A Measure of Tears by Himring  

| | |

Fanwork Notes

For the Gates of Summer challenge prompt "Nirnaeth Arnoediad".

I happened to listen to a session of the BBC's  radio programme Poetry Extra that combined a reading of Lorca's Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías with a discussion of the background of Tennyson's The Charge of the Light Brigade.

Warnings: As per canon, allusions to violence and multiple character death.

Fanwork Information

Summary:

About the Battle of Unnumbered Tears.

Major Characters: Idril, Azaghâl, Dwarves

Major Relationships:

Genre: Fixed-Length Ficlet, Poetry

Challenges: Gates of Summer

Rating: Teens

Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings
Chapters: 4 Word Count: 412
Posted on Updated on

This fanwork is complete.

One

Fingon's Death and the last stand of the Men of Dor-lomin

Read One

It was on the sixth day, the sixth

That the High King was surrounded on the Plain;

It was on the sixth day, the sixth

That the Balrog’s whip struck—

Spare me, how I do not want to see it!

 

It was on the sixth day, the sixth

That his cloven helm flamed;

It was on the sixth day, the sixth

That they trod the banner in the mire—

how I do not want to see it!

 

It was on the sixth day, the sixth

That the brothers held the Rivil;

It was on the sixth day, the sixth

That Dor-lomin lay dead by the Rivil—

Spare me, how I do not want to see it,

how I do not want to see it!

 

And the Sun went down on the sixth day.

Leave a Comment

Two

The Dwarves of Belegost stand against the dragons

Read Two

Forward on the Plain of Death strode the Dwarves of Belegost. Undismayed, although well they knew how their allies had blundered, they charged into the closing jaws of Angband. Orcs to the right, dragons to the left, the storm of battle all about—Azaghal raised his axe against towering Glaurung.

There he fell. Yet, the foes’ onslaught for a brief while was diminished. Back over the Plain of Death retreated the Dwarves, those that were left, singing a slow dirge, and even amid the losses of that day, their allies wondered. Let not, then, the honour of Belegost be forgotten or the memory fade.

Chapter End Notes

This is the part inspired by "The Charge of the Light Brigade".

Leave a Comment

Three

The Aftermath: Idril in Gondolin

Read Three

In the night, Idril walks along the street, bare feet on wet flagstones. A light drizzle is moistening her dress. Inside the houses, all over Gondolin, haunted soldiers have finally fallen asleep, those who are not in too much pain.

Idril is exhausted, too, from a long day of arranging care for those unable to do it for themselves. But she was not out there, did not see it for herself, that battle.

Now she cannot sleep, thinking of Hurin and Huor, those young boys—so eager to leave and do their part. What that part turned out to be!

Chapter End Notes

This section was written earlier for the June Insta-drabbling session on the SWG Discord.

The prompts were: 

why am I walking barefoot upon this road with no one around (Vienna Teng, "Momentum");

There is a music in the midst of desolation / And a glory that shines upon our tears ("For the Fallen", by Laurence Binyon).

100 words in MS Word.

Leave a Comment

Four

Aftermath (Summer)

Read Four

It was still summer

When they piled the corpses on the Plain.

It was still summer

When the walking wounded tossed and turned in Gondolin.

It was still summer

When southern Beleriand braced for the blow.

 

It was still summer when far away

A child roamed green fields in Lebennin

Among the tall grass, without care,

Picking mallos and alfirin,

Not knowing the world had just grown darker—

And how might she guess?

Chapter End Notes

You will probably recognize that the last part is inspired by "Silver flow the streams from Celos to Erui" from ROTK (Lord of the Rings, The Last Debate)

Leave a Comment