Songs for the Philologists
Encyclopedia
Songs for the Philologists is a collection of poems by E.V. Gordon and J. R. R. Tolkien
as well as traditional songs. It is the rarest and most difficult to find Tolkien-related book. Originally a collection of typescripts compiled by Gordon in 1921–1926 for the students of the University of Leeds
, it was given by A. H. Smith of University College London
, a former student at Leeds, to a group of students to be printed privately in 1935 or 1936, and printed in 1936 with the impressuum "Printed by G. Tillotson, A.H. Smith, B. Pattison and other members of the English Department, University College, London."
Since Smith had not asked permission of either Gordon or Tolkien, the printed booklets were not distributed. Most copies were destroyed in a fire, and only a few, perhaps around 14, survived.
Of the 30 songs in the collection, 13 were contributed by Tolkien:
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
as well as traditional songs. It is the rarest and most difficult to find Tolkien-related book. Originally a collection of typescripts compiled by Gordon in 1921–1926 for the students of the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, it was given by A. H. Smith of University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, a former student at Leeds, to a group of students to be printed privately in 1935 or 1936, and printed in 1936 with the impressuum "Printed by G. Tillotson, A.H. Smith, B. Pattison and other members of the English Department, University College, London."
Since Smith had not asked permission of either Gordon or Tolkien, the printed booklets were not distributed. Most copies were destroyed in a fire, and only a few, perhaps around 14, survived.
Of the 30 songs in the collection, 13 were contributed by Tolkien:
- From One to Five, to the tune of Three Wise Men of Gotham.
- Syx Mynet (Old EnglishOld English languageOld English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
), to the tune of I Love Sixpence. - Ruddoc Hana (Old English), to the tune of Who Killed Cock Robin.
- Ides Ælfscýne (Old English), to the tune of Daddy Neptune. Reprinted, together with a Modern English translation ('Elf-fair Lady') in The Road to Middle-earthThe Road to Middle-earthThe Road to Middle-earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology is a scholarly study of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien written by Tom Shippey. In Great Britain it was first published by Allen & Unwin in 1982, with a second edition published in 1993 by Harper Collins and a revised and expanded...
. - Bagmē Blōma (Gothic languageGothic languageGothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
), to the tune of Lazy Sheep (by Mantle Childe, after an old French air). Reprinted, together with a Modern English translation ('Flower of the Trees') in The Road to Middle-earth. - Éadig Béo þu!. (Old English), to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Reprinted, together with a Modern English translation ('Good Luck to You') in The Road to Middle-earth.
- Ofer Wídne Gársecg (Old English), to the tune of The Mermaid. Reprinted, together with a Modern English translation ('Across the Broad Ocean') in The Road to Middle-earth.
- La Húru, to the tune of O’Reilly.
- I Sat upon a Bench, to the tune of The Carrion Crow.
- Natura Apis: Morali Ricardi Eremite, also to the tune of O’Reilly.
- The Root of the Boot, to the tune of The Fox Went Out. Reprinted in Anderson’s Annotated Hobbit, and in a revised form in The Return of the ShadowThe History of The Lord of the RingsThe History of The Lord of the Rings is a 4-volume work by Christopher Tolkien that documents the process of J. R. R. Tolkien's writing of The Lord of the Rings. The History is also numbered as volumes 6 to 9 of The History of Middle-earth...
. Also reprinted in The Tolkien Papers: Mankato Studies in English. Later revised and printed in The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
and The Adventures of Tom BombadilThe Adventures of Tom BombadilThe Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a collection of poetry written by J. R. R. Tolkien and published in 1962. The book contains 16 poems, only two of which deal with Tom Bombadil, a character who is most famous for his encounter with Frodo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring...
as 'The Stone Troll'. - Frenchmen Froth, to the tune of The Vicar of Bray.
- Lit' and Lang' , to the tune of Polly Put the Kettle On.