Elvish Lyrics

Líre Lassion

Galadriel's song of Eldamar, The Lord of the Rings, Farewell to Lorien. Translated by Erwin Swoboda

Lindanen lassion, laurië lassion, ar laurië lassi en tuyaner.
Súreo lindanen, ar súre tullë ar ter olwar súyanes,
Anar pella, Isil pella; i fallë engë eäressë.
Ar hrestassë Ilmarino, laureä alda lohtanë.
Eldamaressë, nu oiolómeo eleni silles,
Eldamaressë, ara i rambar Tiriono eldaiva.
En tuianer i laurië lassi i andë yeninen,
Vë sinomë lanteär i níri eldaiva.
A Lorien, tulle Hrívë, i aurë helda ar ú lassi;
Lanteär i lassi mir celu, I sírë ausirë.
A Lorien, andavë amárien hrestassë sina,
Ar mi fírala rië ilienyë i laureä Elanar.
Mal ai sin linduvan ciryaron, man cirya tuluva nin?
Man cirya atacoluva nin arta allanda Eär?

I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew.

Of wind I sang, and wind there came, and in the branches blew,

Beyond the Sun, beyond the Moon, the foam was on the Sea,

And by the strand of Ilmarin there grew a golden tree,

Beneath the stars of Ever-eve in Eldamar it shone.

In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion

There long the golden leaves have grown upon the branching years.

And here beyond the Sundering Seas now fall the Elven tears.

O Lorien! The Winter comes, the bare and leafless day.

The leaves are falling in the stream, the river flows away.

O Lorien! Too long I have dwelt upon this Hither Shore

And in a fading crown have twined the golden elanor.

But if of ships I now would sing, what ship would come for me? What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a sea?