03:P7l§XII
The Lay of Leithian (§XII)

More information on this P-text coming soon.

Volume: The Lays of Beleriand
Chapter: The Lay of Leithian (Canto XII: Fingolfin and Morgoth; the meeting with Carcharoth)
Pages: 284–292
Paragraph count: 304
Token count: 1,895

Citation Index

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

p284
XII
⸤¶In that vast
⸤¶Fingolfin stood: his
⸤¶with field of
⸤¶of crystal shining
⸤¶In overmastering wrath
⸤¶desperate he smote
p285
⸤¶the Gnomish king,
⸤¶while endless fortresses
⸤¶engulfed the thin
⸤¶of silver horn
⸤¶His hopeless challenge
⸤¶Fingolfin there: ‘Come,
⸤¶dark king, your
⸤¶Come forth, whom
⸤¶Come forth, O
⸤¶and fight with
⸤¶thou wielder of
⸤¶thou tyrant leaguered
⸤¶thou foe of
⸤¶I wait thee
⸤¶Then Morgoth came.
⸤¶in those great
⸤¶from subterranean throne
⸤¶the rumour of
⸤¶of rumbling earthquake
⸤¶Black-armoured, towering, iron-crowned¶⸥⸤⸥
⸤¶he issued forth;
⸤¶a vast unblazoned
⸤¶with shadow like
⸤¶and o’er the
⸤¶as huge aloft
⸤¶that hammer of
⸤¶Grond. Clanging to
⸤¶down like a
⸤¶the rocks beneath
⸤¶a pit yawned,
⸤¶Fingolfin like a
⸤¶beneath a cloud,
⸤¶sprang then aside,
⸤¶like ice that
⸤¶his sword devised
⸤¶to pierce the
⸤¶With seven wounds
⸤¶and seven mighty
⸤¶rang in the
⸤¶and Angband’s trembling
⸤¶Yet Orcs would
p286
⸤¶of the duel
⸤¶though elvish song
⸤¶ere this but
⸤¶the mighty king
⸤¶and Thorndor, Eagle
⸤¶the dreadful tidings
⸤¶to mourning Elfinesse
⸤¶Thrice was Fingolfin
⸤¶to his knees
⸤¶still leaping up
⸤¶aloft to hold
⸤¶his stricken shield,
⸤¶that dark nor
⸤¶till all the
⸤¶in pits about
⸤¶His feet stumbled.
⸤¶upon the ground,
⸤¶a foot like
⸤¶and he was
⸤¶one last despairing
⸤¶the mighty foot
⸤¶about the heel,
⸤¶gushed as from
⸤¶Halt goes for
⸤¶great Morgoth; but
⸤¶and would have
⸤¶to wolves devouring.
⸤¶that Manwë bade
⸤¶on peak unscaled
⸤¶Morgoth to watch,
⸤¶Thorndor the King
⸤¶and rending beak
⸤¶in Bauglir’s face,
⸤¶on pinions thirty
⸤¶bearing away, though
⸤¶the mighty corse,
⸤¶and where the
⸤¶far to the
⸤¶where after Gondolin
⸤¶embattled city, at
⸤¶upon a dizzy
⸤¶in mounded cairn
p287
⸤¶he laid upon
⸤¶Never Orc nor
⸤¶that pass to
⸤¶Fingolfin’s high and
⸤¶till Gondolin’s appointed
⸤¶Thus Bauglir earned
⸤¶that his dark
⸤¶and thus his
⸤¶but afterward profound
⸤¶darkling upon his
⸤¶and thunderous paced
⸤¶slow building there
⸤¶the world in
⸤¶Wielder of armies,
⸤¶no rest now
⸤¶his watch and
⸤¶his spies were
⸤¶and tidings brought
⸤¶who fought, who
⸤¶who wrought in
⸤¶if maid were
⸤¶well nigh all
⸤¶well nigh enmeshed
⸤¶Doriath only, beyond
⸤¶woven by Melian,
⸤¶could hurt or
⸤¶of things there
⸤¶A rumour loud
⸤¶of other movements
⸤¶among his foes,
⸤¶from the seven
⸤¶from Nargothrond, from
⸤¶gathering his armies
⸤¶and under tree
⸤¶these daily came.
⸤¶amidst his power
⸤¶of Beren vexed
⸤¶the aisléd forests
⸤¶great Huan baying.¶⸥⸤⸥
⸤¶Then came word¶⸥⸤3665⸥
⸤¶most passing strange
p288
⸤¶wild-wandering by wood
⸤¶and Thingol’s purpose
⸤¶and wondered, thinking
⸤¶so fair, so
⸤¶Boldog, he sent
⸤¶to Doriath’s march;
⸤¶sudden upon him:
⸤¶never one returned
⸤¶and Thingol humbled
⸤¶Then his heart
⸤¶new tidings of
⸤¶how Thû was
⸤¶broken and plundered,
⸤¶his foes now
⸤¶he feared, till
⸤¶was half suspect.
⸤¶the aisléd forests
⸤¶of Huan baying,
⸤¶that Gods unleashed
⸤¶Then Morgoth of
⸤¶long-rumoured, and in
⸤¶Fierce hunger-haunted packs
⸤¶that in wolvish
⸤¶but demon spirits
⸤¶and ever wild
⸤¶in cave and
⸤¶and endless snarling
⸤¶From these a
⸤¶with his own
⸤¶on fairest flesh
⸤¶till huge he
⸤¶no more could
⸤¶of Morgoth’s self
⸤¶nor suffer Balrog,
⸤¶to touch him.
⸤¶he held beneath
⸤¶rending flesh and
⸤¶There deep enchantment
⸤¶the anguish and
⸤¶more great and
⸤¶with fire-red eyes
p289
⸤¶with breath like
⸤¶than any beast
⸤¶than any beast
⸤¶that ever in
⸤¶surpassing all his
⸤¶the ghastly tribe
⸤¶Him Carcharoth, the
⸤¶the songs of
⸤¶disastrous, ravening, from
⸤¶of Angband. There
⸤¶where those great
⸤¶his red eyes
⸤¶his teeth are
⸤¶and none may
⸤¶nor thrust with
⸤¶to enter Morgoth’s
⸤¶Now, lo! before
⸤¶a slinking shape
⸤¶that crawls into
⸤¶and halts at
⸤¶comes stalking near,
⸤¶haggard, wayworn, with
⸤¶and o’er it
⸤¶a reeling shadow
⸤¶Such shapes there
⸤¶this land their
⸤¶and yet his
⸤¶is filled, and
⸤¶‘What grievous terror,
⸤¶hath Morgoth set
⸤¶his doors against
⸤¶Long ways we
⸤¶the very maw
⸤¶between us and
⸤¶we never had.
⸤¶Thus Beren speaks,
⸤¶he halts and
⸤¶afar the horror
⸤¶Then onward desperate
⸤¶skirting the black
p290
⸤¶where King Fingolfin
⸤¶alone before the
⸤¶Before those gates
⸤¶while Carcharoth in
⸤¶glowered upon them,
⸤¶and echoes in
⸤¶‘Hail! Draugluin, my
⸤¶’Tis very long
⸤¶thou camest. Yea,
⸤¶to see thee
⸤¶is on thee,
⸤¶so dauntless, and
⸤¶ran over wild
⸤¶with weariness must
⸤¶’Tis hard to
⸤¶when Huan’s teeth
⸤¶have rent the
⸤¶brings thee back
⸤¶if Draugluin thou
⸤¶I would know
⸤¶‘Who art thou,
⸤¶to bar my
⸤¶I fare with
⸤¶to Morgoth from
⸤¶Aside! for I
⸤¶and swift my
⸤¶Then up that
⸤¶eyes shining grim
⸤¶uneasy growling: ‘Draugluin,¶⸥⸤⸥
⸤¶if such thou
⸤¶But what is
⸤¶slinking as if
⸤¶Though wingéd creatures
⸤¶unnumbered pass here,
⸤¶I know not
⸤¶I like not
⸤¶what sneaking errand
⸤¶thou wingéd vermin,
⸤¶Small matter, I
⸤¶or enter, or
p291
⸤¶I crush thee
⸤¶or bite thy
⸤¶Huge-stalking, noisome, close
⸤¶In Beren’s eyes
⸤¶the hair upon
⸤¶Nought may the
⸤¶the odour of
⸤¶in everlasting spring
⸤¶that glitter silver
⸤¶in Valinor. Where’er
⸤¶Tinúviel, such air
⸤¶From that foul
⸤¶its sudden sweetness
⸤¶enchanted dark to
⸤¶could keep, if
⸤¶snuffling in doubt.
⸤¶upon the brink
⸤¶for battle and
⸤¶those dreadful shapes,
⸤¶false Draugluin and
⸤¶when, lo! a
⸤¶some power, descended
⸤¶from race divine
⸤¶sudden Tinúviel possessed¶⸥⸤⸥
⸤¶like inner fire.
⸤¶she flung aside,
⸤¶cleaving through night
⸤¶while sheer, heart-piercing
⸤¶her voice, as
⸤¶thrilling, unbearable, unseen¶⸥⸤⸥
⸤¶in the cold
⸤¶by white hands
⸤¶like all-bewildering, all-enthralling,
⸤¶all-enfolding evening, falling¶⸥⸤⸥
⸤¶from lifted arms,
⸤¶across those awful
⸤¶a shadow and
⸤¶wherein entangled starlight
⸤¶‘Sleep, O unhappy,
⸤¶Thou woebegotten, fail
⸤¶down, down from
p292
⸤¶from lust, from
⸤¶to that oblivion,
⸤¶the well, the
⸤¶For one brief
⸤¶the dreadful doom
⸤¶His eyes were
⸤¶he fell like
⸤¶and tripped goes
⸤¶Deathlike, moveless, without
⸤¶outstretched he lay,
⸤¶had felled a