[stone of vision]

Results of my mesmerized wanders, I found this topic... * winked several times* :0, and told myself: Hey Sil, that's your favourite's line, dam, oh dear, omg! Eventually a topic for me! LOL! [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

I do love the structure sentence order tolkien chose. It gives a shed of mystery and reflexion like if it was a proverb or a riddle, about the meaning it implies.
Don't forget it was firt verse from a poem written by Bilbo for Strider/ dunadan Aragorn and represent fairly what he symbolizes. FOTR book II/ the council of Elrond.

"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken:
The crownless again shall be king"

In the French translation, "all that is gold does not glitter" is word for word: "Tout ce qui est or, ne brille pas".
We consider it as a" litote" meaning the opposite of what is written: the things who shine, look like gold, seem precious like gold, IS NOT Gold itself sometimes, but just an illusion to mask the true nature of whatever or whoever it is. The contrary is valid too: ugly, frightened appearances can hide more, in the good sense, than it look like.
So, don't be fooled by the aspect of people and situations. Semblance doesn't always reflect the inner and genuine being of a person.

It makes me think of the ugly little duck's story who shall become a magnificent swan, the worm an beautiful butterfly or the frog who whall become a prince, in a elegant poetic and Middle-earth version. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

That quote touches very much because I have friends who were not spared by Life's hurddles wich make them "disable" in their look, in their everyday life but still manage to overcome them. I believe this verse is really made for those persons with this inner beauty beaming whithin and hidden behind an unpleasant (they never ask for) appearance.

What i do wish is that one day, all thoses ugly ducks/ worms/ frogs would become charming swans/ butterflies/princes like the crownless has finally become King. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Namarié