Lyrics Song of Beren and Lúthien - Tolkien Ensemble

Song of Beren and Lúthien

The leaves were long
The grass was green
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair
And in the glade a light was seen
Of stars and shadow shimmering
Tinúviel was dancing there
To music of a pipe unseen
And light of stars was in her hair
And in her raiment glimmering
Near Beren came from mountains cold
And lusty wandered under leaves
And where the elven-river roamed
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 forward he hastened, strong and fleet
And grasped at moonbeams glistening
Through elven-woods and elven-hall
She lightly fled on dancing-feet
And left him lonely still to roam
In a silent forest, listening
He heard there, on the flying sand
Of feet as light as linden-leaves
Of music welling underground
And hidden hollows quivering
Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves
And one by one with sighing sound
Whispering fell the beechen-leaves
In the wintry woodland withering
And sought her, ever wand’ring far
Where leaves of years were thickly strewn
A light of moon and ray of star
In frosty heavens shivering
Her mantle glittered in the moon
As on a hilltop high, afar
She danced, and at her feet were strewn
A mist of silver quivering
When Winter passed she came again
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, un-troubling
Again she fled, but swift he came
«Tinúviel, Tinúviel!»
He called her by her Elvish name
And there she halted, listening
One moment stood she under spell
His voice laid on her, Beren came
And doom fell on Tinúviel
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 there mirrored, shimmering
Tinúviel the elven-fair
And mortal maiden elven-wise
About him cast her shadow’y hair
And arms like sliver, glimmering
Long was the way that fate them bore
O’er stormy mountains, cold and grey
Through halls barren, and darkling-door
And woods of night shades, morrow-less
The Sund’ring Seas between them lay
And yet, again, the met once more
And long ago they passed away
In the forest singing, sorrow-less