We Are More Than We Appear

I cannot say that I have ever read a piece of poetry that truly changed me in one distinct moment. I do have a deep love for literature, however, most of that is made up by a conglomerate of stories that i have read or were read to me by my mother. My deepest affection for literature lies with the fantastical, the wonderfully unreal; the things so different and so amazing, that they become completely foreign to this life, like visiting another world. It should come as no surprise, then, that the most personally moving work of poetry that I have ever read wasn’t written by Robert Frost or William Shakespeare, but by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Tolkien describes Aragorn, the heir to the kingdom of Gondor, with a special poem that really has two names: The Riddle of Strider or All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter. This poem is presented to the protagonist, Frodo Baggins, by the wizard Gandalf, in order for Frodo to be able to recognize who the true Aragorn was. The themes that the poem presents are themes that I feel are universal to all people, and that is why it touched me more deeply than most. The first line:

All that is gold does not glitter, 

is obviously a twist on the phrase “not all that glitters is gold,” and yet I do not find it to be cliche, rather original, because it sets the tone for the entire poem. It also introduces us to Aragorn, who is heir to the mightiest kingdom in middle earth, yet dressed as nothing more than a vagabond. The second line:

Not all those who wander are lost.

Touches me even more deeply than the first. It makes reference to Aragorn’s personal struggles with his identity and his origin. What is powerful about it, however, is not that he is wandering, but the idea that just because he wanders does not mean that he is lost. The story of Aragorn is in great part his coming to terms with who he is and accepting his role as king, returning from the wanderings of his youth, in this case being both physical travel and wandering from his destiny. The last two lines of the first stanza:

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not touched by the frost.

These lines also deal with the question of identity and origin, but in a different way, in this case referring to his lineage, with the reference to “roots” and “the old that is strong”, because Aragorn comes from a line of kings, the strongest possible bloodline that a person can have in terms of earthly powers.

Taken as a whole, I find this first stanza so appealing because of how well I have always felt like it applies to me and others concerning our identities. When viewed from my religious perspective, this poem resonates with truth. Many of us here on this earth are not glittery, sparkly, or flashy. We may not appear to be worth much at face value. But, as the poem says, “all that is gold does not glitter”, and likewise, our personal worth is made up of much more than what others can see on the outside, and we are all gold, though we may not look it at first, just like Aragorn. It also applies to us because, though man of us may wander down different paths than what our heavenly destinies require, that does not mean that we are lost forever, and that theme of redemption is echoed in the second stanza of the poem. The last lines of the poem strike me so powerfully because they too instill a truth: hardships and challenges will not defeat us. This is also a testament to our origin because if we consider that we are all children of God, then rely on someone who is both old and strong past the point of withering, and by our very natures we have the deepest roots that there ever were: relation to deity. That relation cannot be changed, no matter how many trials or “frost”, piles up above us. I love this first stanza of the poem for that reason: it echoes so much truth to me and that makes me find it very beautiful.

The second stanza is just as powerful to me as the first, but it is ruined a tad because every time I read it I do so with Arwen’s voice in my head, reciting it from the third movie. I still find it plenty powerful, however. the first two lines are like this:

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring:

Here comes that beautiful theme of redemption again, the first line evoking the imagery of a phoenix, both lines indicating life and goodness from things that are dead and wasted. The third and fourth lines of the final stanza drive this point home even harder:

Renewed shall be blade that was broken, 

The crownless again shall be king. 

The blade discussed here is the blade of Aragorn's forefather Isildur, the last king of Gondor and a fallen man on account for failing to destroy the ring. Much of Aragorn's struggle is to become the man that Isildur never was, in being able to resist the temptations of the ring. This gives added context to the first two lines of this stanza, indicating that even though part of his heritage may be that weakness that Isildur had, he will have to overcome it.

Once again I find this stanza perfect in it's echoes of truth. We all have demons in our pasts, be they our earthly heritage or situations, or our own misdeeds and failures. What is so amazing about this poem is the hopeful way in which it confronts these issues, as if it is our destiny to triumph, to rise above those things that hold us back. I think this is most perfectly embodied by the last two lines of the final stanza: the sword that represents Aragorn's kingship will be fixed, and though he has no crown, that wont stop him from inheriting his rightful place as heir. Much the same way, in a gospel sense, we are promised that is we do things right our broken things will be restored and even though we don't have crowns, we'll still inherit all we were ever meant to. That's what I find so beautiful about this poem. 

Aragon's appearance isn't much, but he sure is worth a lot more than what he looks like.