A birthday, to a hobbit, as everybody knows,
Elicits gifts to everyone -- family, friends, and foes.
So, on a time, to celebrate, a wondrous birthday bash
Was held for Bilbo Baggins, though many thought it rash.
Hobbits came from miles around, and food and drink flowed freely.
While the party field was filled, the guests were also -- really.
The fireworks Gandalf'd devised were beautiful and strange;
but no one knew that all of this was heralding a change.
For at a hundred and eleven, Bilbo yearned to travel on.
And on the road, with dwarves to be when nighttime turned to dawn.
Carefully he chose these guests, one hundred forty-four at least,
All came and brought their families to partake of the feast.
Frodo was now thirty-three, their ages equalling one gross --
Of this he made them all aware, and then proposed a toast.
"I really don't know half of you half as well as I should like;
and I really like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
I'm set to leave with dwarves and take a jolly hike --
some of you can follow after, if you can get up the nerve.
He told them Frodo now had come of age, and everything was his --
Bag End and all accoutrements, and all this viz a viz
His imminent departure, and with that he disappeared.
A blinding flash accompanied the fact, and it was solely geared
To give the crowd a reason why he'd vanished and was gone.
But the indignation of the guests went on till nearly dawn.
The Sackville-Bagginses arose, departing in a huff.
Yet, since the wine remained, and there was food enough --
Consensus being "Bilbo's mad, the fool left in a huff",
So why not party till the morn and have a jolly time?
Why let the vittles go to waste? Especially the wine.
Bilbo nevermore was seen in Hobbiton again,
While Frodo appeared resigned to life without his friend.
So go our uneventful lives, while we play act and pretend,
That everything will be okay -- till we're surprised again.
Author notes
This is the real beginning of the Lord Of The Rings, as everything that comes next is in some way connected to this party.
“I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” Bilbo Baggins – Fellowship of The Ring – JRR Tolkien
Written April 24th, 2005
A contest entry
- Movie Inspiration by Frodofan.
425 points, ended June 13, 10 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 20 of 20
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Most enjoyable entry yet.
I like the ending and the way you related it to our own reality.
Not sure if you spelt Sackvilles Bagginses right?
I suppose some of the rhymes were stretched (shall I say... like butter scraped over too much bread?) but overall it worked well.
And... though he was truly a hundred and eleven... why not say it in hobbit fashion, eleventy-one?
Thanks for entering. Enjoyable. -
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Thanks ...
you're right. I left out a "k" in "Sackville-Bagginses". Sorry.
As for the number, I'm rather ill just now and don't really feel up to rewriting anything. I might look at it later.
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wow, this is much better then the one i wrote, i congradulate you for a fantastic write.
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I like this piece, has a lighthearted air, homely yet gets to the core of what it is saying to the reader very easily.
Having read the comments below, I cannot let the opportunity go to let Master Geek and my Tolkien encyclopedia brain take over. In the movie version of Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo did indeed travel on the road alone.
In the book, however, if memory serves me correctly (and if I am mistaken, you will have to forgive, I do not have my books or reference books close to hand, and I haven't re-read LoTR yet again this year), Bilbo does indeed travel the road on leaving Hobbiton in the company of two dwarves, who are waiting for him after the party. Also, if memory serves correctly, I have a suspicion that one of them is Balin.
Also, again, memory may be a bit off here, but he also does not go straight to Rivendell, but travels with his companions to Laketown then on to Dale and Erebor, though, like I said, I haven't checked, this is from memory, so don't quote me on that lol.
However, as usual, I digress.
Good write.
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You are correct ...
in the book, Bilbo left with 2 dwarves, and I think Balin was one of them. However, as far as I know, the book doesn't say what happens after that. It continues on with Gandalf waiting for Frodo, and Frodo finding the ring, and so on, but nothing more is said about Bilbo's travels that I remember.
Having read the books yearly for about 36 years now, I still can not be sure of every detail, but that's how my memory seems to depict things. -
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Very true, but from memory I'm sure he mentions to Frodo in the passing he travelled to Dale and then on to Erebor before returning to Rivendell...his last journey so to speak, but he never makes a big thing about it, he just sort of slips it in there whilst talking to Frodo.
Saying that, as I haven't read it since last year, it may well be that this isn't mentioned in the main text, but in the Appendixes, though I think it might be in chapter where they are all in the hall listening to tales.
As you say though, there are far too many details in the books to remember all of them without grabbing a copy to check lol.
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Very sweet weite about the wonderful Bilbo! It flows well and it is just so...awww...thank you for submitting this poem in my contest and the best of luck!
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A worthy lay of the hafling ways. You nailed the spirit of the whole gathering of course. I like what you did with the end, which is surely how events would have turned out. Why waste fine wine and food indeed?
Why not wait till the morning next,
to worry over Bilbo, and our head that's vexed.
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Bravo! Standing in Applause
Indeed a very insightful and prophetic write. Excellent work. Of course the merriment was displayed with all the trimmings of a true Baggins, yet beneath the words and party fluff remain that element of what will come next. You have said so MUCH with inderect references, and have pointed out such procrastination of a people who do not move, until they must. I could go on for hours, but you know where you went with this. A pleasure to read. Just Excellent. ~Pam
Edited on May 07, 9:07 because 'That dreaded typo -
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You hope it's okay!? ARE YOU MAD? This is brilliant! I myself can't stand Lord of the Rings but I enjoyed this. Could you be any better a poet? I ask myself and the only sterling answer I receive is, "No." *sighs* I wish I could be in your presence...does osmosis work? Huh...
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I'm a huge fan of Lord Of The Rings and you did it justice in this piece ..wonderful from start to finish...flawless flow and rhyme - i love it when a poem makes sense and you don't have to scratch your head and ask...what was that all about
A pleasure to read..thanks! -
ahhh yes.... It take a genuine RhymeMaster, to construct a work like this!
and for me, not to comment so .... would be totally remiss. -
What impresses me about this poem is how reminiscent of the book your language is. It takes great form, but I am wondering if a line is missing in this post. The line, 'Carefully he chose his guests, one hundred forty-four at least' seems to be alone where a couplet should be. Am I not reading this right? I thought the last two lines were an interesting summation, not really a moral, but a resigned observation that fits very well.
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Actually, Bilbo was Frodo's Uncle, as I knew very well. He was also his friend. I don't think the two are at all incompatible. I have cousins who are friends and I have cousins who are just acquaintances, and so on.
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Very nice imagery, but the facts are not all quite right. Bilbo did not go off with the dwarfs after his "hundred and eleventy" birthday, he just went to Imladris to see the Elves. And he was not Frodo's friend, he was his uncle. And you have your couplets rhyming oddly. Not in complete sentences, but rather the end of one sentence rhyming with the middle of the next; very disconcerting. I still like it. Thank you for sharing.
Edited on Apr 30, 8:11 because ''. -
I only read the frst 5 lines but I already love it-i'll read it tomorrow (right now I'm about to die from lack of sleep)
You did lotr justice with this one -
very beautiful wright very well written you did a excellent job on how you put your words they flow toghter perfectly well done.
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I didn't read that this was for a contest before starting on your verses. Not that it would have changed my view on this piece, but the verses were so colorful and well constructed, that I imagined you were just being you.
As far as meeting a contest for Hobbits, I don't see how anyone could possibly come close to matching the character of this piece and its detail. There's a certain kind of fondness for the Lord of the Rings characters and that gives an even greater likeability to this write.
Yes, definitely an enjoyable poem. You've left me wondering how in the hell you kept the flow in this... quite the feat you've done in that also.
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Well alright! Better than alright. This is good. I can get a visual of this from your write. And I'm enjoying the picture you paint.~~~Suseann
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YIPPEE!! I love the Lord of the Rings tales...and I miss the excitement of seeing them for the first time! I really, really enjoyed this!
Kelly
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