The first and last of 26 stanzas of the poem 'The Adventures of Tom Bombadil' found in the Tolkien Reader by JRR Tolkien.

The preceding is the thirteenth and final stanza of Tolkien's poem 'The Last Ship' found on page 64, the final page of 'The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and other verses from 'The Red Book', with illustrations by Pauline Baynes. This being the final section of 'The Tolkien Reader'.

'The Adventures... ' are made up of sixteen poems, only two of which concern Tom Bombadil, and most are delightful. My favorites are 'The Stone Troll' and the two about 'The Man in the Moon': one where he 'Stayed Up Too Late' and the other where he 'Came Down Too Soon'.

If anyone wants a complete list of those poems you have but to ask. See my 13 January 2002 comment in the 'Other Tolkien Books' thread, where I listed the titles of the other sections of 'The Tolkien Reader', whose pages of my 1970 edition paperback are now yellow with age, but remain within their binding.
[Edited on 19/3/2002 by Grondmaster]

I've stated a thread in the 'Golden Perch Tavern' called 'Tolkien's Poetry, Seralized' wherein I'm adding some of his lesser known poety. I just finished adding The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and have started Bombadil Goes Boating.


[Edited on 30/4/2002 by Grondmaster]

Can't wait to find it now...

Cirdan: Go to the thread in the Golden Perch Tavern called Tolkien's Poetry, Serialized and read the two Tom Bombadil poems in their entirety. I typed them in for you all, because the book was scarce. And no they don't really get into his ancient history.

Grondy, you are soooo smart and sneaky to have thought of that. lol It would never have occured to me to do something like thatl.

I have read it, but I didn't really get into it

Your praise should go to Taz Mellie, I merely implemented his request.

Well, Taz, you get all my praise yet again.

You can find the entire collection of poems from the book, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil in The Tolkien Reader which is still in print and for sale online and in bookstores for around $7 US for the illustrated paperback version.

In addition to "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil", the Reader also contains "Tolkien's Magic Ring" an introduction by Peter Beagle; "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son", Tolkien's short play based on 'The Battle of Malden'; the book Tree and Leaf made up of Tolkien's essay "On Fairy-stories" and his short story "Leaf by Niggle"; and a Tolkien's longer story "Farmer Giles of Ham". All of them are good reads.

That, Einar, is because it is only available now a days in The Tolkien Reader.

It is a paperback book. The illustrations are pen and ink drawings interspersed with the text. Read my above post of 18/1/2003 at 02:10 where I listed its contents.

It is not only in The Tolkien Reader.....it is in "Ringens V’rld" too! But what is The Tolkien Reader? a magazine?

I've reald that book and it sorta reminds me of a childrens book. The poems are like things that you would tell to a little kid and the riddles are too. Its a nice read though because they are comical.

LITTLE PRINCESS MEE

Lovely was she
As in elven-song is told:
She had pearls in hair
All threaded fair;
Of gossamer shot with gold
Was her kerchief made,
And a silver braid
Of stars about her throat.
Of moth-web light
All moonlit-white
She wore a woven coat,
And round her kirtle
Was bound a girdle
Sewn with diamond dew.

She walked by day
Under mantle grey
And hood of clouded blue;
But she went by night
All glittering bright
Under the starlit sky,
And her slippers frail
Of fishes' mail
Flashed as she went by
To her dancing-pool,
And on mirror cool
Of windless water played.
As a mist of light
In whirling flight
A glint like glass she made
Wherever her feet
Of silver fleet
Flicked the dancing-floor.

She looked on high
To the roofless sky,
And she looked to the shadowy shore;
Then round she went,
And her eyes she bent
And saw beneath her go
A Princess Shee
As fair as Mee:
They were dancing toe to toe!

Shee was as light
As Mee, and as bright;
But Shee was, strange to tell,
Hanging down
With starry crown
Into a bottomless well!
Her gleaming eyes
In great surprise
Looked up to the eyes of Mee:
A marvellous thing,
Head-down to swing
Above a starry sea!

Only their feet
Could ever meet;
For where the ways might lie
To find a land
Where they do not stand
But hang down in the sky
No one could tell
Nor learn in spell
In all the elven-lore.

So still on her own
An elf alone
Dancing as before
With pearls in hair
And kirtle fair
And slippers frail
Of fishes' mail went Mee:
Of fishes' mail
And slippers frail
And kirtle fair
With pearls in hair went Shee!

yea, right, that was what I meant, it's sweet.
have you got a link for that pic? I'd like to have a look at it...

is there no chance to find it in the www? you can find almost everything there... except for the things you want to find, of course... well, I don't think I'll find the Tolkien Reader somewhere in a library or bookshop in Austria, too bad.