There and Back Again

I'm sure you have realised that the above is taken from Tolkien - "There and Back Again by Bilbo Baggins". Not so much a hobbit's tale as my tale (although, come to think about it - I like to sleep late, eat often, dislike loud and busy places [I live in London??] and would quite happily live in Bag End if only it had a 2Mb broadband connection).

One of the mini-themes of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings is of journeys and paths. Bilbo warns Frodo of the perils of stepping out of your own front door and being swept away by the road (annoyingly I can't find the quote at present).

We too talk of life's journeys, career paths, the route to sucess - the symbolism of journeys heavily colours our everday language.

At points throughout the story, Tolkien uses a basic poem pattern which changes to reflect the protagonist's state of mind and point in the adventure.

Here are a couple of examples with thanks to the great man:

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follow it who can!
Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

The first is looking forward to the journey, the adventure - both Bilbo and Frodo say these words near the start of their journeys. The second speaks of a finished journey and rest at last.

I've always been fascinated by these poems and so I "borrowed" the style for use in the Thank-you wedding scrapbooks that I made for our parents. Clearly written by a less accomplished writer :o)

Our lives go ever on and on
From the day when we first met.
Where our paths merged into one,
Leading to the day we wed.
That day we chose a different road,
In front of you we joined our lives.
We know we’ll never be alone,
For now we journey as man and wife.

Life is a journey or, I guess more accurately, a series of journeys - the main roads of childhood, education, relationships, career; with little side roads of holidays, our first love, illnesses, hobbies & past-times. We are on a one-way road of Time with no U-turns and only one exit ramp. We are also on our own, very personal, inner journey of development, the path of which is surrounded by the sometimes harsh and sometimes breath-taking landscape of emotions and experiences.

So, why There and Back Again?
In the Lord of the Rings, it refers to the quest - stepping out of the door of Bag End and being carried away on the highways and byways of the exhilarating adventure to hopefully make it back one day.

In life, perhaps we should all strive to be like Bilbo and Frodo (not in the discovering a ring of power and fighting the forces of evil sense, I hasten to add) and bravely follow life's journey to see what's out there ... maybe proving that little people can make a difference in this world too.

Happy Journeys.