As they listened, they began to understand the lives of the Forest, apart from themselves, indeed to feel themselves as the strangers where all other things were at home. Moving constantly in and out of his talk was Old Man Willow, and Frodo learned now enough to content him, indeed more than enough, for it was not comfortable lore. Tom’s words laid bare the hearts of trees and their thoughts, which were often dark and strange, and filled with a hatred of things that go free upon the earth, gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning: destroyers and usurpers. It was not called the Old Forest without reason, for it was indeed ancient, a survivor of vast forgotten woods; and in it there lived yet, ageing no quicker than the hills, the fathers of the fathers of trees, remembering times when they were lords. The countless years had filled them with pride and rooted wisdom, and with malice. But none were more dangerous than the Great Willow: his heart was rotten, but his strength was green; and he was cunning, and a master of winds, and his song and thought ran through the woods on both sides of the river. His grey thirsty spirit drew power out of the earth and spread like fine root-threads in the ground, and invisible twig-fingers in the air, till it had under its dominion nearly all the trees of the Forest from the Hedge to the Downs.
Dell woslowens i, i a dhallathas konvedhes bywnansow y’n Koes, hag i a dhallathas omglywes aga honan dhe vos estrenyon yn tyller mayth o puptra erell yn tre. Yth esa, ow kwaya prest yn hag yn-mes a’y gows, Kothwas Helyk, ha lemmyn Frodo a dhyskas lowr dh’y walgha, moy es lowr yn hwir, drefenn na vos attes an kedhlow. Geryow Tom a igoras glan kolonn gwydh ha’ga thybyansow, hag o tewl ha koynt lieskweyth, ha lenwys gans kas erbynn traow a wra mos yn rydh war an norvys, ow knias, ow pratha, ow terri, ow hakkya, ow leski: kisyoryon ha kammberghennegoryon. Ny veu henwys an Koes Koth heb skila, ev o hen yn hwir, rann ow treusvywa koes kowrek ankovhas; ha hwath ynno, ow tevi y’ga oes mar lent ha’n breow, tasow tasow gwydh, ow perthi kov a’n oesyow pan ens i arlydhi. An blydhynyow dres nivera re’s lenwis gans goeth ha furneth gwreydhys, ha gans atti. Mes nyns esa nagonan peryllussa es an Helygenn Veur: y golonn o pedrys, mes y grevder o glas; hag ev o fel, hag ev o mester a wynsow, ha’y gan ha’y brederow eth dre’n koes dhe’n dhew du an avon. Y spyrys loes ha sygh a dennas nerth diworth an dor ha lesa haval dhe wreydh fin y’n dor ha bysyes-barrenn mes a wel y’n ayr, bys mayth esa yn dann y nerth ogas dhe oll gwydh an Koes a-dhiworth an Ke bys y’n Goenyow.langbot langbot