Another Wedding Song by Celeritas

[labourslamp.livejournal.com]

Author: Celeritas
Title: Another Wedding Song
Rating: PG
Theme: Poetry
Elements: sky
Author's Notes: Written while I was hashing out how hobbit weddings would look in my take on the Shire.
Summary: A hobbit wedding song
Word Count: 44

The sun has crept into her bed,
And stars are kissing sky,
So why are you two dawdling
In bidding us good-bye?

To bed! To bed! Begone, we say,
We hope that you agree!
And don’t come back until you’re fit
For civil company!

Author's Notes: This song is part of a uniquely hobbity tradition described by Meriadoc in his "Notes on Weddings." Apparently the tradition had evolved thus: as families grew larger and gained in importance, the bride and groom were often forced (especially during the late autumn and winter) to stay at the reception past sundown in accepting the well-wishes of their guests. Eventually someone noticed and composed an annoying ditty along the lines of the one above, and it then became acceptable for the newlyweds to slip off shortly after their chief obligations during the reception, to avoid having the song sung at them. The whole thing has since become, as Meriadoc described it, "the politest game of cat and mouse in history," as the couple's guests attempt--politely--to detain them, and the couple attempts--politely--to avoid them. If the couple is particularly lucky, they will find one or more sympathetic guests who will, whilst talking with them, walk with them in the direction of the egress (such a thing, in fact, apparently happened at the wedding of Sam and Rose).

"None of the other People I spoke with," said Meriadoc, "have a similar custom, and in fact a number of them suggested that the couple deliberately snub any detainers by pretending not to see them, or by not responding to their solicitous words. Such folk, clearly, have not heard of the King, which is a particularly grievous offense in this day and age."

Comments

[gryffinjack.livejournal.com]

Poor Pippin! Reinjuring his knee just when it was getting better. This was a nice look at our four hobbits interacting once Frodo and Sam had woken up. I enjoyed the way they piled on Pippin's cot to share their breakfast.

Very nicely done!

[dreamflower]

Thanks, Jackie! It's not easy trying to get all those first letters to work out right, so I'm glad the story came across well.

And you know how much I love our four lads together!

[gryffinjack.livejournal.com]

Oh, I forgot to mention that! That was brilliant the way you got those first letters to work out! And, of course, I love seeing the four lads together as well.

BTW - I e-mailed you another revision of Chapter 4 last night and I just wanted to make sure you received it. Apparently, LJ is a more reliable means of communication than e-mail. lol!

[dreamflower]

I found it this morning, and pasted it into the temporary file to work on. We've errands this afternoon, but I hope to get some work done on it this evening.

[slightlytookish]

Pippin h/c!! My favorite kind :D

[dreamflower]

Now, how would I have ever guessed that? *wink*

[lily-the-hobbit.livejournal.com]

Poor Pippin!
Knee aches are terrible - I have one of these myself. Very unpleasant.

[dreamflower]

So do I. Thank goodness mine's old-fashioned arthritis, and not from being squished by a troll!

[lily-the-hobbit.livejournal.com]

Mine is from growing up too fast. It should have gone away once I was fully grown but then, it didn't.

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

Poor Pip. I'm so sorry for him. He was trying to be careful but he just, Pippinwise, forgot.

[danachan.livejournal.com]

Oh, this was lovely. Poor Pippin, forgetting himself and putting too much weight on his knee -- been there myself, of course, though it wasn't for my knee and I can't say that the pain was due to having vacationed beneath a troll. *grin*

And you know, I love Pippin. A whole lot.