I conclude this commentary with another early poem that bears upon the matter of this tale. It is said in the tale (p. 119) that Men in Hisilуmл feared the Lost Elves, calling them the Shadow Folk, and that their name for the land was Aryador. The meaning of this is given in the early Gnomish word-list as ‘land or place of shadow’ (cf. the meanings of Hisilуmл and Dor Lуmin, p. 112).
The poem is called A Song of Aryador, and is extant in two copies; according to notes on these it was written in an army camp near Lichfield on September 12th, 1915. It was never, to my knowledge, printed. The first copy, in manuscript, has the title also in Old English: Бn lйoю Йargedores; the second, in typescript, has virtually no differences in the text, but it may be noted that the first word of the third verse, ‘She’, is an emendation from ‘He’ in both copies.
A Song of Aryador
In the vales of AryadorBy the wooded inland shoreGreen the lakeward bents and meadsSloping down to murmurous reedsThat whisper in the dusk o’er Aryador:‘Do you hear the many bellsOf the goats upon the fells Where the valley tumbles downward from the pines?
Do you hear the blue woods moanWhen the Sun has gone alone To hunt the mountain-shadows in the pines?
She is lost among the hillsAnd the upland slowly fills With the shadow-folk that murmur in the fern;
And still there are the bellsAnd the voices on the fells While Eastward a few stars begin to burn.
Men are kindling tiny gleamsFar below by mountain-streams Where they dwell among the beechwoods near the shore,
But the great woods on the heightWatch the waning western light And whisper to the wind of things of yore,
Wh1en the valley was unknown,And the waters roared alone, And the shadow-folk danced downward all the night,
When the Sun had fared abroadThrough great forests unexplored And the woods were full of wandering beams of light.
Then were voices on the fellsAnd a sound of ghostly bells And a march of shadow-people o’er the height.
In the mountains by the shoreIn forgotten AryadorThere was dancing and was ringing;There were shadow-people singing Ancient songs of olden gods in Aryador.’
VI
THE THEFT OF MELKO AND THE DARKENING OF VALINOR
This title is again taken from the cover of the book containing the text; the narrative, still written rapidly in pencil (see note 8 to the last chapter), with some emendations from the same time or later, continues without a break.
Now came Eriol home to the Cottage of Lost Play, and his love for all the things that he saw about him and his desire to understand them all became more deep. Continually did he thirst to know yet more of the history of the Eldar; nor did he ever fail to be among those who fared each evening to the Room of the Tale-fire; and so on a time when he had already sojourned some while as a guest of Vairл and Lindo it so passed that Lindo at his entreaty spake thus from his deep chair:
‘Listen then, O Eriol, if thou wouldst [know] how it so came that the loveliness of Valinor was abated, or the Elves might ever be constrained to leave the shores of Eldamar. It may well be that you know already that Melko dwelt in Valmar as a servant in the house of Tulkas in those days of the joy of the Eldaliл there did he nurse his hatred of the Gods, and his consuming jealousy of the Eldar, but it was his lust for the beauty of the gems for all his feigned indifference that in the end overbore his patience and caused him to design deep and evilly.
Now the Noldoli alone at those times had the art of fashioning these beautiful things, and despite their rich gifts to all whom they loved the treasure they possessed of them was beyond count the greatest, wherefore Melko whenever he may consorteth with them, speaking cunning words. In this way for long he sought to beg gifts of jewels for himself, and maybe also catching the unwary to learn something of their hidden art, but when none of these devices succeeded he sought to sow evil desires and discords among the Gnomes, telling them that lie concerning the Council when the Eldar were first bidden to Valinor.1 “Slaves are ye,” he would say, “or children, an you will, bidden play with toys and seek not to stray or know too much. Good days mayhap the Valar give you, as ye say; seek but to cross their walls and ye shall know the hardness of1 their hearts. Lo, they use your skill, and to your beauty they hold fast as an adornment of their realms. This is not love, but selfish desire—make test of it. Ask for your inheritance that Ilъvatar designed for you—the whole wide world to roam, with all its mysteries to explore, and all its substances to be material of such mighty crafts as never can be realised in these narrow gardens penned by the mountains, hemmed in by the impassable sea.”
Hearing these things, despite the true knowledge which Nуlemл had and spread abroad, there were many who hearkened with half their hearts to Melko, and restlessness grew amongst them, and Melko poured oil on their smouldering desires. From him they learnt many things it were not good for any but the great Valar to know, for being half-comprehended such deep and hidden things slay happiness; and besides many of the sayings of Melko were cunning lies or were but partly true, and the Noldoli ceased to sing, and their viols fell silent upon the hill of Kфr, for their hearts grew somewhat older as their lore grew deeper and their desires more swollen, and the books of their wisdom were multiplied as the leaves of the forest. For know that in those days Aulл aided by the Gnomes contrived alphabets and scripts, and on the walls of Kфr were many dark tales written in pictured symbols, and runes of great beauty were drawn there too or carved upon stones, and Eдrendel read many a wondrous tale there long ago, and mayhap still is many a one still there to read, if it be not corrupted into dust. The other Elves heeded these things not over much, and were at times sad and fearful at the lessened gladness of their kinsmen. Great mirth had Melko at this and wrought in patience biding his time, yet no nearer did he get to his end, for despite all his labours the glory of the Trees and the beauty of the gems and the memory of the dark ways from Palisor held back the Noldoli—and ever Nуlemл spake against Melko, calming their restlessness and discontents.
At length so great became his care that he took counsel with Fлanor, and even with Inwл and Ellu Melemno (who then led the Solosimpi), and took their rede that Manwл himself be told of the dark ways of Melko.
And Melko knowing this was in great anger against the Gnomes, and going first before Manwл bowed very low, and said how the Noldoli dared murmur to his ears against Manwл’s lordship, claiming that in skill and beauty they (whom Ilъvatar had destined to possлss all the earth) far surpassed the Valar, for whom they must labour unrecompensed. Heavy was Manwл’s heart at these words, for he had feared long that that great amity of the Valar and Eldar be ever perchance broken, knowing that the Elves were children of the world and must one day return to her bosom. Nay, who shall say but that all these deeds, even the seeming needless evil of Melko, were but a portion of the destiny of old? Yet cold was the Lord of the Gods to the informer, and lo! even as he questioned him further the embassy of Nуlemл came thither, and being granted leave spake the truth before him. By reason of the presence of Melko perchance they spoke somewhat less skilfully in their own cause than they might, and perchance even the heart of Manwл Sъlimo was tainted with the poison of Melko’s words, for that venom of Melko’s malice is very strong and subtle indeed.
Howbeit, both Melko and the Noldoli were chidden and dismissed. Melko indeed was bidden get him back to Mandos and there dwell awhile in penitence, nor dare to walk in Valmar for many moons, not until the great festival that now approached had come and gone; but M1anwл fearing lest the pollution of their discontent spread among the other kindreds commanded Aulл to find other places and thither lead the Noldoli, and build them a new town where they might dwell.
Great was the sorrow upon the hill of Kфr when those tidings were brought thither, and though all were wroth with the treachery of Melko, yet was there now a new bitterness against the Gods, and the murmuring louder than before.
A little stream, and its name was Hiri, ran down from the hills, northward of the opening to the coast where Kфr was built, and it wandered thence across the plain no one knew whither. Maybe it found the Outer Seas, for north of the roots of Silpion it dived into the earth and there was a rugged place and a rock-ringed dale; and here the Noldoli purposed to abide, or rather to await the passing of wrath from Manwл’s heart, for in no way as yet would they accept the thought of leaving Kфr for ever.