The Tale
‘Gandalf did not look at
Pippin or speak a word to him as they went.’ A guide leads them out, past the
Court of the fountain, to a house close to the wall of the citadel, on its
north side. They are led up to an apartment on the second floor, sparsely but adequately
furnished, ‘with goodly hangings of dull gold sheen unfigured.’ There is a
table and chairs, beds, and a place to wash up. There are three tall windows.
Pippin pulls up a bench to look out.
Gandalf has not spoken a
word to Pippin, and the hobbit asks the wizard if he is angry with him about
his talk with Denethor? He did the best he could.
Gandalf laughs and comes to
stand by Pippin at the window. Looking up Pippin sees under the lines of care
and worry in the wizard’s face great joy, ‘a fountain of mirth enough to set a
kingdom laughing, were it to gush forth.’
Gandalf says that Pippen did
alright, for being between the gaze of two such terrible old men. But he did
reveal a little more than he realizes: that after Moria they were led by a man
held to be greater than Boromir, who was coming to Minas Tirith, and that he
had a famous sword. The Steward has been mulling the old stories of Gondor and
the words of the dream and especially the words Isildur’s Bane.
Denethor is not like other
men; the blood of Numenor seems to run nearly true in him, as it does in
Faramir but not in Boromir. ‘He has long sight.’ He can perceive the thoughts
of men, even those from far away. He is hard to fool, and it’s dangerous to try
to do so.
He asks Pippin to remember
that now that the hobbit is in the Steward’s service. ‘I did not hinder it, for
generous deed should not be checked by cold counsel.’ But now he is at Denethor’s
command. It will help him move around the City, but he should be careful about
what he says and does.
Gandalf sighs. Well, no use
brooding about what tomorrow will bring; for one thing, all tomorrows for a
while will just be getting worse. The ‘board’ is set and the game is in motion.
One piece he would like to find is Faramir, who is now the Heir to the Stewardship
of Gondor. Meanwhile the wizard must go to the lord’s council Denethor has
called, where he will try to find out what he can. Great events are in motion
that are as likely to affect the low as the high, so Pippin should sharpen his
sword.
The wizard turns as he
leaves and asks Pippin to do him a favor. ‘Go and find Shadowfax and see how he
is housed. These people are kindly to beasts, for they are a good and wise
folk, but they have less skill with horses than some.’
Bits and Bobs
As a messenger of the Valar
and Eru, and a Maiar (lesser angel) himself, Gandalf of course has knowledge of
‘great good news’ beyond the cares and sorrows of Middle-earth. This is the
source of the well of joy within him, now clearer than ever after his return
and enhancement. His mission, after all, is to inspire hope.
Denethor is noted to have ‘long
sight’ beyond that of ordinary men, a legacy of his Numenorean blood, perhaps,
that runs almost true in him. This might also be a clue to what is later revealed
about his character and what he’s been doing.
Gandalf’s phrase about the
futility about brooding about tomorrow seems to echo the Bible verse: ‘Take
therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for
the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.’ -Matthew
6:34.
Gandalf also uses the
metaphor of chess and a chessboard for the war; particularly apt, maybe,
because many chessboards are black and white, and this is a conflict between
the White Tower and the Dark Tower.
Among all his troubles and
worries, Gandalf still has time to think about the faithful Shadowfax. The
people of Gondor, perhaps especially in the City, are noted to not be a horsey
folk, certainly not on the level of expertise of Rohan, the great horse’s
birthplace.
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