Tolkien Fan Fiction
| 27 |
| From the Balrog-Slayer's Mouth: or, Go Straight to the Source |
For the LiveJournal tolkien_weekly "Water: Sea" challenge. |
| "The very person! Elen sila am lúmen vín govaded, nín mellon!" Running ink-stained fingers distractedly through curly grey hair, Bilbo beckons the passing Elf into his study, apparently drowning in a sea of parchments. "How best should I render this phrase – wings of fire, or flames like wings? What do you advise?" Barely a flicker crosses the golden-haired Elda's face; but the Hobbit sees and is at once contrite. "Forgive me – in my enthusiasm I forget! Doubtless you would rather not recall-" "We must all suffer for scholarship's sake, little master." Smiling, Glorfindel reaches for the parchment. "Let me see…" |
Elen sila am lúmen vín govaded, nín mellon - “A star shines upon the hour of our meeting, my friend.” (Elen and lúmen are Old Sindarin, according to Ardalambion. I have a hunch Bilbo might have a bit of a poetical affection for the slightly flowerier-sounding O.S.) “Bilbo's 'Translations from the Elvish’…were found to be a work of great skill and learning in which, between 1403 and 1418, he had used all the sources available to him in Rivendell, both living and written.” - The Fellowship of the Ring, LoTR Prologue, Note on the Shire Records, my emphasis! |