Read LotR Aloud: "Farewell to Lorien"

[dreamflower]

Read along with the transcript behind the cut:

Frodo caught something new and strange in Boromir's glance, and he looked hard at him. Plainly Boromir's thought was different from his final words. It would be folly to throw away: what? The Ring of Power? He had said something like this at the Council, but then he had accepted the correction of Elrond. Frodo looked at Aragorn, but he seemed deep in his own thought and made no sign that he had heeded Boromir's words. And so their debate ended. Merry and Pippin were already asleep, and Sam was nodding. The night was growing old.
In the morning, as they were beginning to pack their slender goods, Elves that could speak their tongue came to them and brought them many gifts of food and clothing for the journey. The food was mostly in the form of very thin cakes, made of a meal that was baked a light brown on the outside, and inside was the colour of cream. Gimli took up one of the cakes and looked at it with a doubtful eye.
`_Cram_,' he said under his breath, as he broke off a crisp corner and nibbled at it. His expression quickly changed, and he ate all the rest of the cake with relish.
`No more, no more!' cried the Elves laughing. `You have eaten enough already for a long day's march.'
`I thought it was only a kind of _cram_, such as the Dale-men make for journeys in the wild,' said the Dwarf.
`So it is,' they answered. `But we call it _lembas_ or waybread, and it is more strengthening than any food made by Men, and it is more pleasant than _cram_, by all accounts.'
`Indeed it is,' said Gimli. 'Why it is better than the honey-cakes of the Beornings, and that is great praise, for the Beornings are the best bakers that I know of; but they are none too willing to deal out their cakes to travellers in these days. You are kindly hosts! '
'All the same, we bid you spare the food,' they said. 'Eat little at a time, and only at need. For these things are given to serve you when all else fails. The cakes will keep sweet for many many days, if they are unbroken and left in their leaf-wrappings, as we have brought them. One will keep a traveller on his feet for a day of long labour, even if he be one of the tall Men of Minas Tirith.'
The Elves next unwrapped and gave to each of the Company the clothes they had brought. For each they had provided a hood and cloak, made according to his size, of the light but warm silken stuff that the Galadhrim wove. It was hard to say of what colour they were: grey with the hue of twilight under the trees they seemed to be; and yet if they were moved, or set in another light, they were green as shadowed leaves, or brown as fallow fields by night, dusk-silver as water under the stars. Each cloak was fastened about the neck with a brooch like a green leaf veined with silver.


Thank you lbilover for allowing me to have this reading, and for reminding me!!

Comments

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Very nice reading! I love your pacing!

Oooh, Boromir is so ...corrupted here! So sad for Frodo!

[addie71.livejournal.com]

What a sad night for the company.

[westwindschild.livejournal.com]

beautiful reading! I read LOTR aloud to auntiemeesh and Youngest Brother when they were small, and then read it aloud again to my son when he was 8-ish. As much as I enjoy reading it over again to myself, it is a different experience to read it aloud.

[grey-wonderer.livejournal.com]

This is one of my favourtie Gimli chapters. I love this part with the lembas. Lovely reading.

[shirebound]

I remember when I first read this scene. Those cakes sounded so yummy!

Thanks for reading this to us. *beams*

[arcadiaego.livejournal.com]

I've always wanted to try Lembas! But alas, there's no elves around to make me any these days. :D This was very well read!

[hildigard-brown.livejournal.com]

Yummm, lembas bread! Frodo seems to be the only one here who sees the shadow on Boromir, although Sam certainly has his suspicions as well. Such a lovely reading!

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

Poor Frodo! He sees what is happening with Boromir, but Aragorn alas does not. He must have felt very alone. I've always had a very vivid image of what lembas looks like, and a sense of how it tastes. I was a bit disappointed in the movies that it wasn't like my imagination! And I love Tolkien's description of the cloaks: green as shadowed leaves, or brown as fallow fields by night, dusk-silver as water under the stars. So beautiful! Thanks very much, Dreamflower!