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A Critical Review of “Bombadil Goes Boating” from Tales from the Perilous Realm

Tom Bombadil’s Final Journey: Poetry, Mystery, and the Limits of Tolkien’s Middle-earth

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《托爾金奇幻小說集》之〈湯姆．龐巴迪泛舟記〉評論

詩歌中的逍遙與神祕：龐巴迪與中土邊界的詩意航行

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Rowing Through Myth and Mirth

A Critical Review of “Bombadil Goes Boating” from Tales from the Perilous Realm

“Bombadil Goes Boating,” the final poem in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (and thus the closing note of Tales from the Perilous Realm), offers a whimsical, musical farewell to one of Tolkien’s most enigmatic characters. Originally published in The Tolkien Reader in 1966, the poem is at once light-hearted and rich in linguistic texture, a continuation of Tom’s lyrical life, and a subtle expansion of the poetic mythology that Tolkien carefully cultivated around the margins of Middle-earth.

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划行於神話與歡笑之中

——評析〈湯姆．龐巴迪泛舟記〉，《托爾金奇幻小說集》之終章

〈湯姆．龐巴迪泛舟記〉 （Bombadil Goes Boating）作為〈湯姆．龐巴迪歷險記〉（The Adventures of Tom Bombadil）中的最後一首詩，也因此成為《托爾金奇幻小說集》（Tales from the Perilous Realm）的收尾篇章，它為托爾金筆下最神祕的角色之一送上了一段詼諧且充滿音樂感的告別之歌。此詩最初於 1966 年收錄於《托爾金讀本》（The Tolkien Reader）中出版，風格既輕快又富有語言層次感，不僅延續了湯姆那充滿歌聲的生活，也巧妙擴展了托爾金所精心打造的中土邊境詩性神話。

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A Poetic Pilgrimage Downstream

At face value, “Bombadil Goes Boating” is exactly what it says: Tom Bombadil goes on a rowing trip down the river Withywindle. However, as with all things Tolkien, what appears simple on the surface conceals layers of meaning and tone. The journey begins with cheer: “Tom Bombadil turned to the West,” and from the first line, we are invited into a world where movement through nature becomes a metaphorical—and perhaps metaphysical—voyage.

Along the way, Bombadil encounters familiar figures such as Old Man Willow and Goldberry, as well as new creatures like the King’s fisher and a talkative otter. These meetings echo the episodic structure of fairy tale quests, yet instead of battles or trials, the encounters are characterized by greetings, songs, and exchanges that reinforce Tom’s cheerful dominance over the landscape.

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詩意的下游朝聖之旅

從表面上看，〈湯姆．龐巴迪泛舟記〉（Bombadil Goes Boating）說的正如其名：湯姆．龐巴迪順著威瑟文河（Withywindle）划船展開旅行。然而，如同托爾金（J.R.R. Tolkien）的所有作品，表面上的簡單掩藏著多層的意涵與語調。旅程自充滿歡愉的語句開啟：「湯姆．龐巴迪轉身向西」，從第一句開始，我們便被邀請進入一個世界，在這裡，穿越自然的行動成為一種象徵性的——甚至可能是形上學層面的——朝聖之旅。

旅途中，龐巴迪遇見了一些熟悉的角色，如老柳樹（Old Man Willow）與河中女妖（Goldberry），也出現了新面孔，例如國王的翠鳥（King’s fisher）與一隻喋喋不休的水獺。這些會面呼應了童話故事中常見的段落式結構，卻不以戰鬥或試煉為特色，而是透過招呼、歌唱與交流展現——這些互動進一步強化了湯姆對這片風景所展現出的歡樂主導力量。

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Language as Buoyancy

The poem floats on Tolkien’s signature poetic style: a buoyant rhythm, intricate internal rhymes, and playful alliteration. The meter gallops forward with childlike joy:

He brushed from his beard the yellow leaves,
He combed the cuffs of his jacket sleeves.

This consistent sing-song structure creates a rhythmic river of its own, mimicking the poem’s theme of movement down a flowing stream. The sounds themselves are part of the enchantment—words chosen not just for meaning, but for musicality. The reader is not simply following Tom’s journey; we’re dancing with it, rowing to its internal beat.

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語言的浮力

這首詩漂浮在托爾金（J.R.R. Tolkien）標誌性的詩歌風格之上：充滿彈性的韻律、精巧的內部押韻，以及俏皮的頭韻。詩句以孩童般的喜悅節奏奔馳向前：

他拂去鬍鬚上的黃葉，
梳整夾克袖口的摺褶。

這種穩定的歌謠結構形成了自身的節奏之河，與詩歌中順流而下的主題互相映照。聲音本身就是魅力的一部分——詩中的用詞不僅依據意義精挑細選，更講究音樂性。讀者不只是單純跟隨著湯姆的旅程；我們是與它共舞，隨著內在的節拍一同划槳而行。

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Tom Bombadil as a Liminal Being

In “Bombadil Goes Boating,” Tom is more than just a quirky wanderer. He is a mythic figure of liminality—existing on the borders of worlds, between wild nature and hobbit civilization. He is comfortable among river spirits, woodland trees, and even in the domestic company of Farmer Maggot and his dogs. This reinforces his unique role within Tolkien’s legendarium: Bombadil belongs everywhere and nowhere.

His final destination in the poem is telling. He visits the Brandywine River and then the Shire, entering Hobbiton and even speaking to Sam Gamgee’s cousin. It is a rare moment where the fantastical Tom brushes up against the more grounded world of the hobbits. In this crossover, Tolkien gently weaves the ethereal with the familiar, implying that wonder and myth live just around the corner of the ordinary.

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湯姆．龐巴迪作為界域之存在

在〈湯姆．龐巴迪泛舟記〉（Bombadil Goes Boating）中，湯姆不僅僅是一位古怪的旅人。他是一個神話中的「界域存在」（liminal being）——生活在兩個世界的邊界之上，遊走於野性自然與哈比人文明之間。他自在地與河中女妖（Goldberry）為伍，與森林樹木共處，甚至也能怡然自得地與農夫馬戈（Farmer Maggot）與他的獵犬相伴。這進一步強化了湯姆在托爾金奇幻小說集（Tales from the Perilous Realm）以及整個托爾金傳說體系（legendarium）中所擔任的獨特角色：龐巴迪既屬於所有地方，也不屬於任何地方。

詩中他的最終目的地意涵深遠。他拜訪了達布力河（Brandywine River），接著進入夏爾（the Shire），抵達哈比屯（Hobbiton），甚至與山姆．詹吉（Sam Gamgee）的表親交談。這是一個少見的時刻，奇幻的湯姆與腳踏實地的哈比人世界產生了交會。在這樣的交錯之中，托爾金巧妙地將「仙境」（Faërie）的飄渺與現實世界的熟悉相編織，暗示著——奇幻與神話的奇蹟，其實就藏身於尋常日常的轉角之後。

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Themes of Time, Nature, and Contentment

Where “The Sea-Bell” mourns alienation, “Bombadil Goes Boating” celebrates presence. Tom is untroubled by fate, death, or dominion. He is the anti-Ringbearer: unaffected by power, uninterested in conquest, and deeply rooted in the moment. The poem conveys this ethos subtly, showing a being at peace with the world as it is.

In a legendarium filled with tragic heroes and long defeats, Tom’s carefree boating becomes a profound act of resistance—against fear, sorrow, and the weight of history. He embodies Tolkien’s ideal of Escape and Recovery from On Fairy-Stories: a return to clarity and joy through engagement with the natural and the mythical.

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時間、自然與滿足的主題

相較於〈海鐘〉（The Sea-Bell）對疏離與孤寂的哀悼，〈湯姆．龐巴迪泛舟記〉（Bombadil Goes Boating）則是對「當下存在」的頌歌。湯姆對命運、死亡或權力絲毫不感困擾。他是「反持戒者」（anti-Ringbearer）：不受權力影響，對征服毫無興趣，並深深紮根於眼前的此時此地。詩中以極為細膩的方式傳達這種生命哲學，描繪出一位與世界和諧共處、自在無憂的存在。

在一個充滿悲劇英雄與漫長敗戰的托爾金傳說體系（legendarium）中，湯姆無憂無慮的泛舟行動，反而成為一種深刻的「抵抗」行為——對抗恐懼、憂愁，以及歷史沉重的壓力。他體現了托爾金於〈論童話故事〉（On Fairy-Stories）中提出的「逃逸」（Escape）與「復原」（Recovery）的理想：透過與自然和神話的互動，重拾澄明與喜悅的生活之道。

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A Soft Epilogue to the Perilous Realm

Ending Tales from the Perilous Realm with this poem is a masterstroke. It offers not a dramatic climax, but a gentle ripple—an invitation to drift away from the mythic deep waters and into the everyday stream of life, humming a tune along the way. “Bombadil Goes Boating” leaves readers with a sense of lightness, reminding us that the perilous realm is not always perilous; it is also playful, poetic, and profoundly life-affirming.

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危險國度的溫柔尾聲

以這首詩作為《托爾金奇幻小說集》（Tales from the Perilous Realm）的收尾，無疑是一項巧妙的安排。這裡沒有戲劇性的高潮，而是一道輕柔的漣漪——一種邀請，讓讀者從神話的深水域緩緩漂流至日常生活的溪流之中，隨著音符輕哼著歌謠而遠去。

〈湯姆．龐巴迪泛舟記〉（Bombadil Goes Boating）為讀者留下了一種輕盈自在的感受，提醒我們：「危險國度」（Perilous Realm）並不總是危險的；它也可以是玩味的、詩意的，並且深深肯定著生命本身的價值與美好。