Tolkien’s poem is as follows:
All that is gold does not glitter
Not all who wander are lost
The old root that is strong does not wither
Deep roots are not reached by the frost
From the ashes a fire shall be woken
A light from the shadows shall spring
Renewed shall be the blade that was broken
The crownless again shall be king.
This poem is a powerful example of Tolkien’s mythopoeia. Throughout many of his fictional stories, he creates other worlds which are unrealistic, but in some ways paint a better picture of reality than reality can do for itself. Sometimes we need these symbols in order to communicate and understand. This poem alludes to the second coming of Christ. With excitement, Tolkien tells of a fire coming from the ashes, phoenix like, and a light will come that the world has been waiting for. Then new life will be introduced. This is a concept that Tolkien explores through much of his poetry and stories, and his employment of mythopoeia helps us to understand not only what the underlying meaning is, but how to interpret the underlying meaning.
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