Ross Raymond Nunamaker

Roads Go Ever Ever On and the Road Goes Ever On and On is one of the best known of Tolkien’s poems. It was written between 1928 and 1948. In Collected Poems it is #115. 

The poem is a celebration of the possibilities of a journey and the joy of being in the comfort of home again at the end.

For Tolkien the journey ends with the individual having changed. The individual has learned more about the world in which he lives as well as about himself and his place in it.

In Chapter 19 of the Hobbit, Bilbo upon seeing the Hill recites the poem, and Gandalf says, “My dear Bilbo! Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit that you were.”

Journeys for Tolkien are often perilous and rewarding in unexpected ways. They also offer sanctuary in time of need, and sanctuary yields comfort.

If you have these things in life you are well on your way to living a life well lived.

In Chapter 3 of Book One of the Lord of the Rings, Sam, Pippin and Frodo are making their way to Crickhollow. “The road goes on for ever, but I can’t without a rest. It is high time for lunch.”

As Pippin sits down, Frodo looks out over the road and begins reciting the poem.

Pippin asks Frodo if it is one of Bilbo’s rhyming and Frodo isn’t sure if it was or not. He recalls Bilbo saying, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

The poem then is at the conclusion of the Hobbit and the beginning of the adventure in the Lord of the Rings and at its end.

The Road encompasses the adventure that begins upon it, the change it brings about, and the sanctuary one finds at the end of it.

Where then does one’s road in life begin? Is it a straight road with a beginning and an end, or does it meander, circle back, cross itself, and return to the beginning?

When I go for a walk or hike, it is often there and back. When I return home, to my sanctuary, I consider my day’s journey, what I saw, did, thought, and wondered about.

With reflection, I reconsider myself and my meaning. This in turn informs my decisions and actions. It also prepares me for my next journey.