I've posted, hopefully, if it works, a link to my post the other day on the
nature of Elven time . I think that the actual crucial point to begin with here lies in the words 'running years'. What
are the running years? I think that these are the years of mortals, which must seem to zip by to Elves. An Elven year, apparently, runs for 144 years of mortal time - an age which most mortals do not seem to get to. If you can imagine it, someone as renowned as say, Bilbo would have his life over in a year.
So, if the Elves
do not count the running years, not for themselves, this is emphatic. They simply do not count those years in their own reckoning. But if the Elves
need not count the running years, not for themselves, then it's something that by dint of being immortal, it's not necessary for them to do. In which case, the new (old, aargh!) version actually explains more about the nature of Elven time. But the 'old' version (do not) also makes sense, it simply says less about the nature of immortality.
Boromir 88 - I'm in agreement with you all the way on the importance of written words. The tiniest difference or mistake in a text can have the most
enormous effect. Words are quite dangerous things, they've been known to start
wars when misused.
Well, you can't imagine how much this discussion is amusing to me, it reminds me so much of endless discussions about semantics in meetings. Yet, I am enjoying it...
