Shame on us for neglecting the poem for Gandalf!
It's a lovely little poem, and it truly does a great job of explaining Gandalf's many "faces." From what Frodo mentions, we can tell he knew Gandalf much better (although hardly completely) than Sam. It seems that Sam, like most of the hobbits, knew Gandalf best for his fireworks, and considered them worthy of note despite everything else Gandalf did for them.
One thing I found interesting upon rereading this poem is the final line of the fifth stanza:
Quote:
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in Khazad-dum his wisdom died.
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Now, it's most likely that Frodo simply is referring to Gandalf dying, and his wisdom (simply as an attribute) dying with him. But I can't help thinking that Frodo is sharing Celeborn's view that Gandalf's judgment was off when he decided to go into Moria.
As for Frodo's feeling that all the great things he had to say just were beyond his power to put into words, or that when spoken actually don't seem that great anymore... it's just all too true sometimes.
And now for a visual:
Gandalf the Grey by John Howe. I saw this painting in a book of Tolkien-inspired art, with some of the poem as a caption. It's a beautiful painting; it really captures Gandalf's hidden power.