Song of Durin
Clamavi De Profundis Lyrics
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No stain yet on the moon was seen,
No words were laid on stream or stone
When Durin woke and walked alone.
He named the nameless hills and dells;
He drank from yet untasted wells;
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
And saw a crown of stars appear,
Above the shadows of his head.
The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The shadow lies upon his tomb
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm.
But still the sunken stars appear
In dark and windless Mirrormere;
There lies his crown in water deep,
Till Durin wakes again from sleep.
"Song of Durin" by Clamavi De Profundis is an epic song that describes the progression of time and the inevitable decline of civilizations of Middle Earth. The song starts by describing the world when it was still young and the mountains were green. Durin, who was the first king of dwarves, walked alone in this world and named the previously nameless hills and dells. He drank from the untasted wells and looked into Mirrormere, where he saw a crown of stars appear above the shadows of his head, signaling his destiny as a great king.
However, as time passed, the world turned grey and the mountains became old. The forges of dwarves became ashen-cold, and no music or craftsmen could be seen in Durin's halls. The shadow of evil fell upon the kingdom of the dwarves, and Durin's tomb in Moria was covered in darkness. But even in this darkness, the crown of Durin kept shining in the deep waters of Mirrormere, waiting for the day when Durin would wake again from his sleep.
Line by Line Meaning
The world was young, the mountains green,
In the beginning of time, when nature was new and untainted, and the mountains were lush with greenery.
No stain yet on the moon was seen,
The moon was still pristine, without any scars or blemishes that might have come with time.
No words were laid on stream or stone
There were no words or inscriptions yet written or engraved on the water of the streams or the surface of the rocks.
When Durin woke and walked alone.
It was at this point that Durin, being the first of the dwarves, awoke and began his solitary journey.
He named the nameless hills and dells;
Durin embraced his role as a creator and gave a name to every new hill and valley that he came across.
He drank from yet untasted wells;
Drink from the wells that had never been sipped from before, unspoiled and pure.
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
He knelt and peered into the tranquil waters of Mirrormere, a pool of perfect reflection and clarity.
And saw a crown of stars appear,
The reflection of the stars above, shining like a crown, appeared in the water's surface.
As gems upon a silver thread,
The stars reflected in Mirrormere were like gemstones strung on a silver thread, a breathtaking sight.
Above the shadows of his head.
Durin was watching this beautiful scene coming to life, cast in the shadows of his head.
The world is grey, the mountains old,
The world has aged, with the mountains no longer green but now grey and old.
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
The forges that once blazed with heat and light, now are nothing but ashes and left to go cold.
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls
There is no music or sound of work to be heard anymore, the silence is deafening.
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;
The darkness has taken over the once great place of Durin, Moria is now enveloped in darkness.
The shadow lies upon his tomb
Durin's tomb is shrouded in shadows, creating a somber atmosphere.
In Moria, in Khazad-dûm.
All this is happening in Moria, the ancient home of the dwarves, known as Khazad-dûm in dwarf language.
But still the sunken stars appear
Despite everything that has changed, the stars that once formed Durin's crown still reflect in Mirrormere's calm water.
In dark and windless Mirrormere;
Mirrormere remains dark, exempt from the effects of wind and time.
There lies his crown in water deep,
The reflection of the stars can still be seen in the deep water, like Durin's crown laying eternally.
Till Durin wakes again from sleep.
The dwarves believe that one day, Durin will wake again, and the halls of Moria shall be restored to their former glory.
Contributed by Bentley V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Thor.Jorgensen
@Thydohr Irontankard I may very well be wrong, but Durin's Folk did not end with Thorin II at Erebor, or even in Khazad-dûm with the death of Balin and Óin.
For Thorin Stonehelm, son of Dáin Ironfoot would live on as king of Erebor, and together with Gimli, would go on to live beyond what Tolkien had written in the Fourth Age.
And while they may not have succeeded in retaking Khazad-dûm, Erebor and the dwarves of Durin's Folk continued to thrive well into the Fourth Age.
And succeeding Thorin Stonehelm was his son Durin, known Durin as the Last (As he was the last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless) and he would succeed in leading Durin's folk back to Khazad-dûm, to rule over both Erebor and Khazad-dûm, restoring the kingdom of Durin's folk, where he would rule "till the world grew old"
The Dwarves, including Durin's Folk, prospered during the Fourth Age, at the time where the elves faded from Middle Earth. And they would live on for many more ages until they eventually too faded from Middle Earth, perhaps in the 6th age.
But the fading of dwarves is perhaps meant more that the dwarves hid in the mountains, while the dominion of man reigned.
"These were the fading years of the Eldar. [...] they attempted nothing new, living in memory of the past. The Dwarves hid themselves in deep places, guarding their hoards."
― The Tale of Years: The Third Age
@ApocGenesis
I looked upon a winding road
Made not with mortar, brick or stone
But wrought instead in wire wound
Beset in waves of lightning bound
A road that winds forever more
Stoneless walls and woodless doors
Lead to lands of empty plains
Yet as I stumbled on my way
I heard an ancient song did play
The voice of long-past days gone by
Aroused a tear to long dead eye
For Durin's folk do sing once more
Heart-grown seeds from ancient store
A tale that long did fallow lie
But cannot ever truly die
@ClamaviDeProfundis
One of our fans started this petition!
What if Clamavi de Profundis Did the Music for Amazon's Lord of the Rings Series?
https://www.change.org/p/amazon-have-clamavi-de-profundis-compose-for-amazon-s-lord-of-the-rings-original-series
@bobafett4617
Would be very awesome!
@HotelHero
Signed!
@isco738
This would be Amazing!
@rgikki
OHHH FLUF YES
@blijham1834
Signed as soon as i saw this!
Really hope this happens
@ELPSYCONGROO_JP
Nostalgia for a place that doesn't exist, in a time that never was...
@sinuswutz8595
Embraced by ghosts...
@muselessmusician
And kept alive only in the strong hearts of those who wish it were otherwise.
@anumai1
Maybe... someday...somewhere...