Re-Scanning Boromir's Dream Poem

Anton J

New Member
In Episode 133 some time was spent on analyzing the rhythm of the poem in Boromir’s dream. While watching I came up with a different way of scanning it. Below you can find the Class analysis (as I took it, at least) and the Alternative. These versions differ on lines 3, 5 and 8.

I wonder if you regard this as another valid reading of the poem. I think that both versions have something going for them, and this metric ambiguity would make the poem more interesting. But some of the reasons why I have a small preference for the Alternative analysis:
  • Besides line 4, line 1 also becomes antimetric, which helps to emphasize its command and gives the poem a very forceful beginning
  • The final two lines are more unified and so nicely close off the poem as a kind-of couplet. Also, it maintains the (correct?) pronunciation of i-SIL-dur
  • The emphasis on ‘shall’ in lines 3 and 5 underlines the prophetic character rather than the location of Rivendell. This is nice, but also the weak part of this reading, as stressing 'There' in line 3 arguably makes for a more natural transition from line 2
Class
– v v – v v –
v – v – v –
– v v – v – v
– v v – v –
– v v – v – v
v – v – v –
v – v v – v – v
v v – v – v –

Alternative

– v v – v v –
v – v – v –
v – v – v – v
– v v – v –
v – v – v – v
v – v – v –
v v – v – v – v
v v – v – v –
 
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Welcome to the forum Anton.

It appears that line 5 in your alternative is missing a syllable, but I assume it is the last, unstressed, syllable.

Shifting the stress to shall in lines 3 & 5 also has the effect of making less clear the location of where the counsels will be taken and the token shown.

In the class version it is clear that these actions will occur in Imladris, as no other location has been named to be the 'there'.
In the alternative, it simply states that these things shall occur, without identifying where.

Ultimately, I'm not sure the increase in prophetic force is worth the loss of locational specificity, nor do I think the command in line 1 needs any emphasis.

So, I'm going to stick with the class version.
 
Thanks, Anthony. All fair points. I've edited the original post to correct the error in line 5 that you spotted.
 
I prefer to hear it as a chant, mostly in three-time, breaking into two-time in the last couplet (I've used "·" to indicate a syllable stretched over two beats and "—" for three beats):
Seek for the Sword that was broken:
In Im·ladris· it dwells—;

There shall be coun·sels taken·
Stronger than Mor·gul-spells.

There shall be shown· a token
That Doom· is near· at hand—,

For Isildur's Bane shall waken,
And the Halfling forth shall stand.

I mentioned before, but I think my post got overlooked, that I think we tend to rush through the poetry like JRRT himself tended to, instead of slowing down a whole lot and savouring the rhythm.

I tried this myself at about 170 bpm and that sounds OK but could still be slowed down a bit.
 
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