The Ents were the beings who protected the forests and trees of Middle Earth; the Entwives, their mates, moved east to tend gardens of their own. They are mostly believed to be vanished now, but sometimes, in the wind and leaves, their songs remain.
When the seeds of “The Entwife” were planted, I was sitting alone in a quiet redwood grove. The night before, the woods had rung with music. That morning I listened to the birdsong and studied the ancient trees.
There was a figure in the treebark of the giant in front of me. I saw it in beams of sunlight: a noble profile with a long mossy beard, helmed with an aquiline crest. It looked to me like an armored Ent, giving me my first images of the song I was to write, of the Entwife bestowing an accolade upon him:
"To make our vows among the boughs
When we were young and strong."
Special note: owing to a bargain with benevolent forest spirits, the words and music to “The Entwife” are in the public domain! All are welcome to record, distribute, and use them as they will.
lyrics
Oh come and see, we gladly cried!
The woods awake, the day alive,
The sun was dappled on the vine
And we our roots
And branches all entwined.
And love grew wild as roses
Shouting scarlet summer songs,
And we went crowned with leaves of gold
And robed with grasses long,
To make our vows among the boughs
When we were young and strong.
Oh come away! From distant lands,
The whispering of the river ran
Where far beyond the farthest stand
I heard the earth
Call out to ask my hand.
And love must go where seeds are sown,
So life begins anew
And I alone must take the road
As I am meant to do
Though leaves will turn and embers burn,
Still I remember you.
You come to me in dreaming time
When tree and flower are pale with rime,
The winter-silver stars align
In forms unknown
Above my restless mind.
But love is true, and ever through the night
Her watch is kept
With memories of the willows
Where the wind once wept,
Until the hour we wake to find
That we have only slept.
I'll come to thee in splendor rare
When dew is on the maidenhair,
When spring at last is born again
Then every knee
Of every heart will bend
For love that blooms eternal
In the rooms of green and shade,
The altar of the morning
Where our wordless song was prayed
All clothed in light, as fair and bright
As when we first were made.
credits
from Courage, Dear Heart,
released November 3, 2023
Summer Russell - lead vocals, guitar
Cathy McManamon - bamboo flute
Jen Midkiff - harp
I could listen to Lauren sing forever. Her writing is vivid and sensitive, sweetly and painfully human--never apologizing for sharp corners and rough edges. The beauty of her spirit shines through. Summer Russell
Singer-songwriter Henry Parker puts his own spin on the classic sounds of '60s and '70s British folk on this wilderness-inspired new LP. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 9, 2021
