Authorial Detachment or "The Vanishing Harper"

[Lush]

This also seems to be a commentary on creativity in general, a reminder that the creative process is both bitter and sweet. I can imagine Tolkien at his desk, writing in pleasure and writing in pain, producing characters that act out the sacrifices one must often make for their craft.

Talent equals power equals responsibility; an often heavy burden to carry through life, and nobody else can do it for you. You're out there on your own.

I wonder if Tolkien is associating the creative process with birth and death, and the idea that perhaps we chip away at ourselves when living the creative life, and obscure ourselves through our stories and songs, for better or for worse.

Furthermore, I believe that this could also be another take on the Biblical notion of not loving one's own creations too much. Just like when it comes to the fall of Gondolin.