A Surprise visit (part of a larger painting by Ted Naismith)
Tolkien put into The Shire, all that he loved best about England, and in particular the Central Southern Counties of Oxfordshire and Hampshire, a tame country, with neverthe less a few wild places, peopled by Hobbits, about half the height of a man, but very strong for their size, and surprisingly tough, in view of their preferences for food and ale, bath and bed, gardening and tales. Many have seen this as an allegory for England in the years of the second world war, when the book was written, but Tolkien himself was the first to deny that this had been his conscious intention.
Detail from 'Green Hill Country' by Ted Naismith
Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed;
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass
Let them pass! let them pass!
Hill and water under sky,
Pass them by! Pass them by!
Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate;
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the Moon, or to the Sun.
Apple, thorn and nut and sloe,
Let them go! Let them go!
Sand and stone and pool and dell,
Fare you well! Fare you well!
Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead
We'll wander back to home and bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!
Fire and lamp and meat and bread,
And then to bed! And then to bed!
The View from the Door of Bag End
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 whether then?.. I cannot say!