[Findegil]

I will try to comment on the § questioned by Aiwendil:

VE-02: In addition to the marked haven just south of the cape of Balar, I hold the way to introduce Avernien here as highly disierable. Also I think that we have to add Gil-galad in these § (the change is numbered VE-03). Thus the addition from QS77 seems in place to introduce the way Gil-galad came to them. What is left than is the Silmaril and the Elessar healing them. The introduction of the Elessar is needed since we tell the further story of the stone. And since its ability was to heal the hurts of the world this function should be added here from AB2. But two thinks are awakward for me: Can the crused Silmaril bring belssing to anybody? I don't think so, especially in view of the role the cruse play the the Nauglamir chapter. And did the fugutives realy multiply? They might become swelled by further arrivals but the naturell interpretation would be child bearing and birth, which I find very unlikely for Elves in such a situation of a last revuge. I would rather skip the "and multiplied".
Thus we would get:

VE-02 Yet by Sirion and the sea there grew up an elven folk, the gleanings of Gondolin and Doriath[.] <UT, Elessar There Idril wore the Elessar upon her breast><AB2 , and they were healed,><QS77 ; and from Balar the mariners of Círdan came among them>[u]. ...

VE-05: Since I brought it in I also find it a good solution to switch the §§.


VE-07: The "then" as an editorial brigde looks good for me. The flow of the text is deal better with it.

VE-08: It seemed that this was my fault. My appologies. I head-lined it in post no. 80 VE-04 which is clearly wrong.

VE-10: I thought Maedhros did agree to them when I gave the apropirate source information. But Meadhros might comment on that better.

VE-11: Does this work better:

... Maybe it was due in part to the puissance of that holy jewel that they came in time to the waters that as yet no vessels save those of the Teleri had known; and they came to the Enchanted Isles and thus they escaped their enchantment{.}: <LT2 - isolated Note (xii)The Sleeper in the Tower of Pearl was awakened by {Littleheart's gong:}[them]/. He was/ a messenger that was despatched years ago by Turgon and enmeshed in magics. Even now he {cannot }could not leave the Tower and {warns}warned them of the magic[u].

There silent boats go by into the West
all piled and twinkling in the dark
with orient fire in many a hoarded spark
that divers won
in waters of the rumoured Sun.

What is your problem with these lines? The development that let to them should not be a problem for the lines themself. As they stand know we have here ships filled with "sparks of orient fire won by divers". Knowing nothing about what it was once suggested to be, I would read that as a description of pearls as best and exotic fishes as worst. I see thus no forcing need to change that. The "rumoured Sun" might be questioned as well, but we have to take the point of view of the singer into account. The Tower of Pearls stood on the boundary of the shadowy sea which was discribed as full of mist and darkness. Thus the sun might be called only a rumour to one singing about that area.

For the phrase "past Gondobar" we also have to take the singer into account. As I read the poem it recounts here a song that the sleeper in the tower utters to the mariners that go by. But he is an very isolated being that had no news from the world outside his tower. Thus even if he had heared from Eärendil that Gondolin was no more he might still express the longing for accompainment with the mariners by a (wrong) discription of area he belived they came from. Especially that becomes belivable for me when we think of his history as a messenger of Turgon.

VE-20: At least I thought that your arguments against them were valid. But Maedhros suggested these addition. He might still say something for their inclusion.

Respectfully
Findegil