1. Villanelle
War Now Calls Us
Indeed, to die is such a little thing,
Our doom advances and we heed its call
For who knows what it is that death shall bring.
The end is nigh and I am the last king.
It is with me that Rohan's line shall fall
Indeed, to die is such a little thing.
Laughing I ride, no more to life I cling
War calls us, and in darkness we stand tall
For who knows what it is that death shall bring.
Charging into the face of death we sing
As it swiftly comes, an advancing wall
Indeed, to die is such a little thing.
Loudly across the plain our voices ring
The red arrow came, we gave Gondor all
For who knows what it is that death shall bring.
The end is nigh and I am the last king
The clash of steel is music in my hall.
Indeed, to die is such a little thing,
For who knows what it is that death shall bring.
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A/N: The poem is based on this passage in RotK:
Then suddenly he beheld his sister Éowyn as she lay, and he knew her. He stood a moment as a man who is pierced in the midst of a cry by an arrow through the heart; and then his face went deathly white, and a cold fury rose in him, so that all speech failed him for a while. A fey mood took him.
Then without taking counsel or waiting for the approach of the men of the City, he spurred headlong back to the front of the great host, and blew a horn, and cried aloud for the onset. Over the field rang his clear voice calling: 'Death! Ride, ride to ruin and the world's ending!'
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
