Beren's Song

The leaves was long, the grass was green,
 The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,
 And in the glade a light was seen
 Of stars in shadow shimmering.
 Tinuviel was dancing there
 To music of a pipe unseen,
 And light of stars was in her hair,
 And in her raiment glimmering. 

 There Beren came from mountains cold,
 And lost he wandered under leaves,
 And where the Elven-river rolled
 He walked alone and sorrowing.
 He peered between the hemlock-leaves
 And saw in wonder flowers of gold
 Upon her mantle and her sleeves,
 And her hair like shadow following. 

 Enchantment healed his weary feet
 That over hills were doomed to roam;
 And forth he hastened, strong and fleet,
 And grasped at moonbeams glistening.
 Through woven woods in Elvenhome
 She lightly fled on dancing feet,
 And left him lonely still to roam
 In the silent forest listening. 

 He heard there oft the flying sound
 Of feet as light as linden-leaves,
 Or music welling underground,
 In hidden hollows quavering.
 Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves,
 And one by one with sighing sound
 Whispering fell the beechen leaves
 In the wintry woodland wavering. 

 He sought her ever, wandering far
 Where leaves of years were thickly strewn,
 By light of moon and ray of star
 In frosty heavens shivering.
 Her mantle glinted in the moon,
 As on a hill-top high and far
 She danced, and at her feet was strewn
 A mist of silver quivering. 

 When winter passed, she came again
 And her song released the sudden spring,
 Like rising lark, and falling rain,
 And melting water bubbling.
 He saw the elven-flowers spring
 About her feet, and healed again
 He longed by her to dance and sing
 Upon the grass untroubling. 

 Again she fled, but swift he came.
 Tinuviel! Tinuviel!
 He called her by her elvish name;
 And there she halted listening.
 One moment stood she, and a spell
 His voice laid on her: Beren came,
 And doom fell on Tinuviel
 That in his arms lay glistening. 

 As Beren looked into her eyes
 Within the shadows of her hair,
 The trembling starlight of the skies
 He saw the mirrored shimmering.
 Tinuviel the elven-fair
 Immortal maiden elven-wise,
 About him cast her shadowy hair
 And arms like silver glimmering. 

 Long was the way that fate them bore,
 O'er stony mountains cold and gray,
 Through halls of iron and darkling door,
 And woods of nightshade morrowless.
 The Sundering Seas between them lay,
 And yet at last they met once more,
 And long ago they passed away
 In the forest singing sorrowless.