Ist-Minlamad Fangorn
by Ryszard Derdzinski
In the third book of The Lord of the Rings, in chapter Treebeard, pp. 72-73 and in chapter The Voice of Saruman, p. 233 we can find an ancient song of the Ent-lore entitled Treebeard's Rhyme of Lore. I have tried to reconstruct and revive its Elvish shape translating it into Sindarin. The mode of this short rhyme is alliterative. The Elves called such a verse mode minlamad thent/estent. Note that the Sindarin translation follows the alliterative mode of the English original composed by J.R.R. Tolkien. The lines of the poem are founded on a balance; an opposition between two halves of roughly equivalent phonetic weight, and significant content, which are more often rhythmically contrasted than similar. This proves that such poetry must have been recited, not sung. My acknowledgments to Helge K. Fauskanger and Pavel Iosad for their help.
Isto hi ist in-Únath Guin!
Er canad esto 'waithath lain:
Iarwain min il, i Edhel-chên;
Nogoth i nâf ne mair nýr dîn;
Onod gev-onnen, iaur bin eryd;
Fair barad fired, fael rochir hin
...
Cabor i châb, carpholch vaethor,
Megli faroth vaed, mund ne nadhor,
Rosg i ruitha a rýn haig,
...
. . .
Aros annrass, alph nimwain,
Thoron vaeg-heneb, hû i 'awn,
Laboth labol, lyg ringwain,
Translation:
'Know now [the] lore of the Creatures Living!
First four name peoples free:
Eldest among all, the Elf-child;
Dwarf who delves in deep houses his;
Ent [the] earth-born, old as mountains;
Man doomed to die, fair-minded horse-master this.
...
Frog that jumps, boar the warrior,
Bear hunter skilled, bull in a pasture,
Fox that hunts and hound hungry.
...
Deer long-horned, whitest swan,
Eagle sharp-eyed, dog that howls,
Hare hopping, snake coldest.'
Glossary:
carpholch 'boar' (< CE *kárak-polka 'fang-pig'; cf. Qenyaqetsa)
saig 'hungry' (cf. I-Lam na-Ngoldathon)
rosg 'fox' (cf. Q rusco)
laboth 'hare' (cf. I-Lam na-Ngoldathon)