors.
- Errantry
- Faerie
- Filament
- Foraying
- Furbished
- Gondola
- Gossamer
- Habergeon
- Honeycomb
- Hummerhorns - see Dumbledors.
- Malachite
- Marigold
- Marjoram
- Morion
- Paladins, see also Paladin Took II.
- Panoply
- Plenilune
- Provender
- Roving
- Sigaldry
- Stalactite
- Thellamie - unknown, possibly an invention.
- Tourneying