03:P7i§IX
The Lay of Leithian (§IX)

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Volume: The Lays of Beleriand
Chapter: The Lay of Leithian (Canto IX: The defeat of Thû)
Pages: 248–255
Paragraph count: 291
Token count: 1,881

Citation Index

Page numbers refer to the setting used by all editions other than mass-market paperbacks.

p248
IX
⸤¶In Wizard’s Isle
⸤¶enmeshed and tortured
⸤¶cold, evil, doorless,
⸤¶and blank-eyed stared
⸤¶two comrades. Now
⸤¶The others lived
⸤¶their broken bones
⸤¶how ten had
⸤¶To Felagund then
⸤¶‘'Twere little loss
⸤¶and I am
⸤¶and thus, perchance,
⸤¶thy life to
p249
⸤¶from thine old
⸤¶hast thou endured
⸤¶‘A! Beren, Beren
⸤¶that promises of
⸤¶are frail as
⸤¶of pain shall
⸤¶whether he learn
⸤¶with Thû’s consent.
⸤¶yet deeper of
⸤¶knew he that
⸤¶and Felagund were
⸤¶and even worse
⸤¶the dreadful errand
⸤¶A devil’s laugh
⸤¶within their pit.
⸤¶I hear you
⸤¶‘'Twere little loss
⸤¶the outlaw mortal.
⸤¶the Elf undying,
⸤¶no man could
⸤¶Perchance, when what
⸤¶of dreadful anguish
⸤¶their king to
⸤¶with gold and
⸤¶or maybe Celegorm
⸤¶will deem a
⸤¶and crown and
⸤¶Perchance, the errand
⸤¶ere all is
⸤¶The wolf is
⸤¶no more need
⸤¶The slow time
⸤¶two eyes there
⸤¶Beren, silent, as
⸤¶beyond his mortal
⸤¶Lo! sudden there
⸤¶of chains that
⸤¶of meshes broken.
⸤¶upon the wolvish
⸤¶in shadow faithful
p250
⸤¶careless of fang
⸤¶There in the
⸤¶remorseless, snarling, to
⸤¶teeth in flesh,
⸤¶fingers locked in
⸤¶spurning Beren who
⸤¶heard the werewolf
⸤¶Then a voice
⸤¶On earth I
⸤¶friend and comrade,
⸤¶My heart is
⸤¶Here all my
⸤¶to break my
⸤¶of poisoned teeth
⸤¶I now must
⸤¶neath Timbrenting in
⸤¶where drink the
⸤¶upon the shining
⸤¶as elvish singers
⸤¶There Beren lies.
⸤¶his despair no
⸤¶waiting for footsteps,
⸤¶Silences profounder than
⸤¶of long-forgotten kings,
⸤¶and sands uncounted
⸤¶and buried everlasting-deep,¶⸥⸤⸥
⸤¶slow and unbroken
⸤¶The silences were
⸤¶to silver fragments.
⸤¶a voice in
⸤¶enchanted hill, and
⸤¶and powers of
⸤¶He felt about
⸤¶of many stars,
⸤¶were rustlings and
⸤¶the nightingales were
⸤¶slim fingers flute
⸤¶beneath the moon,
⸤¶than all there
⸤¶upon a lonely
⸤¶in shimmering raiment
p251
⸤¶Then in his
⸤¶and loud and
⸤¶old songs of
⸤¶of breathless deeds,
⸤¶to dare uncounted
⸤¶great powers, and
⸤¶and over all
⸤¶that once Men
⸤¶the Seven Stars
⸤¶about the North,
⸤¶a light in
⸤¶the emblem vast
⸤¶‘Huan, Huan! I
⸤¶far under welling,
⸤¶a song that
⸤¶I hear his
⸤¶in dream and
⸤¶thus Lúthien spake.
⸤¶in mantle wrapped
⸤¶she sat and
⸤¶and to its
⸤¶rock upon rock
⸤¶trembling echoed. The
⸤¶and Huan hidden
⸤¶watchful listening in
⸤¶waiting for battle
⸤¶Thû heard that
⸤¶wrapped in his
⸤¶in his high
⸤¶and smiled, and
⸤¶‘A! little Lúthien!
⸤¶the foolish fly
⸤¶Morgoth! a great
⸤¶to me thou
⸤¶this jewel is
⸤¶and forth his
⸤¶Still Lúthien sang.
⸤¶with bloodred tongue
⸤¶stole on the
⸤¶with trembling limbs
p252
⸤¶The creeping shape
⸤¶and gasped, and
⸤¶And still they
⸤¶and each was
⸤¶returned with padding
⸤¶that a shadow
⸤¶at the bridge’s
⸤¶the shuddering waters
⸤¶o’er the grey
⸤¶A mightier shadow
⸤¶the narrow bridge,
⸤¶an awful werewolf
⸤¶pale Draugluin, the
⸤¶of wolves and
⸤¶that fed on
⸤¶beneath the chair
⸤¶No more in
⸤¶Howling and baying
⸤¶till back by
⸤¶to die the
⸤¶‘Huan is there’
⸤¶and Thû was
⸤¶‘Before the mightiest
⸤¶before the mightiest
⸤¶so thought he
⸤¶how fate long
⸤¶Now there came
⸤¶into the night
⸤¶dank with poison,
⸤¶wolvish, ravenous; but
⸤¶a light therein
⸤¶than ever wolvish
⸤¶More huge were
⸤¶its fangs more
⸤¶with venom, torment,
⸤¶The deadly vapour
⸤¶swept on before
⸤¶the song of
⸤¶are dimmed and
⸤¶cold and poisonous
⸤¶Thus came Thû,
p253
⸤¶than e’er was
⸤¶to the burning
⸤¶in mortal lands
⸤¶Sudden he sprang,
⸤¶aside in shadow.
⸤¶to Lúthien lying
⸤¶To her drowning
⸤¶of his foul
⸤¶dizzily she spake
⸤¶her mantle brushed
⸤¶He stumbled staggering
⸤¶Out leaped Huan.
⸤¶Beneath the stars
⸤¶the cry of
⸤¶the tongue of
⸤¶Backward and forth
⸤¶feinting to flee,
⸤¶and bit and
⸤¶Then suddenly Huan
⸤¶his ghastly foe;
⸤¶choking his life.
⸤¶From shape to
⸤¶from monster to
⸤¶Thû changes, but
⸤¶he cannot shake,
⸤¶No wizardry, nor
⸤¶no fang, nor
⸤¶could harm that
⸤¶had hunted once
⸤¶Nigh the foul
⸤¶and bred of
⸤¶from its dark
⸤¶and shivering looked
⸤¶‘O demon dark,
⸤¶of foulness wrought,
⸤¶here shalt thou
⸤¶quaking back to
⸤¶his scorn and
⸤¶thee he will
⸤¶of groaning earth,
⸤¶everlastingly thy naked
p254
⸤¶shall wail and
⸤¶unless the keys
⸤¶of thy black
⸤¶that bindeth stone
⸤¶and speak the
⸤¶With gasping breath
⸤¶he spake, and
⸤¶and vanquished betrayed
⸤¶Lo! by the
⸤¶like stars descended
⸤¶to burn and
⸤¶There wide her
⸤¶and called aloud
⸤¶as still at
⸤¶long elvish trumpets
⸤¶echo, when all
⸤¶The dawn peered
⸤¶their grey heads
⸤¶The hill trembled;
⸤¶crumbled, and all
⸤¶the rocks yawned
⸤¶and Sirion spumed
⸤¶Like ghosts the
⸤¶hooting in the
⸤¶went skimming dark
⸤¶shrieking thinly to
⸤¶in Deadly Nightshade’s
⸤¶The wolves whimpering
⸤¶like dusky shadows.
⸤¶pale forms and
⸤¶crawling, and shielding
⸤¶the captives in
⸤¶from dolour long
⸤¶beyond all hope
⸤¶A vampire shape
⸤¶screeching leaped from
⸤¶its dark blood
⸤¶and Huan neath
⸤¶a wolvish corpse
p255
⸤¶to Taur-na-Fuin, a
⸤¶and darker stronghold
⸤¶The captives came
⸤¶their piteous cries
⸤¶But Lúthien anxious-gazing
⸤¶Beren comes not.
⸤¶‘Huan, Huan, among
⸤¶must we then
⸤¶for love of
⸤¶Then side by
⸤¶o’er Sirion they
⸤¶unmoving they him
⸤¶by Felagund, and
⸤¶to see what
⸤¶‘A! Beren, Beren!’
⸤¶‘almost too late
⸤¶Alas! that here
⸤¶the noblest of
⸤¶in vain thy
⸤¶Alas! in tears
⸤¶who once found
⸤¶Her voice such
⸤¶he raised his
⸤¶and felt his
⸤¶for her that
⸤¶‘O Lúthien, O
⸤¶more fair than
⸤¶O loveliest maid
⸤¶what might of
⸤¶to bring thee
⸤¶O lissom limbs
⸤¶O flower-entwinéd brows
⸤¶O slender hands
⸤¶She found his
⸤¶just at the