Durin's Halls: Examining Four Lines of Tolkien
A Quick Metrical Examination of a Poem by J.R.R. Tolkien
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dum.Taken from J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring: A Journey in the Dark; here is an example of iambic tetrameter (aabb4) with pretty solid iambs. There seems to be
This form echoes Andrew Marvel's To His Coy Mistress but bears none of the sentimental delivery or spondaic substitution. At first, it would seem like Tolkien's use of four feet of iambs has no real purpose; it doesn't evoke the rhythmic quality of epic poetry, nor does it exhibit any clear variation in the meter as a means to creating emotional complex. It does however, in its uniformity show that Tolkien had a strong grasp on the multiple languages of his creation, two of which are featured in this segment.
Related information
Tolkien writes this entire 46 line poem in nearly perfect iambic tetrameter.
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