Bilbo’s Last Song
This is a small book, really more of a poem stretched into a book. It is the epilogue of “Lord of the Rings”. Bilbo, the adventurous and resourceful Hobbit , prepares himself for his last Journey. He hears the call; he knows his time has come. There is melancholic flavor to this poem. The sorrow of departure from the universe he knew. Farewell to “middle earth” – to people he loved, to places he visited. The illustrator added another dimension to the poem. The illustrations depicts Bilbo’s adventures and accomplishments. As if Bilbo was revising his life, before sailing to the unknown. I liked the fact that there is no easy consolation in this poem. No promise for after life. The mystery of death remains, but the sorrow is mitigated by acceptance of the inevitable, and a sense of adventure.
For me, this small book provided consolation after a close family member had passed away.
