Laer Gil-galad

Gil-galad aran eðil iaur,
O he i maeryn linnar naer,
E garant arðon vedui daur.
Mîn eryn chithui að in aer.

I aith dîn maeg, i vegil taen,
I thôl dîn meleg ihil faen.
En-elin ben-nod galad-glîn
Sui aglar thann gelebren dîn.

Ennorthast io lû and i chîr,
A gorbedui mas dortha sír.
Na ðúath danhast êl e-glaur,
Vi Mordor ias i morchaint maur.

Literal translation:

Gil-galad [was] an Elven king of old,
Of him the artists sadly sing,
He ruled the last mighty realm
Between the misty mountains and the seas.

His spear [was] long, his sword [was] sharp,
His mighty helm shone with white light.
The glinting radiance of countless stars
[Were] like the brilliance of his silver shield.

A long time ago the lord rode away
And it is hard to say where he dwells today.
Into darkness fell the star of glory,
In Mordor where the glooming shadows are.

Commentary:

This is a free translation of the beginning of the lay about Gil-galad. The original text can be found in LotR I, ch.11. All changes of the original were made to preserve the metre and rhyme scheme. G-alliterations occur in the line 7 (also alliterating with the name Gil-galad); m-alliterations in lines 5-6 and in the very last line.

The conjunction /a < ADA 'beside, alongside of' (PE17:145) is assumed here as well as mp, nt, nc > long voiceless mh, nh, ŋh.

Glossary:

mîn 'between' (VT47:11), cf. Minhiriath 'between the rivers'; im is avoided because of the homophone reflexive element (VT47:14)
*ennorthast (pa.t.) < *ed-northa- 'to ride forth'
*mas 'where' (interr.) < *ma-ssē
*ias 'where' (rel.) < CE *ja-ssē (Q. yassë)