OF MY OWN TROUBLES
Dear Arwing,
It has been nearly two days since I received your letter and I have, as yet, heard nothing more from you or seen you. What I have heard concerning you is but that you are ill, and confined to your room. I hope this is not true, though your strange quietness and lack of interest to meet me can only help to prove to me this rumor correct.
I am sorry you are not feeling yourself. I don't see why you should feel well, considering what you discovered the other day. But, as it happens, I have been having troubles of my own.
These last few nights, the nights here in the city, I have started to sleep better and am more able to recall the happenings of the journey here. I remember while traveling, after Huinlas showed me his ring, that I was plagued with poor sleep and dreams of an unusual nature. Now, since coming here, I have had often the same dream, a terrible dream.
First I saw a blackness, darker than any I have seen. Its very being was horrible, I felt sickened to look upon it. For it was alive. A darkness that could be felt, a darkness with substance and life of its own. I felt as if I were falling, falling, falling. Down forever and ever into this gaping mouth, this moria. And then, brighter than any light of the sun, a star pierced though the black wall. First one, then another, and another, and so on until seven stars, each brighter than the brightest sunrise, and each more piercing, were displayed in an arc above my head. Seven eyes, staring, gnawing, breaking. I tried to turn away, I tried to escape their terrible brightness, but I could not. Even the dark was shrinking away from their light. I tried to close my eyes. I succeeded. But still I could see the stars. Now brighter than ever before. And then I heard a voice, no, two voices, saying, "Seven stars and two silver bands. Seven stones and two mighty hands. Seven gems and one guarded land." And then I felt the stars searching, calling, pulling, tearing me. Then I heard a voice crying, "Where!" And another broke through yelling, "You know!"
And there I always awake.
It is a horrible dream, as you can see. I have had it most often now that I am here in Minas Tirith, sometimes several times a night. I am almost afraid to go to bed. Or I had been.
Yesterday I decided to tell my dream to Huinlas. I thought perhaps, since he is the ring's keeper he could tell me the meaning of the dream.
It took me a while to find him, for no one knew where he had gone. At last I found him on a deserted alley walking absently and alone.
"Huinlas!" I called.
He turned hastily.
"Silwen?"
I hurried over to him.
"Silwen? Where are you wandering to, so late? Twilight has already fallen."
"Yes, I know. I had to find you. I had to ask you something. Tell you something."
And then I continued to relate to him my dream. As I spoke he looked troubled. At first he looked at me, but then it seemed that he looked beyond me. He was staring into my eyes, but I am sure he did not see them. And the more he looked this way the more I tried to look into his eyes to catch his attention. The more I looked, the more I became aware that something was not right. My sense of hearing became blurred, and I could not even hear my own voice. Then my vision started to give out, all I saw were Huinlas's eyes. And then in his eyes I saw, oh Arwing! The stars, the stars were in Huinlas's eyes! And now I could not look away, his gaze, strange as it was, held me and I had no power at all. My legs started to shake and I was about to fall, when I heard the voice again. This time it was louder, and it seemed to be Huinlas's voice. It shouted, "Where? You know!" Then all went black.
When my eyes opened I was breathing hard. I knew I was not supporting myself. I looked up. There was Huinlas, looking intently at me. He had caught me in my faint.
He called my name, and his voice sounded at once both gentle and commanding. It felt as though he was calling me back from a distance far away, or perhaps under water.
"Silwen!"
Louder came his voice, and more commanding.
"Silwen?"
Now it sounded like the voice I knew. The voice of the friend I knew, the familiar voice belonging to Huinlas.
I pulled my hands to my face and began weeping like a little child.
"It has gone, Silwen. All is well now."
I continued crying.
"Be calm, Silwen. Fear not, all is well."
I breathed.
"Oh, Huinlas! What is it?"
"Worry not. It shall never trouble you again."
"Does it often trouble you?"
Silence.
"Huinlas?"
"Worry not, I say. You shall not have to bear this burden again. Trust me."
He let go of me gently, to see if I could stand on my own. I could, so he walked with me back to the palace.
Since then I have been pondering over this nearly all the time. He said he will explain it to me some day. I asked if he could explain soon, but he was not sure. You know elves.
I have been trying to figure everything out, but it will not figure. Seven stars.like the seven stars in the poems of you last letter. I don't understand.
Here I must close. Yet I remain,
Mellonlín Silwen
Anwer to Quiz #2
The question was:
What is the Elvish translation of the name Huinlas?
The answers were:
A: royal/noble leaf
B: brilliant/shining leaf
C: dark/gloomy leaf
The correct answer is:
Choice C. "Huin" means dark or gloomy, and "las" means leaf.
The other answers take the roots of Arwing and Silwen's names. "Ar" or "Ara," as in Aragorn or Arwen, means "royal/ noble." "Sil," as in silmaril, means brilliant. The translation of Arwing's name is "royal/noble sea spray" and Silwen means "brilliant/shining/sparkling maiden."
Dear Arwing,
It has been nearly two days since I received your letter and I have, as yet, heard nothing more from you or seen you. What I have heard concerning you is but that you are ill, and confined to your room. I hope this is not true, though your strange quietness and lack of interest to meet me can only help to prove to me this rumor correct.
I am sorry you are not feeling yourself. I don't see why you should feel well, considering what you discovered the other day. But, as it happens, I have been having troubles of my own.
These last few nights, the nights here in the city, I have started to sleep better and am more able to recall the happenings of the journey here. I remember while traveling, after Huinlas showed me his ring, that I was plagued with poor sleep and dreams of an unusual nature. Now, since coming here, I have had often the same dream, a terrible dream.
First I saw a blackness, darker than any I have seen. Its very being was horrible, I felt sickened to look upon it. For it was alive. A darkness that could be felt, a darkness with substance and life of its own. I felt as if I were falling, falling, falling. Down forever and ever into this gaping mouth, this moria. And then, brighter than any light of the sun, a star pierced though the black wall. First one, then another, and another, and so on until seven stars, each brighter than the brightest sunrise, and each more piercing, were displayed in an arc above my head. Seven eyes, staring, gnawing, breaking. I tried to turn away, I tried to escape their terrible brightness, but I could not. Even the dark was shrinking away from their light. I tried to close my eyes. I succeeded. But still I could see the stars. Now brighter than ever before. And then I heard a voice, no, two voices, saying, "Seven stars and two silver bands. Seven stones and two mighty hands. Seven gems and one guarded land." And then I felt the stars searching, calling, pulling, tearing me. Then I heard a voice crying, "Where!" And another broke through yelling, "You know!"
And there I always awake.
It is a horrible dream, as you can see. I have had it most often now that I am here in Minas Tirith, sometimes several times a night. I am almost afraid to go to bed. Or I had been.
Yesterday I decided to tell my dream to Huinlas. I thought perhaps, since he is the ring's keeper he could tell me the meaning of the dream.
It took me a while to find him, for no one knew where he had gone. At last I found him on a deserted alley walking absently and alone.
"Huinlas!" I called.
He turned hastily.
"Silwen?"
I hurried over to him.
"Silwen? Where are you wandering to, so late? Twilight has already fallen."
"Yes, I know. I had to find you. I had to ask you something. Tell you something."
And then I continued to relate to him my dream. As I spoke he looked troubled. At first he looked at me, but then it seemed that he looked beyond me. He was staring into my eyes, but I am sure he did not see them. And the more he looked this way the more I tried to look into his eyes to catch his attention. The more I looked, the more I became aware that something was not right. My sense of hearing became blurred, and I could not even hear my own voice. Then my vision started to give out, all I saw were Huinlas's eyes. And then in his eyes I saw, oh Arwing! The stars, the stars were in Huinlas's eyes! And now I could not look away, his gaze, strange as it was, held me and I had no power at all. My legs started to shake and I was about to fall, when I heard the voice again. This time it was louder, and it seemed to be Huinlas's voice. It shouted, "Where? You know!" Then all went black.
When my eyes opened I was breathing hard. I knew I was not supporting myself. I looked up. There was Huinlas, looking intently at me. He had caught me in my faint.
He called my name, and his voice sounded at once both gentle and commanding. It felt as though he was calling me back from a distance far away, or perhaps under water.
"Silwen!"
Louder came his voice, and more commanding.
"Silwen?"
Now it sounded like the voice I knew. The voice of the friend I knew, the familiar voice belonging to Huinlas.
I pulled my hands to my face and began weeping like a little child.
"It has gone, Silwen. All is well now."
I continued crying.
"Be calm, Silwen. Fear not, all is well."
I breathed.
"Oh, Huinlas! What is it?"
"Worry not. It shall never trouble you again."
"Does it often trouble you?"
Silence.
"Huinlas?"
"Worry not, I say. You shall not have to bear this burden again. Trust me."
He let go of me gently, to see if I could stand on my own. I could, so he walked with me back to the palace.
Since then I have been pondering over this nearly all the time. He said he will explain it to me some day. I asked if he could explain soon, but he was not sure. You know elves.
I have been trying to figure everything out, but it will not figure. Seven stars.like the seven stars in the poems of you last letter. I don't understand.
Here I must close. Yet I remain,
Mellonlín Silwen
Anwer to Quiz #2
The question was:
What is the Elvish translation of the name Huinlas?
The answers were:
A: royal/noble leaf
B: brilliant/shining leaf
C: dark/gloomy leaf
The correct answer is:
Choice C. "Huin" means dark or gloomy, and "las" means leaf.
The other answers take the roots of Arwing and Silwen's names. "Ar" or "Ara," as in Aragorn or Arwen, means "royal/ noble." "Sil," as in silmaril, means brilliant. The translation of Arwing's name is "royal/noble sea spray" and Silwen means "brilliant/shining/sparkling maiden."