At the core of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, is an ongoing poem by the protagonist, Bilbo Baggins. The poem is a wonderful summary of the experience of adventure. It is also a wonderful summary of the experience of life. It offers us a great opportunity to help our kids think about life as an adventure.
Here is the poem as it is told by Bilbo in The Lord of the Rings:
The Road Goes Ever On
The Road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
The Meaning of The Road Goes Ever On
The Road is the adventure that each of us is on in life. We must set out from the comfort of our ordinary lives like the heroes in Tolkien’s tales and follow our individual adventures. As we set out we find a larger way where many other people’s roads intersect and we join and assist in their adventures, too.
We never know the end of the journey. We never know what the Road has in store for our lives. Yet, we set out anyway to discover where it will lead us.
Frodo repeats the poem later in the story as he sets out on his own adventure. But instead of “pursuing it with eager feet” he says “pursuing it with weary feet.” This might make us wonder if we set out on our own adventures with eager or weary feet?
Consider these questions as you reflect on this central poem to Tolkien’s masterpiece.
The Road Goes Ever On Reflection Questions
- What Road do you think you are called to follow? (From a spiritual perspective: What is God calling you to become?)
- Are you pursuing the Road with eager feet or weary feet? Why?
- What larger way is down the Road? In other words, what big adventures are other people in the world taking part in right now that you would like to join some day?
- Who has joined you and helped you along the Road?
