And yet, even Wormtongue’s words belong to another. As the Fellowship battles their way to the fallen king, the blank rhythmic stride of Wormtongue’s theme gives way to a more telling shape. Rising bolts of brass in Rohan-esque Dorian modes snap to, while each angular phrase is stretched over five beats—an element of Isengard pitted within Rohan. As Gandalf reaches Théoden, we understand: Wormtongue is in league with Isengard, and Saruman has possessed the King. The Five Beat Pattern returns unencumbered as, with a single Quenya word, full chorus reveals that Gandalf the Grey is now Gandalf the White: “Mettanna,” (“To the end.”) The language of the Rohirrim introduced Gandalf to Fangorn Forest, and now the language of the Elves introduces him to the Rohirrim. Chorus continues with “The King,” and Gandalf attempts to rescind Saruman’s influence. Above this, a brass line enunciates the score’s downand-back-up shape twice, first as Isengard’s half-step, then as the Fellowship’s (and Gandalf the White’s) whole-step, in a battle for Théoden’s soul.
TEXTS
THE KING
Text by Philippa Boyens
Old English Translation by David Salo
First Heard: Disc Two | Track Two
Lim-strang wæs geboren | Strong-limbed he was born
Bearn léod-cyninga | The son of kings
Magorinc Mearces. | The warrior of Rohan.
Bunden in byrde | bound by birth
Tó læ ´denne | to lead
Bunden in lufe | bound by love
Tó thegnunge | to serve
Lang beadugear cyythath | long years begin to show
Líc onginneth búgan | the body begins to bend
Swift déadlíc géar | swift mortal years
Stieppath geond willan | outpace the will
Ac éagan gíet lóciath | but eyes still watch
Beorhtre gesihthe; | clear sighted
Heorte gíet béateth. | The heart still beats.
(c) The Annotated Score (The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films)
The Court of Meduseld
Howard Shore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
text by PHILIPPA BOYENS, translation by DAVID SALO
( OLD ENGLISH )
Lim-strang wæs geboren
Bearn léod-cyninga
Magorinc Mearces.
Bunden in byrde
Bunden in lufe
Tó thegnunge
(( Strong-limbed was he born
The son of kings
The warrior of Rohan.
Bound by birth
To lead.
Bound by love
To serve. ))
Lang beadugear cyythath
Líc onginneth búgan
Swift déadlíc géar
Stieppath geond willan
Ac éagan gíet lóciath
Beorhtre gesihthe;
Heorte gíet béateth.
(( Long years begin to show,
The body begins to bend.
Swift mortal years
Outpace the will.
But eyes still watch
Clear sighted;
The heart still beats. ))
The Court of Meduseld is a song by Howard Shore composed for the soundtrack of the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The lyrics to this song were written by Philippa Boyens and translated by David Salo, in Old English. The song describes the personality and life of a strong leader who was born into royalty, with a boundless love for his people. The opening lines of the song, “Strong-limbed was he born, The son of kings, The warrior of Rohan” depict a strong leader who is powerful and influential in his community. The song goes on to describe the passage of time, as the leader ages, and his physical strength and body begin to weaken. Despite this, his clear-sightedness and his passionate heart remains steadfast, as expressed in the lyric “But eyes still watch, clear-sighted; The heart still beats.”
Line by Line Meaning
Strong-limbed was he born
He was blessed with a physically strong body from birth.
The son of kings
He was born into a royal family, destined for greatness.
The warrior of Rohan.
He was a mighty warrior of the kingdom of Rohan, respected by all.
Bound by birth
He was obligated to lead due to his royal bloodline.
To lead.
His destiny was to become a leader, to guide and protect his people.
Bound by love
He had a strong sense of duty and loyalty to those he loved.
To serve.
He believed in serving others and putting their needs before his own.
Long years begin to show,
As he ages, the wear and tear of life start to become apparent.
The body begins to bend.
His body no longer possesses the same strength and resilience it once did.
Swift mortal years
Time seems to be speeding up as he grows older.
Outpace the will.
Despite his best efforts, he is unable to keep up with the demands of life due to his age.
But eyes still watch
Although his body is weakening, his mind remains sharp and observant.
Clear sighted;
He continues to see the world with clarity and purpose, undeterred by his age.
The heart still beats.
Despite growing older, he remains passionate and determined, with a strong will to live.
Contributed by Chloe S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.