Glorfindel's Dream by Esteliel

Chapter 1

When first I crossed the icy sea, still young,
watched our people lost to icy death,
did I then rue the oath that was our fate?
It was not I who took the oath that doomed.
I rued death, sorrow; yet with fierce desire
- although we lost, we died - we too prevailed.

Our kings we lost, and yet their deeds prevailed,
and through defeat we learned, both old and young
to live and love and fight, to feel desire,
to grasp at life, to fearlessly greet death.
And though they said that all we wrought was doomed
right from the start, great also was our fate.

Should we have blindly given in to fate?
With loss and sorrow, laughter too prevailed,
and love and valor, though 'twas often doomed.
In Gondolin, our city proud and young
we feared not Morgoth, nor did we fear death.
Defiance there was sweeter than desire.

Ah! But you have heard of me and my desire.
Yet I cared not for rumors, not with our fate.
Why cage my heart when I awaited death?
Against all darkness, thoughts of golden hair prevailed,
of Felagund, and what I learned when young.
This thing I knew: not all I did was doomed.

One thing I yearned for, one hope doomed
forever. No curse but love thwarted desire,
the need to teach someone yet young.
Strong sons, fine daughters: such was not my fate,
though love and lust alleviated, it prevailed
so that I thought I'd bear this grief til death.

I never felt remorse until my death,
when, given form anew, I then was doomed
by my own acts. Not love but hate prevailed
in this new life. And still, I met desire,
oh, far too lovely to resist, like fate
itself had sent a prince to me, still young.

Like death I came to him, my hopes I doomed,
yet love prevailed. A child! My long desire:
at last the fate I once dreamed of when young.

Chapter End Notes

"Strong sons, fine daughters" is a quote from Spiced_Wine's story "A Light in the East", and used here as a homage to her ability to write Glorfindel absolutely perfectly the way I imagine him. :)