| Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien | |
| The Ruined Enchanter | |
|---|---|
| Poem Information | |
| Other names | The Ruined Enchanter: A Fairy Ballad |
| Written | 11 November of 1919 |
| Revised | Around 1927 |
| Published | The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Subject(s) | Belmarye, Fantasye, Queen of Babylon |
The Ruined Enchanter[1] is a poem written by J.R.R. Tolkien in 11 November of 1919.[2]
First stanza
Long have I dwelt in Belmarye,
And fair my garden is to see.
For walls of magic ring it round,
And rooted deep in enchanted ground
There grows a dark enchanted tree.[1]
Background
On 11 November of 1919, Tolkien wrote an unfinished poem entitled The Ruined Enchanter: A Fairy Ballad[3] on the verso of a letter from the Ministry of Pensions.[2]
Tolkien later removed the poem's subtitle in a later manuscript.[1]
In September of 2024, the poem was published for the first time as entry 62 in The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien.[1]
Inspiration
The poem may have been inspired by a nursery rhyme dating to the mid-fifteenth century.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 J.R.R. Tolkien; Christina Scull, Wayne G. Hammond (eds.), The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, "62. The Ruined Enchanter (?1919-c. 1927)"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (2006), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: I. Chronology, p. 109 (entry "11 November 1919")
- ↑ Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (2006), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: I. Chronology, "Poetry by J.R.R. Tolkien", p. 854 (entry "The Ruined Enchanter: A Fairy Ballad")