Summons of
the Rohirrim
|
Abídað cuman uncúðe! Hwæt sindon gé, láðe oððe léofe, þe þus seldlice gewerede rídan cwómon tó þisse burge gatum? Nó hér inn gán móton ne wǽdla ne wæpned mon, nefne wé his naman witen. Nú gé feorran-cumene gecýðað ús on ofste: hú hátton gé? hwæt sindon éower ǽrende tó Þéoden úrum hláforde? |
Stay, strangers unknown! Who are ye, friends or foes, that have come thus strangely clad riding to the gates of this town? None may here enter in, neither beggarman nor warrior, if we know not his name. Now, ye comers from afar, declare to us in haste: what are ye called? What is your errand to Théoden our lord?' |
In the drafts for The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien put this warning in Old English in the mouth of the wardens of Meduseld when they see Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn coming. It was not included in the final text.
The text is found in The Treason of Isengard, p. 442-443, with a translation Christopher Tolkien in note at p. 449. We edited the spelling by adding acute accents on long vowels and substituting þ and ð to th.
Quotations of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, Édouard Kloczko, Christopher Gilson, Patrick Wynne, Rhona Beare, Thomas Alan Shippey, Charles Kennedy, Elaine Treharne, André Crépin, Régis Boyer, François-Xavier Dillmann, Gabriel Rebourcet, Keith Bosley, Pierre-Yves Lambert, Gwyn Jones, Thomas Jones are under the copyright of their publishers.
Last update of the site : 2006, August 9th.
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