Kate Neville
Well-Known Member
I apologize for starting a fourth thread on Bilbo's song, but I want to acknowledge what has already been said by others while also looking at the song and the scene from the point of view of character development. I used to think that Bilbo had learned all about the danger of the Ring while in Rivendell -- before Frodo left the Shire -- but I have come to think that while he intellectually knew that the Ring was made by an evil power and so dangerous to possess, it was not until he actually saw its effect in the eyes of Frodo in the Hall of Fire that he fully realized, in his heart and soul as well as in his mind, what it meant to be The Ringbearer. And so I see this entire scene to be a valedictory event: he had already given Frodo the Ring, and in giving him Sting and the mithril coat, Bilbo was finally and fully letting go of his past.
I was particularly taken by the fact that his song is in 'Elvish' meter and that the first imagery is expressed in present perfect -- the 'perfect' past tense for Elves, for whom the past is both ever-present and ever-passing away. This is why I agree with Rachel (with whom I often agree) and others that this song must have been composed shortly after the Council of Elrond, where Bilbo made his offer to "finish what he started" even while fearing that the burden would fall on Frodo. To me, the tense-change in the song represents Bilbo's moving from an Elvish view of the past, acquired while living in Rivendell, to one more in line with his true nature as a hobbit and a mortal. I call this poem Bilbo's valedictory oration, for to me it shows a character who has come to terms with his past and with his present and is now willing to leave the future in the hands of others.
I applaud TThurston's choice of 'Auld Lang Syne' as a melody for Bilbo's song not only because it fits its rhythm, but because the original lyrics of the Burns poem are also about appreciating memories of the past while looking to the future alongside friends and family.
As a last note, I'd like to add that the use of Elvish meter calls out for us to consider this poem next to the other great valedictory song in The Fellowship of the Ring: Galadriel's Namárië. While they differ in language and in substance, I think each serves a similar purpose in the character arcs of The Hobbit and The Lady of Lorien, coming for each of them after an experience of renunciation. . . . But we can discuss that in December 2031.
I was particularly taken by the fact that his song is in 'Elvish' meter and that the first imagery is expressed in present perfect -- the 'perfect' past tense for Elves, for whom the past is both ever-present and ever-passing away. This is why I agree with Rachel (with whom I often agree) and others that this song must have been composed shortly after the Council of Elrond, where Bilbo made his offer to "finish what he started" even while fearing that the burden would fall on Frodo. To me, the tense-change in the song represents Bilbo's moving from an Elvish view of the past, acquired while living in Rivendell, to one more in line with his true nature as a hobbit and a mortal. I call this poem Bilbo's valedictory oration, for to me it shows a character who has come to terms with his past and with his present and is now willing to leave the future in the hands of others.
I applaud TThurston's choice of 'Auld Lang Syne' as a melody for Bilbo's song not only because it fits its rhythm, but because the original lyrics of the Burns poem are also about appreciating memories of the past while looking to the future alongside friends and family.
As a last note, I'd like to add that the use of Elvish meter calls out for us to consider this poem next to the other great valedictory song in The Fellowship of the Ring: Galadriel's Namárië. While they differ in language and in substance, I think each serves a similar purpose in the character arcs of The Hobbit and The Lady of Lorien, coming for each of them after an experience of renunciation. . . . But we can discuss that in December 2031.