The Treason of Isengard (49 page)

277-8.

31. An addition to the manuscript after the words 'For we have dwelt here since the mountains were reared and the sun was young'

reads: 'And I have dwelt here with him since the days of dawn, when I passed over the seas with Melian of Valinor; and ever together we have fought the long defeat.' This was not taken up into the following typescript text (p. 260), though it was entered onto it in manuscript, and no doubt belongs to a later time. For the coming of Melian to Middle-earth in a very remote age of the world see IV.264, V.111.

32. There are pencilled additions to the manuscript after the words

'But what he thought the Lady had offered him Boromir did not tell': 'Here insert what Frodo thought?' and 'Neither did Frodo.

Whether it had been a temptation, or a revealing to himself of the way of escape from his task that he had already secretly considered, he could not tell. But now that the thought had been made plain he could not forget it.' Against this my father wrote:

'(rather so:) And as for Frodo, he would not speak, though Boromir pressed him with questions. "She held you long in her gaze, Ringbearer," he said. "Yes," said Frodo, "but I will say no more than this: to me no choice was given." He drooped and laid his head upon his knees.'

Frodo's reply to Boromir was then struck out, with the note:

'No! for this does not fit with the scene at the Mirror', and the following substituted: ' "Yes," said Frodo, "but whatever came into my mind then, I will keep there" ' (as in FR, p. 373).

None of this appears in the following typescript text (though the two latter versions were written onto it in turn), and as with the passage cited in note 31 must be accounted a later revision.

But what is hinted at in the words 'the way of escape from his task that he had already secretly considered'? My father meant, I think, that Frodo, under Galadriel's gaze, pondered the thought of surrendering the Ruling Ring to her (cf. the passage cited on p.

254).

33. Of Frodo's song of Gandalf it is said: 'yet when he wished to repeat it to Sam only snatches remained that said little of what he had meant.' At this point there is a large space on the manuscript page and a pencilled note: 'Insert Frodo's Song?' The verses are found on a page of the familiar examination script, headed

'Frodo's Song', and were evidently written before this point in the manuscript was reached. For the earliest form of the song see note 18. The song has now 8 verses, since both When morning on the Hill was bright and From Wilderland to Western shore are included, and the last verse in FR He stood upon the bridge alone here appears as the penultimate (with the fourth line the cloak of grey is cast aside), the final verse being the same as in the earliest version, Of Moria, of Khazad-dum.

34. 'Earendil, the Evening Star' is spelt thus, not Earendel (see p. 290

note 22). - In Frodo's question 'why cannot I see all the others'

(FR p. 381) 'I' should be italicized; and in Sam's reply to Galadriel's question at the end of the chapter 'Did you see my ring?' he should say 'I saw a star through your fingers', not

'finger'.

XIV.

FAREWELL TO LORIEN.

In the earliest materials for this chapter (without title) my father did not complete a continuous primary text, but (as it might be described) continually took two steps forward and one step back. He halted abruptly, even at mid-sentence, at certain points in the narrative, and returned to revise what he had written, often more than once; the result is a great deal of near-repetition and a very complex sequence.

On the other hand, much (though by no means all) of this drafting is written in ink in a quick but clear and orderly hand on good paper (the

'August 1940' examination script being now virtually exhausted).

The reason for this situation is clear. The first consecutive text of the chapter, a well-written 'fair copy' manuscript, stands in very close relation to the draft materials. By this time it had become my father's method to begin making a fair copy before a new stretch of the narrative had proceeded very far: it has been seen in 'The Bridge of Khazad-dum' (p. 202) and in 'Lothlorien' (pp. 221 - 2 and note 14) that drafting and fair copy to some extent overlapped. This was the case here also (thus the extracts from Keleborn's description of the Great River given on pp. 282 - 3 were drafts for the text found in the fair copy, and they immediately preceded that point in the writing of that text), but to a much more marked degree: for in this case, as I think, the fair copy was built up in stages, as the different sections of draft were completed.

Before turning to the original text, or texts, of this chapter, however, I give first some very difficult pencilled outlines, which I will call (a), (b) and (c). I take (a) to be the first since in it the name Tofl-ondren, which occurs also in the others, is seen at the point of emergence. The pencil is now faint to the point of vanishing, and the first lines (as far as 'the Bridges of Osgiliath'), which were written before and apparently disconnectedly from the following portion, are partly illegible.

(a)

The travellers must choose which side of Anduin [?to be on] at

[?Naith] Lorien. River is narrow but... at Stone Hills.(1) Not possible to cross without a boat until the Bridges of Osgiliath.

Keleborn says they must [?journey] in the morning. Though his people do not often go outside borders he will send them by boat as far as [struck out: Toll-ondu Toll-onnui] Toll-ondren the Great Carrock.(2) The east bank is perilous to elves. River winds among the Border Hills [struck out: Duil] Emyn Rain.(3) There they must decide because the Wetwang Palath Nenui (4) lies before them and to reach Minas Tirith they must go west round and across [added: along hills and then across] Entwash. But to go the other way they must cross Dead Marshes.

(b)

This outline is also extremely faint. It takes up towards the end of the narrative in this chapter and extends beyond it, but was written at an early stage in the development of the story, since the presence of Elves accompanying the travellers is mentioned, and this element was soon abandoned.

This is the Naith or Angle.(5) Calendil or the Green Spit.

[Struck out: Nelen] Calennel. (6)

We are come before you to make all ready, said the Lady Galadriel, and now at last we must bid you farewell. Here you are come at last to the end of our realm, to Calendil, the green-spit tongue. Green-tine.(7) Three boats await you with rowers.

They get into the boats. Elv[en] archers in one behind and before.

Company 2 in first, Ingold, Boromir. Hobbits in middle. Legolas, Gimli behind.

Parting gifts.

Warning against Entwash (Ogodruth) and Fangorn (8) - not necessary to Boromir and Ingold, but probably Gandalf did not tell them all.

Blessing of Galadriel on Frodo.

Song of Farewell of Elves.

Swift passing down the River.

Description of the [? Green Ravines].

Tollondren.

Scene with Boromir and loss of Frodo.

End of Chapter.

In this outline the names Galadriel and Ingold were written ab initio.

(c)

This third outline, again in very faint pencil, belongs with the others; a further section was added to it, but not I think after any significant interval.

Argument in pavilion at night.

They postpone decision until they reach Tolondren the Great Carrock.

They sail in [number changed between 2, 3, 4, final figure probably 3] boats. 1 filled with bowmen before and after.

Farewell of Galadriel.

They pass into the Rhain hills (9) where river winds in deep ravines.

A few arrows from East.

Elves give travellers special food and grey cloaks and hoods.

They say farewell at Tol Ondren and leave travellers [struck out: a boat > 2 small boats].

The Company lands and goes up into Rhain Hills for a safe place.

The debate. Then comes Boromir's attempt at seizing Ring and Frodo's flight.

Arrows from East shore as they pass down river?

The Company lands on Tollondren. Then debate. Frodo (and Sam) want to go on with the Quest and get it over. Boromir against it (vehemently?). They beg Elves to wait while they decide. They cross to East bank and go up into Green Hills (or Emyn Rhain?) to look around.

The journey by boat down Anduin enters in outline (a) (see p. 213); in (b) the 'scene with Boromir and loss of Frodo' is removed from

'Angle' (see pp. 207 - 8, 213) and takes place after the journey down the river, while in (c) it occurs in the 'Rhain Hills'.

The geography of these regions was coming into being. My father knew at this stage that the Great River wound in ravines (the 'Green Ravines' doubtfully read in outline (b)?) through a range of hills (Stone Hills; Emyn Rhain, Rhain Hills, Border Hills; Green Hills -

which were not merely alternative names, as will be seen in the next chapter); and that there was a great rock or tall island (the Great Carrock; Tolondren, variously spelt) in the midst of Anduin. This was associated with the hills, since the Company lands on the island and goes up into Emyn Rhain or into the Green Hills. In the added section of (c) they cross the river to do so. The Wetwang now appears, obviously if not explicitly associated with the confluence of Anduin and Entwash (or Ogodruth), flowing out of Fangorn (p. 210).

I turn now to the earliest narrative texts of 'Farewell to Lorien', in which indications are found that the fair copy manuscript of 'Galadriel' was already in existence (notes 10 and 21). The opening portion of the chapter, in which the Company came before Keleborn and Galadriel on the eve of departure and then returned to their pavilion to debate their course, is extant in several different versions. The earliest of them begins clearly but soon descends to my father's roughest script; it was written in ink over a faint pencilled text some of which can be read (see note 12).

(i)

That night (10) the Company was summoned again to the chamber of Keleborn, and the Lord and Lady of the Galadrim looked upon their faces. After a silence Keleborn spoke to them.

'Now is the time,' he said, 'when those who wish to continue the Quest must harden themselves to depart. And now is the time for those to say farewell to the Company who feel that they have gone as far as they have the strength to go. All that do not wish to go forward may remain here until there is a chance for them to return to their own homes.(11) For we stand now on the edge of doom; and ere long things will grow better, or will grow so evil that all must fight and fall where they stand. There will be no homes to seek, save the long home of those that go down in battle. Here you may abide the oncoming of the hour till the ways of the world lie open again, or we summon you to help us in the last stand of Lorien.'(12)

'They are all resolved to go forward,' said Galadriel.

'As for me,' said Boromir, 'my way home lies onward.'

'That is true,' said Keleborn. 'But are all the Company going with you to Minas Tirith?'

'We have not decided that yet,' said Ingold.

'But you must do so soon,' said Keleborn. 'For after you leave Lothlorien the River cannot easily be crossed again until you come to Ondor,(13) if indeed the passage of the river in the South is not held by the Enemy. Now the way to Minas Tirith lies on this side of the River, on the West bank, but the straight way of the Quest lies upon the other, upon the East bank. You should choose before you go.'

'If they take my advice it will be the west side,' said Boromir,

'but I am not the leader.'

'It shall be as you choose. But as you seem still in doubt, and do not maybe wish to hasten your choice, this is what I will do.

It will speed your journey somewhat, and show you my good will - for I do not send my people often and only at [?great]

need beyond my borders. I will furnish you with boats which we use upon the rivers. Some of my folk shall go with you as far as the Green Hills, where the river winds deep among [?wooded]

slopes. But beyond the Toll-ondren, the isle that is there amid the river flood, they shall not go. Even so far there are perils for Elves upon the East bank; beyond that it is not safe for any to go by water.'

The words of Keleborn lightened their hearts a little that were heavy with the thought of departure. They took leave of the Lord and Lady and went back to their pavilion. Legolas was with them. They debated long but they came to no decision.

Ingold was evidently torn between two things. His own plan and desire was to have gone to Minas Tirith; but now that Gandalf was lost he felt that he could not abandon Frodo if he could not be persuaded to come. To the others there was little choice, for they knew nothing of the... of the land in the South.

Boromir said little but kept his eyes ever fixed on Frodo as if he waited for his decision. At length he spoke. 'If you are to destroy the Ring,' he said, 'then there is little use in arms, and Minas Tirith cannot help you greatly. But if you wish to destroy the Lord, then there is little use in going without force into his domain. That is how it seems to me.'