Voice Post

[dreamflower]

Here's my part for read_lotr_aloud, from "The Old Forest".


'Put it out! Put it out!' cried Merry. 'He'll squeeze me in two, if you don't. He says so!'

'Who? What?' shouted Frodo, rushing round to the other side of the tree.

'Put it out! Put it out!' begged Merry. The branches of the willow began to sway violently. There was a sound as of a wind rising and spreading outwards to the branches of all the other trees round about, as though they had dropped a stone into the quiet slumber of the river-valley and set up ripples of anger that ran out over the whole Forest. Sam kicked at the little fire and stamped out the sparks. But Frodo, without any clear idea of why he did so, or what he hoped for, ran along the path crying _help! help! help!_It seemed to him that he could hardly hear the sound of his own shrill voice: it was blown away from him by the willow-wind and drowned in a clamour of leaves, as soon as the words left his mouth. He felt desperate: lost and witless.

Suddenly he slopped. There was an answer, or so he thought; but it seemed to come from behind him, away down the path further back in the Forest. He turned round and listened, and soon there could be no doubt: someone was singing a song; a deep glad voice was singing carelessly and happily, but it was singing nonsense:

Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!
Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow!
Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!

Half hopeful and half afraid of some new danger, Frodo and Sam now both stood still. Suddenly out of a long string of nonsense-words (or so they seemed) the voice rose up loud and clear and burst into this song:

Hey! Come merry dot! derry dol! My darling!
Light goes the weather-wind and the feathered starling.
Down along under Hill, shining in the sunlight,
Waiting on the doorstep for the cold starlight,
There my pretty lady is. River-woman's daughter,
Slender as the willow-wand, clearer than the water.
Old Tom Bombadil water-lilies bringing
Comes hopping home again. Can you hear him singing?
Hey! Come merry dol! derry dol! and merry-o,
Goldberry, Goldberry, merry yellow berry-o!
Poor old Willow-man, you tuck your roots away!
Tom's in a hurry now. Evening will follow day.
Tom's going home again water-lilies bringing.
Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?

Frodo and Sam stood as if enchanted. The wind puffed out. The leaves hung silently again on stiff branches. There was another burst of song, and then suddenly, hopping and dancing along the path, there appeared above the reeds an old battered hat with a tall crown and a long blue feather stuck in the band. With another hop and a bound there came into view a man, or so it seemed. At any rate he was too large and heavy for a hobbit, if not quite tall enough for one of the Big People, though he made noise enough for one, slumping along with great yellow boots on his thick legs, and charging through grass and rushes like a cow going down to drink. He had a blue coat and a long brown beard; his eyes were blue and bright, and his face was red as a ripe apple, but creased into a hundred wrinkles of laughter. In his hands he carried on a large leaf as on a tray a small pile of white water-lilies.


Pardon my singing. It didn't come out quite as well as I'd hoped.

Comments

[baranduin.livejournal.com]

Oh! This was so wonderful! You had me enchanted by your singing!

[dreamflower]

*blushes* Thank you!

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

oh my gosh, I have no privacy right now but I need to come bakc to listen to this! I can't wait to hear you singing!

[shirebound]

Wheee, singing! I like it a lot!

*sings along*

[dreamflower]

I'm glad we are including singing! It seems to really fit in with the spirit of the story! I always love the poems and singing!

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

I loved the singing.

[dreamflower]

Thank you! It didn't come out quite like I had planned, though! But I am glad we are including the songs now!

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

Oh, you did beautifully with the singing! Don't apologize! When I first read LOTR, I didn't like Tom or his singing, but I've come around to appreciate him. I love Tolkien's description 'charging through grass and rushes like a cow going down to drink'. It's so vivid!

Thanks so much, Dreamflower! This was wonderful.

[dreamflower]

You know, that's a bit of description I had never paid much attention to until this read-aloud, but now I just love it!

Tom is a character that grows on you, I think. My first reading, I didn't quite know what to make of him. But over the years, he's become a favorite. I've even written a few fics with Tom, including an attempt at my own Bombadil poem.

[addie71.livejournal.com]

Your singing was just fine! I love Frodo and Sam's reaction to this very interesting person.

[dreamflower]

Thank you! Yes, they are rather stunned by him, aren't they?

[lily-the-hobbit.livejournal.com]

Awww... like your singing!

[dreamflower]

Thank you! Are you going to join in with the readings next time?

[lily-the-hobbit.livejournal.com]

I doubt it. I'm not one for reading out loud.

[illyria-novia.livejournal.com]

Hey, the song is lovely! And am I right in detecting a touch of southern, country music in it? :) Lovely reading, I really enjoyed it. Thank you!

[dreamflower]

Possibly. I sort of had a tune in mind, but when I actually started singing, this is what came out instead!

[grey-wonderer.livejournal.com]

Oh, I am impressed! You have a very fine singing voice and I could just hear Tom coming up the path. Also, I thought your cries from Merry inside of the Willow were very convincing. Great job!

[dreamflower]

Thanks! It seemed to call for a bit of drama there, with poor Merry practically being cut in half!!

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

Oh your singing is FANTASTIC! I was as enchanted as Frodo and Sam!