Beside the fire

The next poem appears on page 278 of the 50th anniversary edition of The Lord of the Rings.

After having decided that the One Ring will go south to the lands of Mordor in order to be destroyed, Frodo spends some more time with his uncle Bilbo in Rivendell.
Bilbo gives to him some presents, including the sword Sting and a splendid dwarf-mail armor made of mithril. He only asks in return for stories and songs in order to be able to finish his book.
After that he looks through the window to a winter landscape while he starts singing this song.
A song that is pure nostalgia and melancholy for the things that one have lived and the ones that will never be able to see.
I think it also points out the solitude of elder people and how excited they get even with the prospect of some footsteps at the other side of a door, meaning that a family or a friend is visiting which gives there such a joy that is difficult to comprehend. Because that sound means company, to be listened to and be able to tell again those little stories that made their lives worth being lived.

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