The Tale of the Downfall of The Lord of the Rings

Poetized by Isaac Quinones

The Fellowship of the Ring

There once lived a hobbit named Bilbo,

As agéd as any could be

And leaving his nephew young Frodo

He set off, the elves to go see.

Young Frodo received a memento,

A curious magical ring

With powers, but also tempting to

The wielder. Great fear did it bring

To Gandalf, the strong and wise wizard

Who came and who went as he pleased.

He knew that the ring was a hazard

That laid many low by their greed.

So Frodo and Pippin and Merry

And Sam the good gardener too

Set of to the east, but were wary

Of Dark Riders, of dread Sauron’s crew.

They took a shortcut through the forest

And Maggot the farmer did meet.

They talked to their host, kind and gracious,

Then left on their large, hairy feet.

The hobbits embarked on their travels

And into Old Forest did go

But soon their direction unraveled

And Tom Bombadil saved them, Lo!

By singing to Willow-Man rotten

And taking them back to his home.

Much laughter and joy was there often

But soon the young travelers roamed

To barrow-weights cold and so dreary

But once again Tom saved the day

He laughed, then went back to Goldberry

The hobbits went off on their way.

They made it to Bree, and the tavern

Of Butterbur: Prancing Pony.

No Gandalf they met, but they did learn

Of Strider, a ranger of Bree.

That night as they slept in their bedroom

Dark riders did storm through the gate

In search of the gold ring of black doom

But hobbits and Strider escaped.

The company passed through the woodlands

And made it to Weathertop Hill

Then warded off riders with flame brands

But Frodo was stabbed and grew ill.

Glorfindel the Elven-Lord saved him

And carried him safely away

From riders pursuing with knives grim;

To Rivendell, where elves hold sway.

When Frodo awoke he was healthy

Because of Elrond’s kindly care.

He ate and drank food for the wealthy

And Bilbo and Gandalf met there.

A meeting was called, and created

A Fellowship to bear the ring:

One Dwarf with a beard finely braided,

An elf who of old days could sing,

A wizard of magic long faded,

And Boromir, Gondor’s princeling;

King Aragon right and high-fated,

And four hobbits, the burden to bring.

They climbed up Caradhras the mountain

But blizzards had blocked off the way,

So down went the group, to a fountain

Where once there had been a gateway.

Pursued by foul wolves and the Watcher

The company entered the mines

Of Moria, wherein orcs fester;

They toed a dark, dangerous line.

Because of a hobbit, young Pippin

A Balrog awoke from its sleep

The company fled, barely hoping

They’d ever escape from the deeps

When suddenly Gandalf grew wrathful

And at the bridge made a bold stand.

Then Wizard and Balrog did battle

And both down the chasm did land.

The Fellowship, weeping and mourning

To Lothlórien did depart;

Though Gimli the elves had been scorning

They entered the city of art.

There met they Lord Celeborn mighty

And Lady Galadriel fair.

Advice they received, grim and weighty

Then rested and breathed elvish air.

A mirror there lay under starlight

Of visions of future to be

Both Frodo and Sam gazed, and that night

The Lady rejected the ring.

With gifts and provisions abundant

The Fellowship sailed south and east,

But Sméagol behind like a small ant

Did crawl like a wolf to a feast.

When resting in woods by the wayside

The travelers suffered great woe:

By Boromir Frodo was much tried

And with Sam to dread Mordor did go.

The nine who were chosen were sundered

Some long days to live, and some numbered.

The Two Towers

The Fellowship had scarce been split in two

When Orcs arrived and snatched the hobbits fair

But Boromir returned and rent the air

With iv’ry horn, and to the end was true.

The hobbits gone and hero slain were found

By dwarf and elf and man who came behind.

Although they had no hope, they were of mind

To chase the orcs, and free those who were bound.

Into the Gap of Rohan went the tracks

And so the hunters dutif’ly pursued;

Short Gimli with his stubby legs soon rued

His fate, but still he ran behind the backs

Of Aragon and Legolas so bold

Until the Rohirrim they chanced upon,

Who took them to Theoden, pale and wan

With Gandalf, who they found in forest old.

The Uruk-Hai, the orcs of the white hand

Had left with the two hobbits; in the night

The Rohirrim, who knew not of their plight

Assailed the orcs and wiped them from the land.

The hobbits into Fangorn forest crept

And found an Ent; Old Treebeard was his name

The Ents went on their last march, eyes aflame

And for their groves of tree-folk roared and wept.

And as they marched, the King of Golden Hall

Conversed with what remained of Fellowship

He sneered and scoffed and curled his scornful lip;

For Saruman had placed him under thrall.

But Gandalf, great and white, released the king

And mobilized the army, fast and strong;

Fair Rohan had been pillaged for too long.

The soldiers rode with armor glittering.

To Rohan’s fortress Helm’s Deep rode the force

And slew the hordes of orcs that came to kill

Their people, and when Sun crested the hill

Wise Gandalf came on Shadowfax his horse.

Then to the lair of Saruman they went

And found him trapped in Isengard the black

He dropped a Palantír, then wanted back

His stone, but he was stopped by mighty Ents.

Young Pippin, that fool of a took did yearn

To see a glance of the dark Palantír

He stole the stone, but soon he wept hot tears

And went with Gandalf, honor soon to earn.

As this went on, good Frodo and his Sam

Encountered Gollum, seeking e’er his ‘Gift’;

They caught and trained him, his soul to uplift

And made him guide them to lands grim and glam.

He took them through the marshes dead and cold

Encountering a Nazgúl on the way

They made it to the gate, but could not stay,

So Gollum of a secret passage told.

They saw an Oliphaunt, and met the men

Of Gondor, led by Faramir the brave.

He took them to hideout, and then gave

Them food to take if they should leave, and when

The hobbits and frail Gollum journeyed more,

They found the statue of the fallen king,

Anárion, of whom the old tales sing;

The statue had been ruined by the war.

The little people Minas Morgul passed,

And saw fresh hordes out of the gates embark

To bring to Gondor forces cruel and dark

But finally they left them, safe at last.

Upon the stairs of Corinth Ungol groped

The famished travelers, to find the path

To Mordor bleak, but roused fell Shelob’s wrath.

The hobbits ran, and made it out, they hoped,

But Gollum struck, and Frodo was laid low

By poison of the wicked spider’s sting.

Samwise wept and took his master’s ring,

But soon learned Frodo lived, but was too slow

To save him from the orcs who found him there

And carried him, alive, to fearsome fort.

Then Samwise, his small master did purport

To rescue from the clutches of despair.

Two hobbits and a tiny golden ring

The world to end, or to it justice bring.

The Return of the King

Pippin and Gandalf arrived at the town

Minas Tirith, where Lord Denethor reigned

Counsel they gave to the steward renowned

Pippin to Gondor of men swore his name.

Then through the paths of dead Aragorn went

Summoning spirits of oathbreakers past

Mighty with vengeance the army was sent

Gondor to aid, where the battle would blast.

Summoned by Denethor, Theoden called

His army to ride to the aid of their friends

Merry and Eowyn rode forth uncalled

One to seek death, one his small sword to lend.

Meanwhile in Gondor brave Faramir came

News of war bringing to Denethor proud.

Then charged the hosts of dark Mordor to maim

And kill all inside, but then blew horns loud;

Riders of Rohan and Theoden king

Rode to their deaths on that fine, sunny day

Eowyn slew the king wraith of the ring

Victory won, but high price did they pay.

Denethor driven quite mad by his grief

Lit then a pyre to consume him at last

Steward of men had lost all his belief;

Hopeless, he burnt and he tragically passed.

Aragorn heir to all Gondor had hands

Healing, as Merry and Eowyn learned;

Faramir too he saved, then through the land

Marched the last army, at Mordor to earn

Frodo some time to destroy the One Ring.

Then the gates opened and out came the hordes

Man fought with beast and fierce war did they bring

One side for life, and the other their lord.

Meanwhile Samwise devised a bold plan,

Storming the tower his master to save.

Rescuing Frodo they walked through the land;

Frodo the bearer and Samwise the brave

Fate or high fortune at last brought the pair

Finally to the great mountain of fire.

Gollum had followed them, and caught them where

Frodo had finally broken; his ire

Tempted so long by the treacherous ring

Claimed it as his, in defiance of all.

Sméagol it was in the end who did bring

Sauron his doom, for he took a great fall.

There at the last sat the two hobbit friends;

Samwise and Frodo, together to the end.

When waking his blue eyes were lighted

Good Frodo, delighted was he

With Gandalf to be reunited

On this side of the Western Sea.

The Fellowship traded their stories

Then Aragorn, crowned as the king

His lady fair Arwen did marry

As minstrels of Frodo did sing.

At last they set out for the Shire,

And after long travels returned

But changed by axe and by fire

Their homeland had changed, as they learned.

For love of their lives and their nation

The hobbits revolted at last

His gift Samwise used, and with patience

The trees and the flowers returned

For Frodo his life was e’er painful

His wounds were by tooth, knife, and sting;

He knew that to rest and be joyful

The sea would at last peace him bring.

So at the Grey Havens they parted,

Good Frodo and Samwise the Brave:

The Shire was the place their bond started

Their love would be parted by waves.

Thus ends this tale with bittersweet farewell;

The tale of the Dark Lord, and how he fell.

Toobles