Bilbo's Last Song

[Arathiriel]

What is Bilbo's last song and where can I find it?

[ September 26, 2002: Message edited by: Arathiriel ]

[Tigerlily Gamgee]

I looked to me like a book of quotes about going West accompanied by illustrations.
I just saw it at Border's yesterday for $12, or something like that.
It's a little hard cover book (very thin).

[Arathiriel]

Hmmmmmm.....

Interesting...

I was actually referring to something I heard Bilbo recite in the BBC's Radio version of LOTR...

Something that was referred to as Bilbo's Last Song...

smilies/biggrin.gif

[ September 26, 2002: Message edited by: Arathiriel ]

[Telchar]

Those who want to know more can go to this old thread: Bilbo's Last Song (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=000620)


Cheers T smilies/smile.gif

[Tigerlily Gamgee]

Yes, that's it (in the link). They now have that in book form with illustrations (yet another way to make money from the gained popularity). Check out Border's (or other stores, I am sure) if you are interested. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375823735/qid=1033069892/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/104-6533917-2003914?v=glance&n=507846

[Child of the 7th Age]

By the way, this is an absolutely gorgeous book. One side of the page shows Bilbo's memories of the past, and the other side the progression of the party towards the Grey Havens. You won't be sorry if you buy it.

You can see that my own sig and moniker comes from that poem.

sharon

[InklingElf]

oh wow -I hope I find that book soon!

[theWhiteLady]

Yes! I actually ran across that book today in Books-a-Million. The illustrations are gorgeous and the poem is beautiful smilies/smile.gif I was dying to get it, but didn't have enough money. smilies/frown.gif

[lindil]

The illustrations are Pauline Baynes' work , who also did the TOlkien reader/Smith of Wooten Major artwork.

It captures a certain feel for sure.

I have also seen a paperback version which might be cheaper.

[Ardamir the Blessed]

From a few lines in the last verse of Bilbo's Last Song, it seems that a shining object in the sky, whether Eärendil's Silmaril or not, led the White Ship to the West:

Guided by the Lonely Star Farewell to Middle-earth at last,
I see the Star above your mast!

I have not found this anywhere else, and I think it is intriguing. Is this yet another connection between Eärendil and the Hobbits? And remember how Eärendil's Silmaril led himself to Valinor, and the light in the sky, whether Eärendil's Silmaril or not, that led the Númenóreans to Andor. But what does 'your mast' refer to? Is it the mast of the White Ship, and 'your' is the Elves?

[davem]

Arathiriel, don't know if you heard a Radio 4 documentary, Fired by the Ring, about the Tolkien phenomenon, 2-3 years back, but on that they played a demo they'd made, where John Le Mesurier (who played Bilbo) sang the first verse of the poem, rather than chanted it as in the final broadcast version. Apparently the copyright holders didn't think his singing voice was good enough, but Brian Sibley had wanted him to sing it, so that you'd go from his croaky, wavering voice to the voice of the choirboy, giving almost a sense of re-birth as they pass into the west. I have the documentary on tape, & it I have to say, it would have worked beautifully.

[Essex]

Davem, that version of John le Messurer's Bilbo (RIP) is also on the new CD version of the BBC radio adaptation. There's a whole cd devoted to the songs, and it is included there. It is brilliant.

PS I got a hard copy of Bilbo's Song for about £3 from WorldBooks.co.uk. (you have to be a member) Don't know if it's still on offer though......

[Petty Dwarf]

I never quite understood why the Tolkien Estate doesn't own the copyright to Bilbo's Last Song, so I dug and found this interesting bit in a press release from Random House: The copyright of Bilbo’s Last Song was a gift from Tolkien to the young woman seconded from his publisher in the 1970’s to help him with his correspondence. He used to joke that if ever a diamond bracelet fell out of an envelope it would be hers. When she was helping him pack up his office before he moved house, Bilbo’s Last Song fell out of a book and she loved it so much he said it could be her diamond bracelet. The poem was not published in his lifetime but he left the copyright to her in his will and this is now owned by the Order of the Holy Paraclete.