The Song of Beren and Luthien

Em G A Em D C D Em 
     Em                    G 
The leaves was long, the grass was green, 
     A              Em       D 
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair, 
    C               D         G 
And in the glade a light was seen 
     C                    D 
Of stars in shadow shimmering. 
   H7         Em 
Tinuviel was dancing there 
    D          C 
To music of a pipe unseen, 
     Em                Hm 
And light of stars was in her hair, 
    D                     Em 
And in her raiment glimmering. 
 
There Beren came from mountains cold, 
And lost he wandered under leaves, 
And where the Elven-river rolled 
He walked alone and sorrowing. 
He peered between the hemlock-leaves 
And saw in wonder flowers of gold 
Upon her mantle and her sleeves, 
And her hair like shadow following. 
 
                C          D     G 
   Enchantment healed his weary feet 
        C                          D 
   That over hills were doomed to roam; 
        G                    D 
   And forth he hastened, strong and fleet, 
         C                    D    Em 
   And grasped at moonbeams glistening. 
                  C       D     G 
   Through woven woods in Elvenhome 
        C                       D 
   She lightly fled on dancing feet, 
        G                        C 
   And left him lonely still to roam 
   D                          Em 
   In the silent forest listening. 
 
He heard there oft the flying sound 
Of feet as light as linden-leaves, 
Or music welling underground, 
In hidden hollows quavering. 
Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves, 
And one by one with sighing sound 
Whispering fell the beechen leaves 
In the wintry woodland wavering. 
 
He sought her ever, wandering far 
Where leaves of years were thickly strewn, 
By light of moon and ray of star 
In frosty heavens shivering. 
Her mantle glinted in the moon, 
As on a hill-top high and far 
She danced, and at her feet was strewn 
A mist of silver quivering. 
 
   When winter passed, she came again 
   And her song released the sudden spring, 
   Like rising lark, and falling rain, 
   And melting water bubbling. 
   He saw the elven-flowers spring 
   About her feet, and healed again 
   He longed by her to dance and sing 
   Upon the grass untroubling. 
 
Again she fled, but swift he came. 
Tinuviel! Tinuviel! 
He called her by her elvish name; 
And there she halted listening. 
One moment stood she, and a spell 
His voice laid on her: Beren came, 
And doom fell on Tinuviel 
That in his arms lay glistening. 
 
   As Beren looked into her eyes 
   Within the shadows of her hair, 
   The trembling starlight of the skies 
   He saw the mirrored shimmering. 
   Tinuviel the elven-fair 
   Immortal maiden elven-wise, 
   About him cast her shadowy hair 
   And arms like silver glimmering. 
 
Long was the way that fate them bore, 
O‘er stony mountains cold and gray, 
Through halls of iron and darkling door, 
And woods of nightshade morrowless. 
The Sundering Seas between them lay, 
And yet at last they met once more, 
And long ago they passed away 
In the forest singing sorrowless.