The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien

[Voronwë the Faithful]

A massive collection of Tolkien's poems, some of which have never been published before, is being edited by Christina Scull and Wayne Hammond and published in September.

The Collected Poems of J. R. R. Tolkien Hardcover – 12 Sept. 2024

[N.E. Brigand]

Scull and Hammond included what seemed to be a complete list of just the titles of Tolkien's poems in their 2007 Companion & Guide, but a few years later it became clear that was not so when Sigurd & Gudrun included at least one poem that wasn't in that list.

I believe another well-known Tolkien scholar had long wanted to do this but could never get any serious interest from the Estate or publisher. I've certainly been wishing for this for a long time. Not just for the unpublished items but for the hard-to-find ones too. Over on TORN, before I started posting there in late 2003, NZ Strider ran an occasional series, working from various university libraries, on Tolkien's more obscure poems, giving text and commentary. As forum posts go, these were absolute gems.

Will this be a complete collection? Will we finally see all the Bimble Bay and Fisiologus poems? Will it include the unfinished verse translation of Beowulf?

What about the full version of Doworst? Or is that still lost? I first heard of that when Doug Anderson read a portion at Kalamazoo in 2005.

(I'm not saying you have the answers to any of the questions, V!)

[N.E. Brigand]

OK, I see that Hammond and Scull have a lot to say about the collection at their blog.

A number of factors, namely economies of production, ruled out a Complete Poems by Tolkien. Nevertheless, the Collected Poems will include most of the verses Tolkien is known to have written, and for most of these, multiple versions which show their evolution. There are at least 240 discrete poems, depending on how one distinguishes titles and versions, presented in 195 entries and five appendices. When possible, we have used manuscripts and typescripts in the Bodleian Library, at Marquette University, and at the University of Leeds. We have chosen not to include all of the one hundred or so poems contained in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but have made a representative selection – surely, no one who reads the Collected Poems will not already have at least one copy of Tolkien’s two most popular works. His longer poems, as we have said, will be presented as excerpts. The book will also include a long introduction to Tolkien as a poet, a brief chronology of his poetry, and a glossary of archaic, unusual, or unfamiliar words he used in his verse.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

There will be a U.S. edition.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTolk ... 3600296068

[Voronwë the Faithful]

An update from Christina and Wayne, though they don't really provide much new information.

Tolkien’s Collected Poems Update

[N.E. Brigand]

One of next year's Tolkien at Kalamazoo sessions here at the International Congress on Medieval Studies is likely to be devoted to Tolkien's poetry.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

More info, including a link to the table of contents.

Beyond Bilbo

[N.E. Brigand]

As far as I can see from the table of contents, the collection is missing "Monoceros" (the unicorn) and "Reginhardus" (the fox), two bestiary poems reportedly in the spirit of "Iumbo" (the oliphaunt) and "Fastitocalon" (the turtle) -- the latter two reworked for The Lord of the Rings and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil -- that I've long hoped to see.

On the other hand, to judge from the number of pages, it appears that Scull and Hammond have located the complete text of "Doworst," which has long been known only from a one-page excerpt published decades ago in an Australian journal.

[dormouse]

Yes! GBS and Companions of the Rose are there - those are two I was hoping for. I've known some of Geoffrey Smith's poems for years from a 1918 anthology. There was always something different about them - a timeless quality. When I finally connected him with Tolkien's friend it made sense. Ten years ago I was involved in a BBC documentary, War of Words: Soldier Poets of the Somme, it was the first time I'd ever known Tolkien to be included among the writers whose work was influenced by the battle, but John Garth, who did the Tolkien section, focused on the mythology.

In any case, I've been waiting for someone to do a book on Tolkien's poems for years, so I can't wait to see this.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Wonderful to see you here, dormouse!

[dormouse]

Thanks, Voronwë, it's good to be back!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Here's a review by John Garth.

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/literature/po ... BSizb5bNSg

[dormouse]

Pity - I can't read the whole review, but it began well - and better still, I have the books (pre-ordered, thanks to an unspent Amazon token from my brother). No time yet to read any but the two I knew I was looking for. I really appreciate the way they've presented the poems as a developing sequence of versions, so you see the thing taking shape in his mind. 'GBS' is extraordinary, I think, and so very Tolkien (with echoes of GBS, as they point out).

[Voronwë the Faithful]

So glad that you were able to get a copy, dormouse!