Writing
THE LONG DEFEAT
I am a person who lives with defeat. It is not about me, it is about the things I have written about - those have been smashed over many times. Should we shut up because nothing is happening? No. We have to keep doing what we do.
- Arundhati Roy
Rise up; the realm of love renews
The battle it was born to lose
- Geoffrey Hill
The Long Defeat is a phrase that appears in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first part of The Lord of the Rings. When a depleted and tired Fellowship arrive in the elven kingdom of Lothlórien, they meet the Lady Galadriel. Galadriel is one of the elves who saw the light from the Two Trees before the sun or moon were made. This is an incredibly important distinction among the elves, and also makes Galadriel one of the oldest people left in Middle-earth.Introducing her husband, Galadriel says that;“together, through ages of the world, we have fought the long defeat.”
The Long Defeat encompasses the struggle of the elves in Middle-earth. Although we regard that fictional or secondary world as enchanted, elves of Galadriel’s age have watched it fade through many generations. They know that the struggle against decay and death is not one that it is ultimately possible for them to win.