Episode 216 Summary

Tony Meade

Active Member
SESSION 216

Singing softly at the window:
  • When did Bilbo write this poem? Was it spontaneously composed, or did he write it in advance?
  • There were two months in which he could have written the poem between the Council and this morning, in which he was aware that Frodo would be leaving Rivendell and going to Mordor.
  • There are three primary ways a poem may be inserted into a narrative as a recitation of poetry from memory, which is true of the majority of the poems recorded in The Lord of the Rings.
  • There are also recordings of an extemporaneous composition, such as the lament for Boromir.
  • Often, a poem is not spoken by any of the characters but is inserted by the narrator, such as the poem for ride of the Rohirrim, or the lament for the fallen heroes at the Pelennor Fields.
  • Lastly, there is when the origin of the poem isn’t given but is placed in the mouth of a character.
  • This last category could include any of the other three origins but is not explained in the text, which is a technique in Germanic literary tradition, such as in important works like Beowulf.
  • The point of inserting a poem in this way is to capture a moment in a story in verse, even if the recitation of that poetry didn’t or couldn’t have actually happened in context of the story.
  • The implication of spontaneous composition, especially in a heroic moment, helps to elevate the speaker’s mythic status, by having them doing something that regular people could not do.
  • This operates under the assumption that the narrative is a contemporaneous recording of events, but the text of The Lord of the Rings is explicitly a modern translation of received texts.
  • Note: Tolkien was clear in describing the historical inheritance of the documents used to create the modern translation and is compiled from many different accounts and traditions by Frodo.
  • This also puts the story as into a different category from modern novels, as this is a literary account, trying to capture the significance of traditional memories of events for posterity.
  • Note: In the academic study of history, there is a concession that the actual events can never be objectively known, and therefore must be pieced together through the stories told about them.
  • Since the narrative makes no claim that this song is spontaneously composed, it fits more with Bilbo’s current character for him to have written it prior to this moment and now performing it.
  • However, Bilbo has been seen to extemporaneously compose before, such as the spider poetry in Mirkwood, or the first version of “The Road Goes Ever On” poem at the end of The Hobbit.
A time for sitting and thinking:
  • In this moment, when Bilbo is attempting to express his many feelings to Frodo, and not just about the current moment, it seems likely that he’d recite a poem that he had already written.
  • It is possible that the first five stanzas were previously written, but maybe remained unfinished, with the last stanza only being finished as he sings it, or with Bilbo altering it to fit the occasion.
  • The addition or substitution of “returning feet” would express his amdir for Frodo’s return.
  • The overall poem may express Bilbo’s continuing desire for adventure up until recent events.
  • This change, since understanding the hold the Ring still has over him, is an expression of his continuing victory over the Ring by giving it up, and with it desire for further adventures.
  • This retirement is only enacted now through the gifting of the mithril coat and the sword, Sting, but this has been on his mind ever since Gandalf advised him that his role in the story was over.
  • Therefore, it seems unlikely that he had begun writing this poem at any time before the Council.
  • Since the Ring tempts through rationalizations, by allowing Frodo to take the Ring away on what might even be a fatal quest, Bilbo will be less tempted into taking the Ring to save Frodo.
  • This poem expresses this letting go of Frodo and the future at large, and by extension, the Ring.
  • All of Bilbo’s sitting and thinking has taken place while he has begun to wait for Frodo to return.
  • Bilbo is also subordinating his own adventures and importance to his hope for others’ futures.
  • Note: There is irony in that neither Bilbo nor Frodo will outlive the other to see a future they will never see, as they’ll eventually leave Middle-earth together, and only those like Sam will see it.
  • Bilbo has made the finishing of his book and the writing of the second is contingent on Frodo’s return, and he has also reconciled himself as a recorder of the story and not a participant.
  • Note: Bilbo seems to be knowledgeable of, and reverent toward, the Valar, as he had mentioned and written about the stars of Elbereth, so he would understand what was waiting in the West.
  • While Bilbo’s first turn toward the window and humming was an attempt to maintain his composure in front of Frodo, the second turn is his attempt to express those feelings in song.
  • Though Bilbo did not plan to recite this poem at this moment, he realizes that it is the best way to say the things that he wants to say to Frodo about his feelings and his hopes for the future.
  • In hobbit parlance, the poem suffices for what they would call saying “a few appropriate words”.
  • The confidence of the last stanza shows his resolution and hope for Frodo’s success and return.
  • Note: These stanzas are the last private words between Bilbo and Frodo before the enactment of the departure of the Company, so this represents the end of their stay together in Rivendell.
END OF SESSION
 

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If I was directing this scene for a film...

Bilbo sings the whole song while gazing out the window, UNTIL...

Looks at Frodo:

"Listening for returning feet and voices at the door."
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Just FYI, these comments should be posted in the main discussion forums. This forum is pretty much just for posting the episode summaries.

Thanks!
 
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