Read Online The Lays of Beleriand by J. R. R. Tolkien - Free Book Online
Authors: J. R. R. Tolkien
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long past
whose glory has gone through the gates of earth, and songs have sung unceasing ringig
." wherever the Elves in ancient places
':,: bad light or laughter in the later world.
With breath bated on the brink of the dale
:. they stood and stared through stealthy shadows,
' till they saw where the circle of sleepless eyes e broken; with hearts beating dully
' they passed the places where pierced and bleeding
: the wolves weltered by winged death
unseen smitten; as smoke noiseless
they slipped silent through the slumbering throngs as shadowy wraiths shifting vaguely
from gloom to gloom, till the Gods brought them and the craft and cunning of the keen huntsman to Turin the tall where he tumbled lay
with face downward in the filthy mire,
and his feet were fettered, and fast in bonds anguish enchained his arms behind him.
ere he slept or swooned, as sunk in oblivion
drugs of darkness deadly blended;
he heard not their whispers; no hope stirred him nor the deep despair of his dreams fathomed;
1115
1120
1125
1130
1135
to awake his wit no words availed.
No blade would bite on the bonds he wore,
though Flinding felt for the forged knife
of dwarfen steel, his dagger prized,
that at waist he wore awake or sleeping,
whose edge would eat through iron noiseless
as a clod of clay is cleft by the share.
It was wrought by wrights in the realms of the East, in black Belegost, by the bearded Dwarves
of troth unmindful; it betrayed him now
from its sheath slipping as o'er shaggy slades and roughhewn rocks their road they wended.
1140
1145
1150
'We must bear him back as best we may,'
said Beleg, bending his broad shoulders.
Then the head he lifted of Hurin's offspring, and Flinding go-Fuilin the feet clasped;
and doughty that deed, for in days long gone
though Men were of mould less mighty builded
ere the earth's goodness from the Elves they drew, though the Elfin kindreds ere old was the sun were of might unminished, nor the moon haunted faintly fading as formed of shadows
in places unpeopled, yet peers they were not
in bone and flesh and body's fashioning,
and Turin was tallest of the ten races
that in Hithlum's hills their homes builded.
Like a log they lifted his limbs mighty,
and straining staggered with stealth and fear, with bodies bending and bones aching,
from the cruel dreaming of the camp of dread, where spearmen drowsed sprawling drunken
by their moon-blades keen with murder whetted mid their shaven shafts in sheaves piled.
1155
1160
1165
I 170
Now Beleg the brave backward led them,
but his foot fumbled and he fell thudding
with Turin atop of him, and trembling stumbled Flinding forward; there frozen lying
long while they listened for alarm stirring,
for hue and cry, and their hearts cowered;
but unbroken the breathing of the bands sleeping, as darkness deepened to dead midnight,
1175
1180
d the lifeless hour when the loosened soulo
ft sheds the shackles of the shivering flesh.
Then dared their dread to draw its breath,
and they found their feet in the fouled earth, and bent they both their backs once more
to their task of toil, for Turin woke not.
There the huntsman's hand was hurt deeply,
as he groped on the ground, by a gleaming point --
'twas Dailir his dart dearly prized
he had found by his foot in fragments twain,
and with barbs bended: it broke at last
neath his body falling. It boded ill.
1185
1190
As in dim dreaming, and dazed with horror,
they won their way with weary slowness,
foot by footstep, till fate them granted
the leaguer at last of those lairs to pass,
and their burden laid they, breathless gasping, on bare-bosmed earth, and abode a while,
ere by winding ways they won their path
up the slanting slopes with silent labour,
with spended strength sprawling to cast them
in the darkling dell neath the deep thicket.
Then sought his sword, and songs of magic
o'er its eager edge with Elfin voice
there Beleg murmured, while bluely
whose glory has gone through the gates of earth, and songs have sung unceasing ringig
." wherever the Elves in ancient places
':,: bad light or laughter in the later world.
With breath bated on the brink of the dale
:. they stood and stared through stealthy shadows,
' till they saw where the circle of sleepless eyes e broken; with hearts beating dully
' they passed the places where pierced and bleeding
: the wolves weltered by winged death
unseen smitten; as smoke noiseless
they slipped silent through the slumbering throngs as shadowy wraiths shifting vaguely
from gloom to gloom, till the Gods brought them and the craft and cunning of the keen huntsman to Turin the tall where he tumbled lay
with face downward in the filthy mire,
and his feet were fettered, and fast in bonds anguish enchained his arms behind him.
ere he slept or swooned, as sunk in oblivion
drugs of darkness deadly blended;
he heard not their whispers; no hope stirred him nor the deep despair of his dreams fathomed;
1115
1120
1125
1130
1135
to awake his wit no words availed.
No blade would bite on the bonds he wore,
though Flinding felt for the forged knife
of dwarfen steel, his dagger prized,
that at waist he wore awake or sleeping,
whose edge would eat through iron noiseless
as a clod of clay is cleft by the share.
It was wrought by wrights in the realms of the East, in black Belegost, by the bearded Dwarves
of troth unmindful; it betrayed him now
from its sheath slipping as o'er shaggy slades and roughhewn rocks their road they wended.
1140
1145
1150
'We must bear him back as best we may,'
said Beleg, bending his broad shoulders.
Then the head he lifted of Hurin's offspring, and Flinding go-Fuilin the feet clasped;
and doughty that deed, for in days long gone
though Men were of mould less mighty builded
ere the earth's goodness from the Elves they drew, though the Elfin kindreds ere old was the sun were of might unminished, nor the moon haunted faintly fading as formed of shadows
in places unpeopled, yet peers they were not
in bone and flesh and body's fashioning,
and Turin was tallest of the ten races
that in Hithlum's hills their homes builded.
Like a log they lifted his limbs mighty,
and straining staggered with stealth and fear, with bodies bending and bones aching,
from the cruel dreaming of the camp of dread, where spearmen drowsed sprawling drunken
by their moon-blades keen with murder whetted mid their shaven shafts in sheaves piled.
1155
1160
1165
I 170
Now Beleg the brave backward led them,
but his foot fumbled and he fell thudding
with Turin atop of him, and trembling stumbled Flinding forward; there frozen lying
long while they listened for alarm stirring,
for hue and cry, and their hearts cowered;
but unbroken the breathing of the bands sleeping, as darkness deepened to dead midnight,
1175
1180
d the lifeless hour when the loosened soulo
ft sheds the shackles of the shivering flesh.
Then dared their dread to draw its breath,
and they found their feet in the fouled earth, and bent they both their backs once more
to their task of toil, for Turin woke not.
There the huntsman's hand was hurt deeply,
as he groped on the ground, by a gleaming point --
'twas Dailir his dart dearly prized
he had found by his foot in fragments twain,
and with barbs bended: it broke at last
neath his body falling. It boded ill.
1185
1190
As in dim dreaming, and dazed with horror,
they won their way with weary slowness,
foot by footstep, till fate them granted
the leaguer at last of those lairs to pass,
and their burden laid they, breathless gasping, on bare-bosmed earth, and abode a while,
ere by winding ways they won their path
up the slanting slopes with silent labour,
with spended strength sprawling to cast them
in the darkling dell neath the deep thicket.
Then sought his sword, and songs of magic
o'er its eager edge with Elfin voice
there Beleg murmured, while bluely
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