My co-op class is using Literary Lessons from The Lord of the Rings
and we are having a great time. I had my students compose laments after
reading Book II, chapter 7 of The Fellowship of the Ring. They did such
a great job and I want to share a few. Navaer Imladris Silence reigns among forgotten walls Formerly joyous these now empty halls. They reveal no trace of love once great And echo naught but woe of late. Not long ago, the halls had rung With lovely song and well versed tongue From those whose search for knowledge burned And love for life was early learned. The Elves of Elegion sought a home. A land they found where pools did foam, With waterfall and rustling tree, A home they built far from the sea. Why stand these halls so dark at day And so cold beneath the star's soft ray? This dwelling made by immortal kind Has stood surpassing thought and mind. The silence beckons to the skies "Return O ye with star-lit eyes. Restore the glee and life so fair, Return O ye with long, dark hair!" White shores beckoned, their longing rose, The call was sounded; to leave they chose. By vessels ornate they sailed away, Rivendell was left that forlorn day. The land will mourn, the elves are lost, To fair Valinor, the sea they crossed. The halls are quiet, their life is gone; A myth they're called, by everyone. Silence reigns among forgotten walls Formerly joyous these now empty halls. Those days are gone and on the morrow, An abiding loneliness and sorrow. Olorin I remember when you would arrive at Hobbiton from afar erasing all my fears that comforting memory, you are. O, Olorin, how great your works since you came from the west. Now I hang my head in grief as you lay to rest. Gandalf, hero, saviour, friend you have been our guide Leading when fear held us back you never left our sides. Dear Mithrandir, ever near you have gone away. It is said a wizard is never early so to thank you I am much too late. I Amar Prestar Aen Iluvatar created elves first, The wise with ever growing thirst Of knowledge and the craft of things fair, House and scrolls and jewels to wear. Though the light of the Trees has passed, They lingered there still, until at last, The Sea and ever fair Valinor, Is all that they could but hunger for. Endor, home of old, in which they sprung: Beneath the silver stars they had sung. They have seen all of the Beginning, Now before them the End is spinning. They traveled swiftly, in silent flight To the West away from Man's dire plight Leaving their land in unmeasured sorrow, Sadness still is with each new morrow, The mountains weep and the grasses bend, For the loss of their fair Elven friends. Man will soon forget them, the Firstborn, The name of Elves to be forever shorn, In sorrow they've left their past behind, To join on thither shore their dwindling kind.
Karen, you must be doing a great job with the class, because these poems are wonderful! I am glad to see students learning and responding with such interesting works of their own. Could you send me these poems, with the names of the students who wrote them? and their ages? If they don't mind, I would like to post them on my website. :)
This blog is a look into our homeschooling journey as we use Tapestry of Grace. You'll also find stories from various books I have collected that are now in the public domain and real life slipping in occasionally. Most posts from the public domain books have a pdf that you may download and print. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Posted by 
Oct. 30, 2005 - Excellent Poems!
Amelia Harper