"Nor Bid the Stars Farewell" by jan-u-wine, illustrated with paintings.

[mechtild]

~*~

In this piece, jan-u-wine examines Frodo's feelings as he prepares to leave Bag End, remembering the Shire and the people he loves, wondering how much Sam guesses and how much his leaving will hurt them both. This Frodo truly is "Iorhael", old-wise, with a maturity and wisdom shaped and honed by deep love and deep hurt. I think it's brilliantly done, and I hope the paintings suit.

As with the previous poem, this was written to movie-verse; Elanor is a small child rather than a baby.



~*~

Nor Bid the Stars Farewell

~ by jan-u-wine





Not for the first time
(but for the last)
I find myself
saying farewell
to familiar places.

another journey
from which I do not
expect
to return.

the days spill
like page'd parchment
upon the floor.

bittersweet,
this farewell,
this division
of my heart.

the soft,
silvered dust
of the road
is sweet beneath
my feet,

leaves
burnished
crimson
torch
a blue-drowsed sky.

impossible
that I should
catch the clear,
cold
scent of the Sea
secreted
within the smell
of bright winter
roses.

Impossible.
~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gold light
folds
its gentle hand
upon my desk,
fingers
the books
lying silent there.

My hand touches
faded Red,
closes the scarred
cover
at last.

In my mind,
I see Bilbo's fond
smile
as I lay the pen,
finally quiet,
atop its worn face.

He will be pleased, I know.

I hear Sam
half-singing
in the watered Sun beyond
the window.

It is a song he often
sings of late:

the Song of the Western lands.

We will not say the day is done,
Samwise.

Not
when there is so much yet

to be,

to know.

So much…..

Life

yet
waiting.

I look about
the small,
imperfect
perfection
that defines
our world.

The world we saved together,
Samwise.





How
I love the sunlight, Sam…..

How
I love the Shire.

Perhaps I shall see it
again
in the blues and greens
of grey-misted Valinor,

perhaps I shall
feel it in the radiance,
flowing like the steady Anduin,
from the Lady's Lamp.

It has grown quiet
in the garden beyond the window.

Feet measure the path between door
and study,
eyes that I could never lie to
question mine.

When I think on this last day,
I will remember the seed-cake
Rosie made,

and how we four sat beneath the Tree,
laughing, and pulling warm, honey-slicked bits
into our mouths.

Little Elle ran almost as fast as the wind
that flew the gold of her hair like a far-flung
kite.

Dear Rosie poured both tea and tales
into the silences that hid beneath our smiles.

And you, Sam……………

How carefully you held every word
I spoke,
turning them about in your mind,
weighing them,
like a coin you did not trust the metal of.

I wonder if I have managed to mis-direct you,
with my talk of venturing once more
upon the Road.

Worried hurt lies in the lines
about your eyes,
in the frown between your brow.

What should I do, Samwise?

You would not let me go;
not if you knew.

And I must go.

Alone,
this time, Sam.

I meet the uncertain
certainty
of your eyes.

I try to tell you without words
that I will not go where you
cannot follow.

But not
yet,

not yet,
my friend.

The only heart
that truly knows sorrow
at this farewell
is mine….

yours would not be darkened,
if mine were whole.

When our places are reversed,
Sam,
when each day becomes for you a pained
shadow of every one that went before,
then the Sea will call you.

Then it will be I who waits
with sun-light and laughter,
I whose hand will welcome you Home.

Help me
one last time, Sam:

Look away.

Pretend for me that you do not know.












Illustrations:

"The Cornfield" - study ~ John Constable
"The Gardener at Giverny" ~ Claude Monet
"Gull" ~ Justin Cherry

Previous entry: The Lady Elanor by jan-u-wine, plus three paintings, 3-2-10.



Other Links:

~ All entries featuring jan-u-wine's poems.

Comments

[shirebound]

Oh my goodness, these poems make me tear up every time. You and Jan are such a marvelous team.

[jan-u-wine.livejournal.com]

thank you, Shirebound! May I say that I am proud to be part of Team Mech! Thank you, dear Mechtild, for all the beauty!

~jan, who is *running* by at top speed!

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Gosh, thanks, Shirebound. But thank Jan. It's her wonderful Shire writing that inspires these posts. :)

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

Oh, this broke my heart from the first word. So much tenderness in his regard of Sam and Rose and Elanor, so much love for his homeland, and the words ache with his knowledge that he'll have to leave them all. That last line made me cry. The paintings add to the emotional impact of the poem. They're perfect.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Isn't this a brilliant piece? To think I never read it until recently. I was lifted up and flattened at the same time, or in alternation. I love it down to the rhythm that carries me down the page as I read and think and feel along with Frodo in the poem. Thanks for your comment, Mews. Your words are thoughtful, but also heart-words.

[addie71.livejournal.com]

This is so beautiful, so heartbreaking; the pictures and the poem.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Thanks for stopping, Addie. I think it's beautiful, too, and brilliant. Jan's writing has greatly enriched my love and understanding of LOTR and its characters.

[not-alone.livejournal.com]

You've done it again, both of you - beautiful, moving words and perfect images to complement them. Thank you:)

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, Paulie. I keep saying this or that poem is my fave, but this is definitely up there.

[elycia.livejournal.com]

Good lord but this is stunning. The poem is so far beyond exquisite that I don't even have coherent words. And I love the illustrations you've chosen; the Monet in particular sings to me. Thank you for sharing this lovely work.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Thank *you*, Elycia. Really, your response warms me to my toes. Just when I think interest in these characters is completely on the wane, comments like yours appear to buck me up. It really is a brilliant piece, isn't it? Jan consistently does fine work writing from LotR, but this one is extra-fine, I think. :)

[jan-u-wine.livejournal.com]

Dear Elycia....I don't know what to say. The experience of writing to this world is *stunning* to me. As well as humbling and a whole list of other "ings", lol. And may I say: Mechtild has made that journey so, so *so* much more beautiful than even it was before (which was considerable). Thank you, Mechtild. And thank you, Elycia, so very much for your lovely and appreciative words! ~jan

[lindenella.livejournal.com]

Wow...just.......wow!

Thank you both for this post. I found it so moving.... incredible.
I felt like I was there at Bag End, in the study, looking through the window, sitting under the tree, watching it all.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

It's that vivid, isn't it? This has to be one of jan-u-wine's best. Thanks for stopping in, Quicksilver. I hope you are keeping well!

[jan-u-wine.livejournal.com]

dear Lindenella....thank you so very much! This journey has been a wonderful one for me. I'm so happy to be able to share. jan

[este-tangletoes.livejournal.com]

Thank you Ladies, a most enjoyable post.

--Estë

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Estë. P.S. I got your message in "Mechtild's Fic". Ha ha! You're right! I went through the trouble to make a note that it was "friends only" and then didn't figure out how to do it. I'm leaving it public now, anyway. The person who wrote the scathing remarks in a Frodo manip post never came back.

[antane.livejournal.com]

Another intimate look into Frodo's heart and soul in how these last days may have been for him as the Sea story showed also. Indeed his story did not end with the Sea but continued with it. We just didn't get to see it, but there and here, perhaps we have. God bless you both - and him!

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

I wish Tolkien had written a sequel. But that he didn't inspired thousands of creative fans to imagine Frodo's life after he passed over the Sea. Thanks so much for reading and commenting. :)