A Sense of History: Straight Road
The next in a series of articles about ships passing to and from the West, Simon uses "The Fall of Númenor" to attempt to arrive at Tolkien's reading of the exordium to "Beowulf."
The road mentioned in Boromir's Lament, sung above the Falls of Rauros, must be the same one on which the citizens of Minas Tirith (together with Pippin and Bergil) watch the Captains of the Outlands arrive before the siege of the City later on...
Beyond the gate the seaward road runs south. I stood there before sundown, looking out. In the hour of Gondor's need, from Lossarnach came Forlong with his heavy spear, from Morthond, Duinhir with his bow. From Pinnath Gelin came Hirluin, clad in green. From Ringlo came Dervorin, striding on foot, from Dol Amroth, Imrahil and his knights under the banner of the Ship and the Silver Swan. One after the other, they came up the South Road to the aid of the White Tower when Lord Denethor called--but you came not with the wailing gulls from the grey sea's mouth.
The italicized sentences are quoted from the Lament.
The speaker is intended to be a citizen of Minas Tirith, not Pippin.
According to the word count tool I used, this is a true drabble (100 words). "Mouth" was the last prompt of the (Not a) River Challenge at Tolkien Weekly on LiveJournal.