Title: "That Song…"
Theme: Set #2, Theme #8, "Music"
Genre (s): Fluff
Rating: G
Notes: The song in question was first introduced in my story "All You Have to Do is Ask" (Yet to be posted here, but can be found at Stories of Arda in my "Dreamflower's Mathoms".) The song, "One Hundred Apple Pies..." is my hobbity equivalent of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall", one of the world's most irritating countdown songs, created by children to drive parents and bus drivers mad. It has also featured in a few other stories of mine.)
One hundred apple pies cooling on the sill;
Snatch one down to eat our fill.
Pass it around; no need to fight—
Everybody has a bite!
Ninety-nine apple pies cooling on the sill;
(And so on down to one, or as long as an adult can stand hearing it...)
My great thanks to the talented Ithildin, on the Stories of Arda yahoo!group, who was kind enough to provide me with the Sindarin in this story. My greatest thanks and appreciation to her. Please see the Author's Notes at the end of the story for the information about her translation.
Summary: Pippin teaches Legolas a traditional song of the Shire. Legolas teaches Pippin some Sindarin…
THAT SONG…
Frodo glanced over at the sight of his youngest cousin and Legolas, huddled together beneath a stately mallorn. He had heard a bit of humming and snatches of tunes from time to time, and realized that Legolas was teaching Pippin a song. Or at least that was what he thought was going on, but-wasn't there something familiar about that tune?
Oh no. He moaned and put his palm over his face. Pippin wouldn't.
He heard a giggle from Pippin, a laugh from the Elf, and then a snatch of Sindarin, repeated in Pippin's voice…
"…baith-ivas chim erin lan chen .." Pippin shook his head. "That's not quite right, is it?"
"No it is not- lanc chennath."
Frodo sighed. Sam, who with Merry, had been preparing to cook lunch,
looked over at him. "Is something wrong, Mr. Frodo?"
"What is it, Frodo?" asked Merry.
"Listen-"
Now they could hear Legolas' voice lightly singing…
"Ritho vin dad maded na-den pant." sang the Elf.
Merry and Sam looked puzzled.
"That tune sounds awful familiar-" started Merry.
Now Pippin's high voice:
"Pass it around, no need to fight-"
"Edanno den, ú-moe am maethad – -" The words as the Elf sang them sounded a bit crowded; they didn't quite fit the tune. He sang them again with a slightly different emphasis; it sounded better. He nodded.
"Edanno den, ú-moe-– ," repeated the hobbit, singing lightly.
Merry and Sam looked at each other. Sam shook his head. "He wouldn't."
"He is Sam, and so is Legolas." They both looked at Frodo, who shrugged helplessly.
There was more laughter from the two. The only other occupant of the pavilion at the moment was Gimli, who was napping. He gave a snore, and turned over. Boromir had gone for a walk, to clear his head, he said, and Aragorn had been summoned to speak with Lord Celeborn.
"You don't suppose he's going to teach him all the numbers?" asked Merry in a tone of horrified fascination.
"Oh stars! I hope not!" exclaimed Frodo.
Two voices floated over to them-
-liphen geritha nâg!" Pippin laughed, and then sang: "Ninety-nine apple pies…"
Frodo looked at Sam desperately. "Sam, isn't lunch ready yet?"
"Almost, Mr. Frodo," Sam moved rapidly. The situation over there was getting dire.
The singing was a bit softer, almost inaudible. Then there was another giggle from Pippin. Now two the voices singing together-
Odog nederchaen baith-ivas chim erin lanc chenneth;
Ritho vîn dad maded na-den pant.
Edanno den, ú-moe am maethad –
Ilphen geritha nâg!
More laughter.
"Mr. Pippin! Mr. Legolas!" Sam called. "Lunch is ready! We have those mushrooms the Elves gave us this morning!"
Merry moved to waken Gimli, and the two beneath the tree got up, still laughing and shaking their heads, came to join the others. Soon, hobbit fashion, the conversation was all on the food before them, and Frodo breathed a sigh of relief, thinking perhaps they'd managed to nip the language lesson in the bud.
xxxxx
A day or so later, Legolas was singing softly to himself as he climbed to one of the flets where he was to meet Haldir and his brothers.
" canad tolothchaen baith-ivas chim erin lanc chenneth;
Ritho vîn dad maded na-den pant.
Edanno den, ú-moe am maethad –
Ilphen geritha nâg!
"And what is this strange song?" asked Haldir. "It is not a mode with which I am familiar."
"Ah, this is a song of the hobbits of the Shire, cast into our tongue," laughed Legolas. "It is most amusing..."
xxxxx
Aragorn looked at Pippin in irritation. How long had he been listening to this? And why had Legolas taught him to sing that song in Sindarin?
"toloth tadchaen baith-ivas chim erin lanc chenneth;
Ritho vîn -" a cushion hit the hobbit squarely in the face.
"Oi! What was that in aid of?" he exclaimed indignantly.
"You know very well, Peregrin Took!" said Frodo firmly. "Now pipe down and leave the rest of us in peace."
"Hmph," Pippin snorted. "You like my singing well enough when you are bored. Just because I am trying to expand my knowledge-" another cushion smacked him in the head.
xxxxx
"Namárië" The last notes of the plaintive and haunting song of farewell still floated on the breeze, as Galadriel turned to her Lord, and he led her away, back to the depths of their realm. Yet she found herself humming…
" …ritho ven dad-" She stopped abruptly, and shook her head. She had survived nearly Three Ages of the World without this, and now-"Ai!" she exclaimed, "I shall never get that deplorable bit of nonsense out of my mind!"
Celeborn wisely schooled his face to solemnity. It would be more than his life was worth to laugh at his lady wife at this moment. He had a reputation for wisdom after all.
xxxxx
The Company had not gone many miles down the Anduin, when there came a cry of frustration from the Dwarf, who suddenly buried his head in his arms in a vain effort to block the singing of his companion:
"Min enegchaen Baith-ivas chim erin lanc chenneth;
Ritho vîn dad maded na-den pant.
Edanno den, ú-moe am maethad –
Ilphen geritha nâg!"
In the boat with Aragorn, Frodo and Sam looked at one another and sighed. "I'm glad I'm not in the boat with those two," Sam said laconically.
Frodo gave a heartfelt nod.
Sitting with Boromir, Merry and Pippin looked over to the boat with Elf, still lightly singing, and Pippin sniggered.
Merry looked at his younger cousin and shook his head. "You have no shame at all, do you, Pip?"
At this Pippin laughed even harder. "Not a bit of it cousin, not a bit! Shall I join in the singing as well?"
"NO!" cried Merry and Boromir together.
Pippin just laughed again.
xxxxx
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Following are Ithildin's notes on the translation of the song; I could never have written the story without help!
Ithildin's Translation Notes for "That Song":
Neo-Sindarin Translation notes:
…Apple pies cooling on the sill;
Snatch one down to eat our fill.
Pass it around; no need to fight—
Everybody has a bite!
from suggestions by Elhath)
Neo-Sindarin Translation notes:
…Apple pies cooling on the sill;
Snatch one down to eat our fill.
Pass it around; no need to fight—
Everybody has a bite!
...Baith-ivas chim erin lanc chenneth;
Ritho vîn dad maded na-den pant.
Edanno den, ú-moe am maethad –
Ilphen geritha nâg!
apple pies cooling on the sill;
Baith-ivas chim erin lanc chenneth;
Baked-fruit cool on the edge (of the) window
snatch one down to eat our fill.
Ritho vin dad maded na-den pant.
Snatch one down eating until full
Pass it around; no need to fight—
Edanno den, ú-moe am maethad –
Share it around, no need for fighting
Everybody has a bite!
Ilphen geritha nâg!
Everyone will have a bite
Word-by-word:
apple pies – Baith-ivas
*_baith_ a possible synonym for `a baked thing' (from MBAS-)+ *_ivas_ - a possible way to coin `fruit' (from suggestions by Elhath)
cool - him (adj. cool) (h ch – lenition)
on the – erin (on the)
sill – lanc (sharp edge/sudden end) + henneth (window) (h ch – lenition)
snatch - ritho (to jerk/snatch/twist, imperative)
one – min (m v – lenition)
down – dad (down)
to eat – maded (eating) (gerund is used instead of infinitive in S.)
until – na-den (Neo-Sindarin from Dragonflame)
full – pant (full)
Pass it around – Edanno den
Edanno - (`share') - _ed-_ (pref. `forth/out') + _anno_ (v. imp. `give') (from suggestions by Elhath)
it - ten (it - obj.) (t d – lenition)
no need - ú-moe(not necessary) (from movie dialogue by D. Salo)
for – an (an am – nasal mut.)
fighting— maethad (fighting)
Everybody – ilphen – Neo-Sindarin for "everyone" (from *ilja; OST lyrics) comes from David Salo's book (Gateway 110). (from suggestions by Elhath)
will have – geritha
a bite! – nâg – (3rd. sing. Pres. Verb) or – possibly N.S. noun (
Here are the numbers attempted (as best I could) according to Thorsten Renk's `Pedin Edhellen' Sindarin course format. I have not received any comments so far on these number constructions.
ninety-seven - odog nederchaen
eighty-four - canad tolothchaen
sixty-one - min enegchaen
twenty-eight - toloth tadchaen
My thanks to Elhath at the Elfling Yahoo list for several suggestions and corrections. Any mistakes are mine. ;-)
Ithildin *(