Adventures of Tom Bombadil

the Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a collection of poems of J.R.R. Tolkien published in 1962. It is composed of sixteen poems, of which only the two first have truly to see with the character of Tom Bombadil. The unit forms a rather heteroclite collection, light humor (“the stone Troll”, “Fastitocalon”) and the plays on sonorities (“Wandering”, “Cat”) côtoyant darker worms and melancholic persons (“the marine Bell”, “the Last Vessel”).

So some of these poems appear not to be attached to the universe of the Ground of the Medium, Tolkien pretends, in the foreword of the book, to be about it not the author, but simply the translator, just like for Bilbo the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings , supposed to be drawn from the Red book of Walk from the West, collection of the memories of Bilbon and Frodon. He thus has fun to give them fictitious origins, some being written by famous figures (Bilbon or Sam Gamegie), others resulting from the folklore of the Pays of Goat, some finally appearing in the margins of the Red book without one knowing the authors of them.

Origins

The origin of the book is in a letter sent to Tolkien by his/her aunt Jane Neave with the end of the year 1961, in which she asked to him whether he “were not going to publish a little book around Tom Bombadil, the kind of book that we them old can allow ourselves to offer like Christmas present”. Allured by the idea, Tolkien proposed in its editor, Allen & Unwin, to publish the poem “the adventures of Tom Bombadil”, already published in The Oxford Magazine in 1934, in the form of one little book illustrated by Pauline Baynes, of which he appreciated work particularly. Rayner Unwin answered favorably, while suggesting adding other poems “to give body” to the book.

Tolkien passed the end of the year 1961 and the beginning of 1962 in the search of old poems which can be published with “the adventures of Tom Bombadil”. If this research amused it, they appeared difficult, because, he with his editor, “it writes does not have there large-thing which can really go with Tom Bombadil”. He ends up gathering ten poems written and published in the 1920-1930, qu years ' he began again more or less in-depth. He united there two resulting from the Seigneur of the Rings (“the Man in the moon took care too late” and “Oliphant”), another writing a few years earlier for one of his grand-daughters (“Cat”) and the last (“Bombadil in boat”) especially written for this book. Pauline Baynes, who had already illustrated the tale the Farmer Gilles de Ham a few years earlier, agreed to provide illustrations for the Adventures of Tom Bombadil , who was published the November 22nd 1962.

The book was republished in 1990 with illustrations of Roger Garland.

Poems

Adventures of Tom Bombadil (The Adventures off Tom Bombadil)

The first incarnation of this poem goes back at the end of the years 1920 or to the beginning of the year 1930, at the time where Tolkien told stories on this character (of which multi-coloured clothing and the name derive from those of a headstock) with his children. It is published in February 1934 in The Oxford Magazine .

The version of 1962 is somewhat lengthened, but tells primarily the same history: Tom Bombadil meets successively Baie of Gold, the Vieil Man-Willow, of the Badgers and a Être of Galgals; all threaten it more or less seriously, but he triumphs each time and ends even up capturing Gold Baie, which he marries. The adventures of the Seigneur of the Rings implying Bombadil find their origin in this poem. The foreword of the collection indicates that the poem comes from the Country of Goat, and that it compiles several legends hobbites concerning Bombadil (a name coming itself from the Country of Goat).

The Métrique of this poem is purely accented, to four accents by Towards. The Strophe S are unequal, with Rime S punts, all female.

Bombadil in boat (Bombadil Goes Boating)

This poem, of the same form than the precedent, made following the “Adventures of Tom Bombadil”: one sees it there going in boat in his friend, the Maggotte father, and dealing with various obstacles on his road: a kingfisher, an otter, a swan and the hobbits guards of the border are Comté. This poem had the merit, for Tolkien, “of " intégrer" more Tom in the world of the Lord of the Rings into which it was introduced”. In a letter with Pauline Baynes, Tolkien indicates that “Bombadil in boat” “returns at the time where the shade extends, before Frodo does not get under way”.

Wandering (Errantry)

This poem was published for the first time in The Oxford Magazine , in 1933. This poem was read thereafter with the Inklings, and seems to have known a certain celebrity through the word of mouth. Its textual history is very confused, since it seems to have known not less than one score of versions before giving rise to two poems published: “Wandering”, in Adventures of Tom Bombadil (who hardly differs from the poem published in 1933) and the poem recited by Bilbon with Fondcombe in the Lord of the Rings (Book II, chapter 1), who evokes the voyages of Eärendil. The poem of a great formal complexity, is composed in a tetrameter iambic very regular; the even worms riment two to two while the odd worms comprise an internal rhyme, and the trisyllabic final one of the odd worms alliterates or assonates with first half of the even worms, it to what various other sets of sonorities are added. Tolkien never admits not to have composed anything of other in this form.

The first towards poem, born from an inspiration of Tolkien, are inspired of a counting rhyme jacobite which made fun the marriage of the princess Marie, girl of Jacques II, and William of Orange:

What is the rhyme for porringer?

What is the rhyme for porringer?

The king He had has daughter to fair off

And gave the Prince Orange her.

“Wandering” evokes the voyages of a “merry messenger” who traverses the world on board his gondole; it is only after many adventures which he remembers of the message that he is supposed to transport and takes again his mission. According to Tolkien, this poem was conceived to be recited at various speeds (quickly the beginning of the stanzas, then while slowing down until the end of the stanza), and once finished, “the speaker was supposed to start to repeat the beginning of the poem (even more quickly), unless somebody does not exclaim " Once suffit". ”.

Princess Moa (Princess Mee)

“Moa Princess” takes as a starting point a very old poem of Tolkien, “ The Princess Ní ”, written in June 1915 and published in the collection Leeds University Verse 1914-24 in 1924. Of irregular form, it describes the Princess dancing of night, and her reflection under its feet - Tolkien exploits the topic of the double by calling the princess Mee ( me , “me”) and its reflection Shee ( she , “she”).

The Man in the moon took care too late (The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late)

This poem, inspired of the counting rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle , knew its first incarnation about 1919-1920, under the title “ Nursery Rhymes Undone ”. It was thereafter published in Yorkshire Poetry in 1923 pennies the title “ The Cat and the Fiddle: With Nursery Rhyme Undone and Its Scandalous Secret Unlocked ”. Lastly, its final version appears in the Lord of the Rings (Book I, chapter 9): she is sung by Frodon with the inn of the Fringant Pony, in Bree.

This poem evokes a descent on Earth of the Man in the Moon (a character also present in the Book of the lost tales and Roverandom ), which goes down in an inn to famous beer. He drinks some as much as he must be brought back on the Moon by the landlord and the stableman, while the cat of this last starts a piece agitated on its violin, making dance all the customers of the inn, the horses and the cow which “jumps over the Moon”; after which all will lie down, with the great surprise of the rising sun.

The poem is composed of a series of Quintil S of tetrameters and trimeter iambic rhymes on a provision has/B/C/C/B (has and C being tetrameters, B of trimeter).

The Man in the moon is descended too early (The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon)

The first version of this poem was written in March 1915; it was entitled then “Why the Man in the Moon went down too early: a fantasy of East Anglia”. It was published in the collection has Northern Venture in 1923. It takes as a starting point a counting rhyme without title of the 19th century, starting with The man in the moon/Came down too soon… the version of the Aventures of Tom Bombadil underwent some revisions, in particular to anchor it out of Ground of the Medium: it mentions bay of Belfalas (“bay of Beautiful”), with Gondor, and the tower of Dol Amroth (“Tirith Aear”).

As in the preceding poem, one discovers a terrestrial visit of the Man in the Moon, tired of living only and avid to discover the life and the rich person colors of the Earth. But it lands with the right in the middle of the night, whereas all are deadened; and it obtains for only food of the cold porridge going back to two days.

The poem is composed of a series of Huitain S alternating tetrameters and trimeter iambic, those rimant two to two.

The stone Troll (The Stone Troll)

This comic poem, whose first version goes back to 1926, was published in the booklet Songs for the Philologists in 1935, under the title “ The Root off the Boot ”). It is about the resumption of a poem already present in the Lord of the Rings (Book I, chapter 12), where he is sung by Sam.

It describes the meeting between a troll “sitted only in the hills”, occupied corroding a bone and certain Tom (probably not Tom Bombadil), who recognizes the tibia of his uncle Tim. Aggravated by Tom, the troll tries to catch it to make his meal of them, but it slips into its back and a kick with the buttocks gives him, forgetting that “harder than the stone are the flesh and the bone of a troll”. Tom returns at his place, estropié.

In form of Song, the poem is built of eight stanzas in accented worms on the same model: two worms with four accents rimant between them, worms with four accents with internal rhyme, trimeter, followed by two “echoes” Grotesque S, worms with four accents on the same rhyme as the two first, then finally a resumption of trimeter in Refrain.

Perry-the-winkle (Perry-tea-Winkle)

This poem is a revised version of The Bumpus , a poem not published going back to 1928, in huitains with alternated rhymes alternating towards to four and three accents. He tells the friendship between a nice troll and good cook, but that everyone fears, and Perry-the-Winkle, the only one to agree to take the at his place. The foreword of the Aventures of Tom Bombadil allots it to Sam Gamegie, and the poem evokes indeed the geography of the County: Bree and Grand' Cave is mentioned, as well as the Windy Mont.

Cat-sticky the (The Mewlips)

This poem was published for the first time in The Oxford Magazine , in 1937, under the title “ Knocking At the Door ”, alive under ground and nourishing travellers of passage in their region “last the Merlock Mounts”. Those do not appear in any other text of Tolkien, just like the other places mentioned (marsh of Tode,…), which encouraged several readers to seek a zone of the Ground of the Medium corresponding to the geography of the poem.

The poem comprises two parts, each of three stanzas alternating tetrameters and trimeter iambic in alternated rhymes followed by an irregular stanza.

Oliphant (Oliphaunt)

This enigma with rhymes punts is drawn from the Seigneur of the Rings (Book IV, chapter 3), where he is said by Sam Gamegie. Its first version, much longer and entitled “ Iumbo, gold ye Kinde off ye Oliphaunt ”, date of the years 1920 and was published in the Stapledon Magazine in 1927, with Fastitocalon , under the overall title “ Adventures in Unnatural History and Medieval Bills of quantities, Being the Freaks off Fisiologus ”. It is inspired mainly by the medieval Bestiaire S, and in particular by the poems Physiologus of the Livre of Exeter.

The revised version of the poem, present in the Lord of the Rings and the Adventures of Tom Bombadil , is definitely shorter and the few anachronisms of “ Iumbo ” are absent (in particular, the comparison between the horn of the elephant and a vacuum cleaner). In an internal analysis, it is presented like a traditional counting rhyme, laid down on paper by Sam Gamegie.

Fastitocalon

This irregular poem rhyme is, like “Oliphant”, strongly inspired by the medieval bestiaries (the name even of Fastitocalon appears in the Book of Exeter). It was published for the first time in the Stapledon Magazine in 1927, with “ Iumbo, gold ye Kinde off ye Oliphaunt ”. It deals with gigantic marine animal on which the crew of a boat unloads, persuaded to deal with island - until Fastitocalon is turned over and submerges them…

As for “Oliphant”, the version of the Aventures of Tom Bombadil is shorter than that published in 1927, and it is removed from its modern elements (Tolkien evoked the Jazz there, inter alia). Moreover, Fastitocalon, a whale in the original version, becomes a giant tortoise there, probably to enter in agreement with the etymology of its name: in Greek Aspido-chelône “tortoise with round carapace”, deformed in Astitocalon , the F having added to only alliterate in the Anglo-Saxon poem.

Cat ( Cat )

Tolkien wrote this short poem in 1956 for its Joan grand-daughter. It is about a short rather particular part, “worrying”, treating meeting of a man without shade and a lady vêtue of gray which releases it from the magic spell which retained it captive.

The poem is built of three huitains with alternated, alternating tetrameters and trimeter rhymes iambic.

The Nest egg or the Treasury (The Hoard)

This poem probably knew its first grinding with the end of the year 1922. It was then entitled “ Iúmonna Gold Galdre Bewunden ”, which is worms 3052 of the poem in Vieil English Beowulf (it means “this gold of old surrounded by an incantation”). In 1923, this poem was published in the periodical The Gryphon . After important corrections, it was republished in 1937 in The Oxford Magazine under the same title but was admired by the poet W.H. Auden, is a recasting of the poem “ Looney ”, written in 1932 or 1933 and published in The Oxford Magazine in 1934.

The worms is accented with four accents, on a diagram of rhymes comparable with that of “Wandering”: the even worms riment two to two, while the odd worms comprise an internal rhyme.

The Last Vessel (The Last Ship)

This poem, undoubtedly written with the beginning of the year 1930, was published for the first time in Chronicle off the Convents off the Sacred Heart , in 1934, under the title “ Fíriel ” intends voices to sing. According to the song, it goes on the edge of the river and discovers a boat elf - the last - loan to install and leave forever the Earth of the Medium. The Elves invite it to join them, but she refuses, having been born “girl from the Earth”, and turns over to her residence, “forsaking the glare to turn to the trouble and the lapse of memory”.

In The Road to Middle-earth , T.A. Shippey compares this poem with the ballades in which the elves carry a mortal with them so that he lives forever in the happiness. In “the last vessel”, it is the opposite which occurs: the young girl refuses to leave. It is a “inversion without precedent”, according to Shippey, The Listener evokes the “splendid technical skill” of Tolkien, “near to the genius”, and the anonymous critic of the Times Literary Supplement estimates that “they are intelligent poems, though they do not hang as much the reader that the accounts on the hobbits and the elves”. The book was sold well: close to: 8000 specimens were past before even its publication, so that it had to be reprinted in haste.

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