Author's Notes:
Disclaimer: The wonderful language of Quenya and the tragic character of Nienor are the property of genial J.R.R.T.
Disclaimer 2: I am not Japanese and I am familiar with Japanese culture not nearly as well as I would like to be, so my haikus probably suck as haikus, but I tried to do my best.
***
Nienor
Ilyë tier
undulávë lumbulë,
Ilyë sírer untúpa hísië,
I Hildë vanwa na.
Nienor (Mourning)
All ways are drowned in shadow,
All rivers are covered by mist,
The mortal woman is lost.
***
When I wrote the Quenya version, I meant myself. Then later I realized how well it fit the story of Nienor – something Mablung might have said after losing her at the borders of Doriath after her unfortunate meeting with Glaurung. Of course, Mablung would have spoken in Sindarin, Doriathrin dialect, to be exact, but I am a lot more familiar with Quenya, so I wrote in Quenya. If the first line seems awfully familiar – it is because it should be. After all, I took it from the famous "Namarie" poem. I wrote it in Quenya first, then translated into English… it is not so with all the haiku.