calligraphy: song for the dúnedan

I always see the second line of this poem floating around Pinterest, and more than one friend of mine has used a variation of it as inspirational quotes. It is actually one of my favourite poems, and has a lovely story behind it (...it's called The Lord of the Rings). So I wrote the full version down.

Parker Vector with medium italic nib, filled with a mix of
Waterman Green and Brown ink, in Botanicals notebook.

My other group of friends, of course, not only knows the story, but many of them also know that this is a poem that Bilbo Baggins wrote for Aragorn. It also seems to echo the promise of the first King who Bilbo knew, Thorin Oakenshield. But Thorin (spoilers for The Hobbit, if you haven't read the book!) was never able to achieve his own destiny. I like to think that Bilbo was thinking about his old friend when he wrote that poem, which adds a shade of tragedy that makes it more meaningful for me.

Additional nerdery: How much do I love that Tolkien created his own rune from his initials? 

book poem

My uncle sent me a lovely little book of book quotes! I should really scan it as it's printed on old-fashioned letter paper and has lots of tiny engraved illustrations, but really I wanted to quickly post this bit I saw on the very first page:

By Charing Cross in London Town
there runs a road of high renown,
where antique books are ranged on shelves
as dark and dusty as themselves.
And many booklovers have spent
their substance there with great content,
and vexed their wives and filled their homes
with faded prints and massive tomes.
--Norman Davey