Morgoth's Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien Page A
Authors: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien
Ads: Link
came to blossom.
$27 Thus there awoke in the world the Two Trees of Valinor, of all growing things the fairest and most renowned, whose fate is woven with the fate of Arda. The elder of the Trees was named Telperion, and its blossoms were of shining white, and a dew of silver light was spilled from them. Laurelin the younger Tree was called; its green leaves were edged with gold, and its flowers were like to clusters of yellow flame, and a rain of gold dripped from them to the ground. From those Trees there came forth a great light, and all Valinor was filled with it.
Then the bliss of the Valar was increased; for the light of the Trees was holy and of great power, so that, if aught was good or lovely or of worth, in that light its loveliness and its worth were fully revealed; and all that walked in that light were glad at heart.
$28 But the light that was spilled from the Trees endured long, ere it was taken up into the airs or sank into the earth for their enrichment. Therefore of its abundance Varda was wont to gather great store, and it was hoarded in mighty vats nigh to the Green Mound. Thence the Maiar would draw it and bring it to frith and field, even those far removed from Valmar, so that all regions of Valinor were nourished and waxed ever fairer.
$29 Thus began the Days of the Bliss of Valinor, and thus began also the count of Time. For the Trees waxed to full bloom and light, and waned again, unceasingly, without change of speed or fullness. Telperion came first to flower, and a little ere he ceased to shine Laurelin began to bud; and again ere Laurelin had grown dim Telperion awoke once more. Therefore the Valar took the time of the flowering, first of Telperion and then of Laurelin, to be for them a Day in Valinor; and the time when each Tree was flowering alone they divided into five hours, each equal to the time of the mingling of their lights, twice in each Day. There were thus twelve such hours in every Day of the Valar; and one thousand of those Days was held to be a Year, for then the Trees would put forth a new branch and their stature would increase.
The opening section of the Annals of Aman ends here; it is followed by a heading Here begins a new Reckoning in the Light of the Trees, with dates beginning at Y.T.1, the First Year of the Trees.
NOTES.
1. The definition of Ea as 'the World that Is' is found also at the appearance of the name in an addition to the text of Ainulindale'
D, p. 31, $20. I give it throughout in the form that it has in the texts, Ea, Ea, Ea'.
2. The original form of the name was Lorien, but this was changed to Lorien on the QS manuscript.
3. AV 2 had here (V.110) 'Yavanna, whom Aule espoused after in the world, in Valinor'; in the later rewriting of the AV 2 manuscript that led directly to AAm (p. 47) this became 'Yavanna, whom Aule espoused in Arda', where AAm has 'in Ea'.
4. AV 2 had here (V.110) 'these are the Vanimor, the Beautiful', changed in the later rewriting (see note 3) to 'these are the Mairi...', and then to 'these are the Maiar...' This was probably where the word Maiar first arose.
5. In the earlier (only) of the two manuscripts of the opening of The Tale of Years the heading Of the Beginning of Time and its Reckoning was subsequently extended by the addition of From the work of Quennar Onotimo; see note 6.
6. As this sentence was first written in the draft text for the beginning of AAm (the rewriting of A V 2) it read: 'each such year is in length even as are ten years of the Sun that is now'; i.e., my father still retained the old much simpler computation going back through AV 2 (V.110) to AV 1 (IV.263). This was changed on the draft text to 'each such year is longer than are nine years of the Sun that is now'. In the earlier of the Tale of Years versions the words 'as it now is' were pencilled in after 'nine years under the Sun', while the second reads 'than are now nine years under the Sun'.
The second Tale of Years version, which does not refer
$27 Thus there awoke in the world the Two Trees of Valinor, of all growing things the fairest and most renowned, whose fate is woven with the fate of Arda. The elder of the Trees was named Telperion, and its blossoms were of shining white, and a dew of silver light was spilled from them. Laurelin the younger Tree was called; its green leaves were edged with gold, and its flowers were like to clusters of yellow flame, and a rain of gold dripped from them to the ground. From those Trees there came forth a great light, and all Valinor was filled with it.
Then the bliss of the Valar was increased; for the light of the Trees was holy and of great power, so that, if aught was good or lovely or of worth, in that light its loveliness and its worth were fully revealed; and all that walked in that light were glad at heart.
$28 But the light that was spilled from the Trees endured long, ere it was taken up into the airs or sank into the earth for their enrichment. Therefore of its abundance Varda was wont to gather great store, and it was hoarded in mighty vats nigh to the Green Mound. Thence the Maiar would draw it and bring it to frith and field, even those far removed from Valmar, so that all regions of Valinor were nourished and waxed ever fairer.
$29 Thus began the Days of the Bliss of Valinor, and thus began also the count of Time. For the Trees waxed to full bloom and light, and waned again, unceasingly, without change of speed or fullness. Telperion came first to flower, and a little ere he ceased to shine Laurelin began to bud; and again ere Laurelin had grown dim Telperion awoke once more. Therefore the Valar took the time of the flowering, first of Telperion and then of Laurelin, to be for them a Day in Valinor; and the time when each Tree was flowering alone they divided into five hours, each equal to the time of the mingling of their lights, twice in each Day. There were thus twelve such hours in every Day of the Valar; and one thousand of those Days was held to be a Year, for then the Trees would put forth a new branch and their stature would increase.
The opening section of the Annals of Aman ends here; it is followed by a heading Here begins a new Reckoning in the Light of the Trees, with dates beginning at Y.T.1, the First Year of the Trees.
NOTES.
1. The definition of Ea as 'the World that Is' is found also at the appearance of the name in an addition to the text of Ainulindale'
D, p. 31, $20. I give it throughout in the form that it has in the texts, Ea, Ea, Ea'.
2. The original form of the name was Lorien, but this was changed to Lorien on the QS manuscript.
3. AV 2 had here (V.110) 'Yavanna, whom Aule espoused after in the world, in Valinor'; in the later rewriting of the AV 2 manuscript that led directly to AAm (p. 47) this became 'Yavanna, whom Aule espoused in Arda', where AAm has 'in Ea'.
4. AV 2 had here (V.110) 'these are the Vanimor, the Beautiful', changed in the later rewriting (see note 3) to 'these are the Mairi...', and then to 'these are the Maiar...' This was probably where the word Maiar first arose.
5. In the earlier (only) of the two manuscripts of the opening of The Tale of Years the heading Of the Beginning of Time and its Reckoning was subsequently extended by the addition of From the work of Quennar Onotimo; see note 6.
6. As this sentence was first written in the draft text for the beginning of AAm (the rewriting of A V 2) it read: 'each such year is in length even as are ten years of the Sun that is now'; i.e., my father still retained the old much simpler computation going back through AV 2 (V.110) to AV 1 (IV.263). This was changed on the draft text to 'each such year is longer than are nine years of the Sun that is now'. In the earlier of the Tale of Years versions the words 'as it now is' were pencilled in after 'nine years under the Sun', while the second reads 'than are now nine years under the Sun'.
The second Tale of Years version, which does not refer
Similar Books
