“The Adventures of Tom Bombadil” by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

“The Adventures of Tom Bombadil” is a book of poems of Middle Earth, of which only the first two relate to Tom Bombadil – the enigmatic creature looking like a man but having powers no man possesses.

There are sixteen poems altogether – some of them can be found in “The Lord of the Rings” also and one of them is Sam Gamgee’s improvisation (I remember clearly how he recited it near the trolls’ cave).

Most of these poems are in fact short fairy tales – folk fairy tale rhymes of Middle Earth. Some of them are merry – others are a bit sad, like “The Sea-Bell” or “The Last Ship”, but all of them charming. My personal favourite is “Perry-the-Winkle” – a funny tale about an unusual friendship between a troll and a hobbit.

Tolkien’s poems are simple, but musical; his rhyme sings. He makes them all alive – the Princess Mee, the Lonely Troll who could cook better than any hobbit, the huge Oliphaunt, the old king sitting on his throne – and these bits of lore make his imaginary world – Middle Earth – still more real. I can almost hear a guitar playing at the background as I read these short pieces over and over again. I can visualise Frodo – alone in the Undying Lands – singing them and crying secretly for the homeland he left behind.

Some of those poems are simple enough to read to kids; others won’t be easy for kids to understand, but will make a grown-up heart cry with sadness and joy at once. Tolkien was – apart from everything else – an extraordinary poet.