The Fall of Gil-galad

Gil-galad was an Elven-king.
Of him the harpers sadly sing:
The last whose realm was fair and free
Between the Mountains and the Sea.

His sword was long, his lance was keen,
His shining helm afar was seen;
The countless stars of heaven’s field
Were mirrored in his silver shield.

But long ago he rode away,
And where he dwelleth none can say;
For into darkness fell his star
In Mordor where the shadows are.

As Sauron rose within his ken,
With Elendil the King of men
Gil-galad formed a vow steadfast:
A mighty alliance-the last

Of Elves and Men, a final stand
As darkness swept across the land.
On Dagorland, the Battle Plain
Did Mordor’s forces finally wane.

Into Mordor Gil-galad went
His people followed, their strength spent
And into the Black Lands they came
But not for glory, might or fame.

They came for love of their great lord,
To fight for him, with spear and sword.
They laid siege upon Barad-dur*,
For seven years they did endure.

And then one day Sauron emerged,
And the Elves and Men forward surged.
Elendil fell to Sauron’s might;
His soul fled beyond mortal sight.

And Narsil broke beneath his weight,
For Sauron’s wrath was far too great.
But blocking Sauron’s fiercest blows
Came Gil-galad with sharp Aeglos!

He blocked, he struck, he blocked again
But ‘twas a dark day for Elves and Men,
For Sauron’s arm was much too strong:
Gil-galad fell, with Aeglos long.

But Isildur seized a sword and
He cut the Ring from Sauron’s hand.
Using the shards of great Narsil,
He took the Ring, for his weregild.

But Gil-galad passed into lore:
The son of Fingon* lives no more.
He was the last great Elven-King;
It is of him the harpers sing.

Last King of the immortal Elves,
But Man who conquers, Dwarf who delves
Remember not the fair and free
King who ruled twixt Mountains and Sea.

For long ago he rode away,
He dwells in Mandos, so they say;
For into darkness fell his star
In Mordor where the shadows are.

A/N *The Silmarillion only says “Sauron’s fortress.” I wasn’t sure if this meant Barad-dur or what, so I’m using “Barad-dur” here for rhyming purposes. Please, correct me if I’m wrong!
*Son of Fingon! That’s what is written in The Silmarillion. Or son of Orodreth, if you prefer Tolkien’s later work. “Son of Orodreth” doesn’t work as well in the poem though.
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