召唤——A Distant Flame Before the Sun

    1999年第四张专辑《要塞》（Stronghold）作为SUMMONING（召唤）的里程碑，依然围绕着托尔金笔下的中土大地展开。封面使用了英国浪漫主义画家约翰·马丁（John Martin，1789年7月19日-1854年2月17日）的《吟游诗人》（The Bard，1817）作品局部，做了适当变形和色调调整。这幅画描绘Thomas Gray（1716-1771）的诗歌，爱德华一世杀掉所有吟游诗人的故事。城堡原型是威尔士的哈里克古堡（Harlech），周边风光则采自阿尔卑斯山。在强化作品的中古气氛之余，也为其增加了颇多不真实的虚幻感觉。

  “A Distant Flame Before the Sun”：自霍比特人毕尔博（Bilbo）在林谷对弗拉多唱的一首诗歌【《魔戒再现》里的《魔戒南去》（The Ring Goes South）一章】和毕尔博在阿拉贡帮助下创作的《埃兰迪尔之歌》（Song of E?rendil）【《魔戒再现》里的《朋友相会》（Many Meetings）一章】。

I sit beside the fire and think

Of how the world will be

When winter comes without a spring

That I shall ever see




I sit beside the fire and think

Of people long ago

And people who will see a world

that I shall never know




I sit beside the fire and think

Of older times that were before

I listen for returning feet

And voices at my door




On high above the mists I came

A distant flame before the sun

A wonder ere the waking dawn

Where grey the nordlands waters run

In elder days and years of yore






托尔金原诗：

Bilbo's Song（From The Fellowship of the Ring: The Ring Goes South）

- J.R.R. Tolkien




I sit beside the fire and think

of all that I have seen,

of meadow-flowers and butterflies

in summers that have been;




Of yellow leaves and gossamer

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nice work