Sindarin 

menel-vîr síla díriel

*heaven-jewel shines having watched [for us]

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

  • Patrick Wynne: “✱a heavenly jewel shines silver, having watched” (NTTLS/11)

  • David Salo: “✱having watched ... shines like a jewel in the sky” (GS/211)

  • Bertrand Bellet and Benjamin Babut: “✱jewel of the firmament, shines on the watch [for us]” (GTLC)

The first word menel is the Sindarin word for “the heavens, firmament”. The second word vîr is the lenited form of mîr “jewel”. The third word síla “shines” is the present tense of the verb síla- “to shine”. The last word díriel “having watched” is the lenited form of tíriel, the past active participle form of the verb tiria- “to watch, gaze”.

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