J. R. R. Tolkien
Upon The Hearth The Fire Is Red
[Version 1]
Upon the hearth the fire is red
Beneath the roof there is a bed
But not yet weary are our feet
Still round the corner we may meet:
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone
Tree and flower and leaf and grass
Let them pass! Let them pass!
Hill and water under sky
Pass them by! Pass them by!
Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate
And though we pass them by today
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the Moon or to the Sun
Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe
Let them go! Let them go!
Sand and stone and pool and dell
Fare you well! Fare you well!
Home is behind, the world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Then world behind and home ahead
We'll wander back to home and bed
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!
Fire and lamp, and meat and bread
And then to bed! And then to bed!
[Version 2: sung by Frodo on page 1005]
Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun