im

pronoun. I

In late writings (see esp. VT/47:37-38), Tolkien reinterpreted this form as a reflexive pronoun (= "self").

im

i

but as subject usually simply the ending -n, as in ónen ”

ni

pronoun. I

nin

i

”me”, genitive nín ”my”, dative anim or enni ”to me, for me”.

im

pronoun. I, I myself; reflexive, self(same)

im narvi hain echant

I, Narvi, made them

le linnon im tinúviel

*to thee I sing, I, Tinúviel

The fifth phrase of Lúthien’s Song (LB/354). Three translations of this phrase are:

• Patrick Wynne: “✱to thee I sing, I, the Nightingale” (NTTLS/11)

• David Salo: “✱I sing to you, I, Nightingale” (GS/211)

• Bertrand Bellet and Benjamin Babut: “✱to thee I sing, Tinúviel myself” (GTLC)

The first word is the 2nd-person-polite pronoun le “thee”, with its use as the indirect object “to thee” implied by its position before the verb, as suggested by Wynne and Salo (NTTLS/10, GS/213). The second word linnon “I sing” is the present 1st-person-singular form of the verb linna- “to sing”. The third word is the first person or reflexive pronoun im “I, myself”. The last word Tinúviel is the other name of the speaker, Lúthien, usually translated “Nightingale”.