The Lay of the Children of Húrin

The third book in the History of Middle-earth series is The Lays of Beleriand. The focus of this book is J.R.R. Tolkien's attempts at applying his mythologies to verse. In many cases these poems were written just after the Lost Tales we have already explored. And these are big epic poems: think Beowulf.

The first poem is The Lay of the Children of Húrin. This poem stretch to some 2275 lines before Tolkien abandoned it. Christopher Tolkien notes, in may places, how this poem differed from the published prose stories: for example Túrin's sister is born before he goes to Thingol in the Lay; not after as in the narrative. He also points out how the poem advanced the Tales as they were first written: for example Túrin's band of outlaws captures and tortures Beleg which was not present in the Tale.

Interestingly Tolkien tried his hand at alliterative verse for the Húrin Lay which gives it a nice flow and for the most part the alliteration does not seem too forced. I'll quote a couple of passages to give you a taste:

"To assuage his sorrow and to sate the rage
and hate of his heart for the hurts of his folks
then Húrin's son took the helm of his sire
and weapons weighty for the wielding of men
and went to the woods with warlike Elves;
and far in the fight his feet led him,
into black battle yet a boy in years" (p. 16, The Lays of Beleriand).

And later:

"Then Dailir he drew, his dart beloved;
howso far fared it, or fell unnoted,
unsought he found it with sound feathers
and barbs unbroken (till it broke at last);
and fleet bade he fly that feather-pinioned
snaketonguéd shaft, as he snicked the string
in the notch nimbly, and with naked arm
to his ear drew it. The air whistled,
and the tingling string twanged behind it,
soundless a sentinel sank before it--
there was one of the wolves that awakened no more.
Now arrows after he aimed swiftly
that missed not their mark and meted silent
death in the darkness dreadly stinging
till three of the wolves with throats piercéd,
and four had fallen with fleet wingéd
arrows a-quivering in their quenchéd eyes" (p. 42, The Lays of Beleriand).

It's poetry like this that helps me appreciate the genre. These lays would have been something to behold had Tokien decided to complete them. It seemed he had many ideas regarding his earliest writings: determining how they could connect to the history of his beloved England, how Men came to know of the trials of the Elves, rewriting as prose, rewriting as narrative, additions, subtractions, character and geographical changes that he worked on from 1916ish to his death in 1973.