The Story of the Poem:

The Vanyar composed many poems and laments about the Kinslaying. This is one they sung also to the elves of Middle-Earth, after the defeat of Morgoth and the reclaiming of the Silmarils. Literary translation of the Quenyan:

'Oh, my sorrow, alas! My life!
Like a star that will not shine
Oh, my sorrow, alas! My beloved!
Fallen, bloody, alas! My beloved!
In the holy swan's-wing ship,
Oh, my sorrow, alas! My beloved!'

The Sindar understood little about Noldorin history, so they thought it was a lament for the dead at the last battle, and they used it as a funeral song. This version translates as follows:

'Oh, my sad lament, alas! My life!
Reflecting an unshining star
Oh, my sad lament, alas! My love!
Slain, bloodstained, alas! My love!
At the holy place, the swan's-wing passage,
Oh, my sad lament, alas! My love!'

Notice an interesting image on the second line: the singer says his life reflects a star that no longer shines, while in the Quenyan it is simply stated that the beloved star no longer shines.
On the fifth line there has been a misunderstanding: cirya means both 'passage' (as in the well-known word Calacirya, Passage of Light) and 'ship'. It seem the Sindar have found it difficult to think of a ship as 'holy', thus the other interpretation. This appears also in my poetic translation, simply because 'cove' rhymes so well with 'love'...


This poem appeared first in my story 'Miss Niphredil Baggins, Adventuress', but I spent much more effort on this than that wretched story deserves, not to mention that the story is R-rated but this poem suitable to all readers. Therefore this reproduction.