The Lays of Beleriand (41 page)

But even as in his arms she pled,

a sound came like a hurrying storm.

There Curufin and Celegorm 2985

in sudden tumult like the wind

rode up. The hooves of horses dinned

loud on the earth. In rage and haste

madly northward they now raced

the path twixt Doriath to find 2990

and the shadows dreadly dark entwined

of Taur-na-Fuin. That was their road

most swift to where their kin abode

in the east, where Himling's watchful hill

o'er Aglon's gorge hung tall and still. 2995

They saw the wanderers. With a shout

straight on them swung their hurrying rout,

as if neath maddened hooves to rend

the lovers and their love to end.

But as they came the horses swerved 3000

with nostrils wide and proud necks curved;

Curufin, stooping, to saddlebow

with mighty arm did Luthien throw,

and laughed. Too soon; for there a spring

fiercer than tawny lion-king 3005

maddened with arrows barbed smart,

greater than any horned hart

that hounded to a gulf leaps o'er,

there Beren gave, and with a roar

leaped on Curufin; round his neck 3010

his arms entwined, and all to wreck

both horse and rider fell to ground;

and there they fought without a sound.

Dazed in the grass did Luthien lie

beneath bare branches and the sky; 3015

the Gnome felt Beren's fingers grim

close on his throat and strangle him,

and out his eyes did start, and tongue

gasping from his mouth there hung.

Up rode Celegorm with his spear, 3020

and bitter death was Beren near.

With elvish steel he nigh was slain

whom Luthien won from hopeless chain,

but baying Huan sudden sprang

before his master's face with fang 3025

white-gleaming, and with bristling hair,

as if he on boar or wolf did stare.

The horse in terror leaped aside,

and Celegorm in anger cried:

'Curse thee, thou base born dog, to dare 3030

against thy master teeth to bare! '

But dog nor horse nor rider bold

would venture near the anger cold

of mighty Huan fierce at bay.

Red were his jaws. They shrank away, 3035

and fearful eyed him from afar:

nor sword nor knife, nor scimitar,

no dart of bow, nor cast of spear,

master nor man did Huan fear.

There Curufin had left his life, 3040

had Luthien not stayed that strife.

Waking she rose and softly cried

standing distressed at Beren's side:

'Forbear thy anger now, my lord!

nor do the work of Orcs abhorred; 3045

for foes there be of Elfinesse

unnumbered, and they grow not less,

while here we war by ancient curse

distraught, and all the world to worse

decays and crumbles. Make thy peace! ' 3050

Then Beren did Curufin release;

but took his horse and coat of mail,

and took his knife there gleaming pale,

hanging sheathless, wrought of steel.

No flesh could leeches ever heal 3055

that point had pierced; for long ago

the dwarves had made it, singing slow

enchantments, where their hammers fell

in Nogrod ringing like a bell.

Iron as tender wood it cleft, 3060

and sundered mail like woollen weft.

But other hands its haft now held;

its master lay by mortal felled.

Beren uplifting him, far him flung,

and cried 'Begone! ', with stinging tongue; 3065

'Begone! thou renegade and fool,

and let thy lust in exile cool!

Arise and go, and no more work

like Morgoth's slaves or cursed Orc;

and deal, proud son of Feanor, 3070

in deeds more proud than heretofore! '

Then Beren led Luthien away,

while Huan still there stood at bay.

'Farewell,' cried Celegorm the fair.

'Far get you gone! And better were 3075

to die forhungered in the waste

than wrath of Feanor's sons to taste,

that yet may reach o'er dale and hill.

No gem, nor maid, nor Silmaril

shall ever long in thy grasp lie! 3080

We curse thee under cloud and sky,

we curse thee from rising unto sleep!

Farewell! ' He swift from horse did leap,

his brother lifted from the ground;

then bow of yew with gold wire bound 3085

he strung, and shaft he shooting sent,

as heedless hand in hand they went;

a dwarvish dart and cruelly hooked.

They never turned nor backward looked.

Loud bayed Huan, and leaping caught 3090

the speeding arrow. Quick as thought

another followed deadly singing;

but Beren had turned, and sudden springing

defended Luthien with his breast.

Deep sank the dart in flesh to rest. 3095

He fell to earth. They rode away,

and laughing left him as he lay;

yet spurred like wind in fear and dread

of 'Huan's pursuing anger red.

Though Curufin with bruised mouth laughed, 3100

yet later of that dastard shaft

was tale and rumour in the North,

and Men remembered at the Marching Forth,

and Morgoth's will its hatred helped.

Thereafter never hound was whelped 3105

would follow horn of Celegorm

or Curufin. Though in strife and storm,

though all their house in ruin red

went down, thereafter laid his head

Huan no more at that lord's feet, 3110

but followed Luthien, brave and fleet.

Now sank she weeping at the side

of Beren, and sought to stem the tide

of welling blood that flowed there fast.

The raiment from his breast she cast; 3115

from shoulder plucked the arrow keen;

his wound with tears she washed it clean.

Then Huan came and bore a leaf,

of all the herbs of healing chief,

that evergreen in woodland glade 3120

there grew with broad and hoary blade.

The powers of all grasses Huan knew,

who wide did forest-paths pursue.

Therewith the smart he swift allayed,

while Luthien murmuring in the shade 3125

the staunching song, that Elvish wives

long years had sung in those sad lives

of war and weapons, wove o'er him.

The shadows fell from mountains grim.

Then sprang about the darkened North 3130

the Sickle of the Gods, and forth

each star there stared in stony night

radiant, glistering cold and white.

But on the ground there is a glow,

a spark of red that leaps below: 3135

under woven boughs beside a fire

of crackling wood and sputtering briar

there Beren lies in drowsing deep,

walking and wandering in sleep.

Watchful bending o'er him wakes 3140

a maiden fair; his thirst she slakes,

his brow caresses, and softly croons

a song more potent than in runes

or leeches' lore hath since been writ.

Slowly the nightly watches flit. 3145

The misty morning crawleth grey

from dusk to the reluctant day.

Then Beren woke and opened eyes,

and rose and cried: 'Neath other skies,

in lands more awful and unknown, 3150

I wandered long, methought, alone

to the deep shadow where the dead dwell;

but ever a voice that I knew well,

like bells, like viols, like harps, like birds, like music moving without words, 3155

called me, called me through the night,

enchanted drew me back to light!

Healed the wound, assuaged the pain!

Now are we come to morn again,

new journeys once more lead us on - 3160

to perils whence may life be won,

hardly for Beren; and for thee

a waiting in the wood I see,

beneath the trees of Doriath,

while ever follow down my path 3165

the echoes of thine elvish song,

where hills are haggard and roads are long.'

'Nay, now no more we have for foe

dark Morgoth only, but in woe,

in wars and feuds of Elfinesse 3170

thy quest is bound; and death, no less,

for thee and me, for Huan bold

the end of weird of yore foretold,

all this I bode shall follow swift,

if thou go on. Thy hand shall lift 3175

and lay in Thingol's lap the dire

and flaming jewel, Feanor's fire,

never, never! A why then go?

Why turn we not from fear and woe

beneath the trees to walk and roam 3180

roofless, with all the world as home,

over mountains, beside the seas,

in the sunlight, in the breeze?'

Thus long they spoke with heavy hearts;

and yet not all her elvish arts, 3185

nor lissom arms, nor shining eyes

as tremulous stars in rainy skies,

nor tender lips, enchanted voice,

his purpose bent or swayed his choice.

Never to Doriath would he fare 3190

save guarded fast to leave her there;

never to Nargothrond would go

with her, lest there came war and woe;

and never would in the world untrod

to wander suffer her, worn, unshod, 3195

roofless and restless, whom he drew

with love from the hidden realms she knew.

'For Morgoth's power is now awake;

already hill and dale doth shake,

the hunt is up, the prey is wild: 3200

a maiden lost, an elven child.

Now Orcs and phantoms prowl and peer

from tree to tree, and fill with fear

each shade and hollow. Thee they seek!

At thought thereof my hope grows weak, 3205

my heart is chilled. I curse mine oath,

I curse the fate that joined us both

and snared thy feet in my sad doom

of flight and wandering in the gloom!

Now let us haste, and ere the day 3210

be fallen, take our swiftest way,

till o'er the marches of thy land

beneath the beech and oak we stand

in Doriath, fair Doriath

whither no evil finds the path, 3215

powerless to pass the listening leaves

that droop upon those forest-eaves.'

Then to his will she seeming bent.

Swiftly to Doriath they went,

and crossed its borders. There they stayed 3220

resting in deep and mossy glade;

there lay they sheltered from the wind

under mighty beeches silken-skinned,

and sang of love that still shall be,

though earth be foundered under sea, 3225

and sundered here for evermore

shall meet upon the Western Shore.

One morning as asleep she lay

upon the moss, as though the day

too bitter were for gentle flower 3230

to open in a sunless hour,

Beren arose and kissed her hair,

and wept, and softly left her there.

'Good Huan,' said he, 'guard her well!

In leafless field no asphodel, 3235

in thorny thicket never a rose

forlorn, so frail and fragrant blows.

Guard her from wind and frost, and hide

from hands that seize and cast aside;

keep her from wandering and woe, 3240

for pride and fate now make me go.'

The horse he took and rode away,

nor dared to turn; but all that day

with heart as stone he hastened forth

and took the paths toward the North. 3245

NOTES.

2877. Against this line is written the date 'April 5th'. The previous date was 4 April 1928 at line 2769.

2929. At the end of this line is written the date 'April 6th'.

2980-3. Cf. lines 649 - 52, 1220 - 3.

2998. Against this line is written the date 'April 27th 1928'.

3031. Before this line is written the date 'Nov. 1929'. This date may refer forward or backward; but both it and the text that follows is written with a slightly finer nib than that used for the preceding portion of the poem. The previous date was 27

April 1928 at line 2998.

3076-84. Against these seven lines, as first written in the margin of the manuscript A, is the date 'Sept. 1930'.

3119. Against this line my father wrote in the margin of the B-text the word athelas. In The Fellowship of the Ring (I. 12) Aragorn said that it was brought to Middle-earth by the Numenoreans.

3220. After the word borders is written the date '25 September 1930'.

3242-5. These last four lines of the Canto are only found in A, but I suspect that they were omitted inadvertently.

Commentary on Canto X.

The development of the story in this Canto can again be followed step by step in the outlines. In the Tale of Tinuviel (II. 3o - x) Beren and Tinuviel wandered away with Huan after the defeat of Tevildo, and it was her desire to return to Artanor but unwillingness to part from Beren that led to their resolve to try to gain a Silmaril. The catskin of Oikeroi, thane of Tevildo, was carried by Huan as a trophy, and they begged it from him; it was in the guise of a cat that Beren went to Angband.

Synopsis I says no more of this part of the narrative than 'Tinuviel and Beren disguised as a werewolf go to Angband', and apart from the fact that the skin was that of a werewolf and not of a cat there had probably been no development from the Tale.