Bilbo’s Last Song

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.” ~Revelation 22:1-2a

Most of you, I’m sure, are at least vaguely familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and its prequel, The Hobbit. I would venture a guess that more than a few of you have read these books. The particularly rigorous amongst us will have read The Silmarillion. What gets far less attention is Tolkien’s little-known poem, "Bilbo’s Last Song." This short song is sung by Bilbo as he is about to leave Middle-Earth, although it was never included in the original Trilogy. In fact, it wasn’t even published until a year after Tolkien’s death in 1973, although he apparently wrote it (in Old Norse!) in the 1920s, some thirty years before The Fellowship of the Ring was released and perhaps a decade or more before The Hobbit was published. 

In this poem, Bilbo is longing for that place “west of West, where night is quiet and sleep is rest.” He seeks “the fields and mountains ever blest.” It is his hope that his ship will take him to a beach that is “fair and free,” where he can spend eternity. It really is a lovely little song, and his vision for what lies beyond Middle-Earth is quite enchanting: a ship's journey, propelled west by fair winds and following seas, “guided by the Lonely Star,” where he finds a haven of rest, disrupted, perhaps, only by the smell of the sea and the sound of the waves lapping upon this blissful shore. Sounds like my dream vacation spot.

But something is missing in Bilbo’s vision; something Tolkien failed to include. I’m struck by the absence of anyone else in Bilbo’s eternity. Twice he says, “Farewell, friends!”, yet never does he speak of whom he will see when his ship completes its long journey beyond the sunset. Restful sleep, beautiful mountains, fields lush with flowers, beautiful stars above, soft sand below, the rhythm of the waves, and no one else. Sounds lonely.

The Bible offers a far, far better vision of life beyond the sunset. Of course, there is a river. There is a beautiful Tree, lush with fruit. There is light, although not produced by any star. There is rest. But what’s missing from Bilbo’s eternity is the very chief blessing of ours — the presence of God Himself! Our "Last Song" includes the words of Revelation 22:4, “They will see His face!” We will see God! Unhindered by sin and unashamed due to guilt, we will gaze on the face of Christ and experience the immediate presence of God forever. There is no mountain view or crystal clear water or twinkling star that can compare to the peace we will know in the presence of God Almighty.

Christian, whatever is causing you agitation today — sadness, fear, uncertainty, sin, or even the slow, steady approach of death — remember that at the end of your long journey there is more than a beautiful beach on which to nap. There is the presence of your Heavenly Father, who promises to dwell with you forever. Amen.  

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor of Teaching & Spiritual Formation