Gandalf hesitates a moment.
The Lord of the Nazgul is still loose and could cause grave ruin if not
opposed. As Pippin tells more of the dire situation, Gandalf finally agrees to
come, since he is the only one who can help. But others will die. ‘Even in the
heart of our stronghold, the Enemy has power to strike us; for his will it is
that is at work.’
Having decided, they leave
for Rath Dinen, climbing back up the city. As they pass, troops are already
taking heart at the news that Rohan has come. They pass Prince Imrahil. The
wizard charges him to take command, taking all the men he can. Gandalf will
join them when he can; right now he has business with Denethor.
While darkness is passing on
the battlefield, ‘it still lies heavy on the City.’ Beregond has left his post
to save Faramir. They come to the Closed Door, wide open, its guard slain and
its key taken. ‘Work of the Enemy!’ said Gandalf. ‘Such deeds he loves: friend
at war with friend; loyalty divided in confusion of hearts.’ Here he takes
leave of Shadowfax. The great horse cannot follow into these houses, but the
wizard bids him to return at his call.
Pippin and Gandalf go down
the silent street lined with columns and statues like ghosts in the growing
light. Suddenly the silence is broken by the clash of swords, ‘such sounds as
had not been heard in the hallowed places since the building of the City.’
Beregond is fighting,
keeping the guards away from the inner chamber. He has already had to kill two
of them; the others fight on, calling him faithless and traitor. Gandalf
commands them to stop this madness.
At that moment the voice of
Denthor comes from within, asking if he has to slay Beregond himself. He bursts
out, sword in hand, eyes blazing. But Gandalf steps forward in great anger,
lifting his hand, and the sword flies out of the Steward’s hand, who stands
amazed. Gandalf asks him sternly just what is going on here.
Denethor snaps back that’s
he’s not answerable to the wizard and can command his own servants. ‘You may,’
said Gandalf. ‘But others may contest your will, when it is turned to madness
and evil.’ And where is Faramir?
‘He lies within,’ said
Denethor, ‘burning, already burning. They have set a fire in his flesh. But
soon all shall be burned. The West has failed. It shall go up in a great fire,
and all shall be ended. Ash! Ash and smoke blown away on the wind!’
Fearing the worst, Gandalf
forces his way into the room, to find Faramir lying on a table stacked with
wood and drenched with oil. Gandalf leaps up and bears Faramir down nimbly, who
moans and calls for his father in his fever.
Denethor breaks down and
weeps, begging them not to take his son from him. Gandalf sternly tells him
they cannot be joined in death yet; Faramir must go to the Houses of Healing,
where he may die, while the Steward must go to lead and defend his City; he
too may fall. Denethor despairs that Faramir is doomed to die; why can’t they
die together?
‘Authority is not given to
you, Steward of Gondor, to order the hour of your death,’ answered Gandalf. ‘And
only the heathen kings, under the domination of the Dark Power, did thus,
slaying themselves in pride and despair, murdering their kin to ease their own
death.’ They bear Faramir out, and Gandalf gently tells them there is still
much he can do.
But Denethor is struck with
a spasm of pride and despair. He strides back to the pyre and uncovers the ‘pillow’
that Faramir’s head had lain on. It is a palantir, one of the Seeing Stones, and
in the light of its smoldering inner fire the old lord’s face is lit with a red
flame.
‘Didst thou think the eyes
of the White Tower were blind?’ Denethor has seen more, much more then the Grey
Fool thinks. He knows the extent of Sauron’s forces. And he has seen a black
fleet sweeping up the Anduin, born on the deceitfully hopeful wind from the sea. And he
knows Gandalf hopes to replace him with an upstart Ranger from the North. He
has learned much from the Halfling ‘spy’ that he placed in his house.
But even if Aragorn’s claim
was proved, still, he was only a scion of the House of Isildur, long bereft of
power and dignity. What Denthor wants are things like they were in his fathers’
days, and a son who was no wizard’s pupil, and peace in his days. But since he
can’t have that, he will have nothing!
He pulls out a knife and
strides forward to kill Faramir, but Beregond stands forward into his way. So
Gandalf steals even his knights’ hearts. But he calls the others to bring him
fire, and he sets the pyre alight. Denethor snaps his steward’s rod and throws
it into the flames, leaps upon the pyre, with the palantir still in his hands,
and lays down.
‘And it was said ever after
that if any man looked in that Stone, unless he had a great strength of will to
turn it to other purpose, he saw only two aged hands withering in flame.’
Gandalf turns away in grief
and horror, shutting the door on the fire. After a while Denethor gives a great
cry and is never seen or heard again. Gandalf turns to the horrified ‘faithful’
servants and tells them to put aside all strife. Thanks to Beregond, Faramir is
still alive, and must be taken for healing. They can pick up their fallen
comrades and bear them away. He, Beregond, and Pippin take Faramir, and
behind them the tomb of the Stewards crumbles and cracks with flame.
As they pass, Beregond looks
with grief on the doorward he had killed in his haste. He gives the key to
Gandalf for Faramir, who should now be Lord of the City, but Gandalf says keep
it for now until he can hand it over at a more settled time. They proceed to
the Houses of Healing. They are in the sixth circle of the City, on the
southward side. Here are the only women left as nurses.
But even as they come to the
main door of the Houses, there comes a great and terrible cry from the
battlefield that rises high and piercing and then dies away on the wind. With
its passing all hearts are lifted with hope ‘and it seemed to them that the
light grew clear and the sun broke through the clouds.’
Gandalf looks grave and,
bidding Pippin and Beregond take Faramir in, goes to the wall overlooking the
fields. He stands for a long time, still as white statue, ‘and he beheld with
that sight that was given to him all that had befallen,’ up to when Eomer rides
out to the forefront of the battle. When Pippin and Beregond joins them, and he
tells them that great joy and sorrow have befallen. The Lord of the Nazgul is
slain, good news beyond all hope, but not without woe and bitter loss, loss the wizard might have prevented if not for the madness of Denethor. Gandalf sees now that Sauron was working
malice in the very heart of the City, and how he did it.
It was the Palantir, which
Gandalf had long known was here. In the days of his wisdom Denethor knew better
than to use it, but as the situation grew more dire, he dared the Stone. Sauron
could not dominate his will, but he could show Denethor only visions that could
tempt him to despair, letting neither hope nor good news through. It overthrew
the Steward’s mind.
Pippin and Beregond see that
it explains much, and Beregond mentions that strange lights were seen in the
Tower and rumors abounded that the Steward often wrestled with the Enemy in
mind.
Gandalf says he must go and
meet those coming from the field, and bids Pippin come with him. But Beregond
must surrender himself to the chief of the Guard and be removed from service,
but Gandalf advises he be made Faramir’s bodyguard while he is in the Houses of
Healing. After all, he has saved his life.
‘With that he turned away
and went with Pippin down towards the lower city. And even as they hastened on
their way the wind brought a grey rain, and all the fires sank, and there arose
a great smoke before them.’
Bits and Bobs
I don’t have a whole lot of
notes to offer here, except to notice the difference between the despairing suicide
of Denethor and the peaceful yielding up of life by Aragorn after a long and
productive existence. One is a rage of selfishness, the other an offering up,
of letting a higher power take the reins.
Another is the note that
Gandalf saw with 'the sight that was given him.’ That’s very interesting. Was it
a vision sent to him, or was it through a power that had been given to him,
say, when he returned enhanced as Gandalf the White? Something to ponder, a
small note.
And this is the first
complete chapter I’ve been able to do in one go in a long time.
