Frodo and Samantha's Wedding Night

“Frodo and Samantha’s Wedding Night” continued…

by Andarta Wildhearth


Samantha became very quiet. She felt as if a burden had been unexpectedly lifted from her.

Frodo cupped her face in both of his hands as she began to stretch out her body before him. He began to softly sing to her.

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
old old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.***

“Sam-love, you are my treasure now, my Precious. The cherished love I felt for you before we left the Shire, yes, I have loved you for ages, and I still love you that same way, only more now. The Ring could never affect my love for you, darling. You were all that kept me going.”

So for a time, they just held each other, speaking love-filled endearments and affirmations. Frodo talked of how he would have abandoned the quest had Samantha not been by his side. He told her how afraid he had been of losing her and how he regretted waiting so long to declare his love for her. How he felt unworthy of her and how selfish he had been. Of course, Sam heartily disagreed with every single one of his points, but it did feel good to hear his confessions.

Sam admitted to her nearly life-long tweenaged crush on him and how it was she who was not suited to be the wife of such a gentlehobbit. ‘Below you,’ were the words she used. She talked of how she had always admired him, but did not begin to fall in love with him until the night she spied on him as he asked Gandalf what he must do in order to help get the Ring out of the Shire. She revealed that she did not actually know she loved the genuine hobbit that was deep inside him until she heard his voice at the Council of Elrond as he offered himself up to be the Ringbearer of the One Ring.

Before long, a chill settled in the room and Frodo shivered a little.

“Oh love, you’re cold. Crawl in with me and I will warm you,” she smiled as he scrambled under the sheets with chattering teeth. She briskly rubbed her hands up and down his arms, trying to comfort him.

“I know of a way we can build warmth between us,” Frodo said. After he spoke he reached for her hands to still them. “It seems I’m still wearing these unwanted trousers,” he slowly pushed her hands down to his waist where the buttons were half undone. Then he quickly withdrew his own hands, hoping she would linger there, and she did.

“Finish them for me?” he pleaded.

Samantha felt as if she were falling backward from a high cliff. Her stomach was fluttering uncontrollably. Breathing came in short labored pants as she summoned her courage and denied him his request…..

Instead, she stared directly into his eyes and touched his hardness through the woven cloth. He nearly splintered in surprise.

“Uhhnnnnn,” an uncontrolled moan escaped him. “Oh my goodness,” he croaked, “You’re touching me!” She had incapacitated him so much that all thought left him and he could only blurt out pointless words of shock. He almost forgot how to breathe as she caressed him and cupped him through the cloth. Only helpless sounds fled his lips as he tried helplessly to remain aware of Sam’s eyes.

His pleasure continued in her fingertips as she marveled at the strength and stiffness of his taut member. His delight was astounding and Sam remained hypnotized by her husband’s responses. Never had she thought she could render a lover so defenseless with a mere caress. She was thinking that her marriage bed was going to become a wonderful adventure when he abruptly grabbed her hands, causing her to stop her movements.

“By the Shire, Samantha, I’m going to be finished before we begin if you keep this up,” he panted. So she held her hands very still, sheltering his arousal through the material. Frodo reached down to his breeches and completely unclasped them.

“I feel like we’re opening presents on Yule’s Eve!” she laughed reticently.

“Nay lass, it is the gift of desire you have given me this Beltane Night,” he whispered as she slipped her slender fingers past the fabric covering his manhood to grasp him.

“Oh Sam, oh Sam, don’t move…..don’t move your hand anymore or I’ll be spent!” he gasped. But she disobeyed his commands yet again as she firmly squeezed her husband’s erection, applying a slow and building pressure to her grip.

“Ah…..ah…..ahhh,” he whined as an amazing torment full of intense delight overtook his groin and his climax was delayed. As Sam released him, he sighed into her bosom, breathing rapidly.

“Good lord Samantha…..oh Samantha, I’m…..I’m…..speechless!” he gulped for air at her neck.

“Did you not like that?” her curiosity began to grow.

“Yes, it’s just that I didn’t expect you to, to, do that. It worked, I think it would have happened if you hadn’t, hadn’t…..oh Sam your touch feels so good,” he reached down and began to push his trousers and undergarments from his legs. When he succeeded in shedding them, he kicked and scooted them under the sheets to the edge of the bed where they fell to the floor, overlooked.

Frodo Baggins refocused his attention on his wife. He returned her sweet, shy smile with one of his own.

“Psssst…..Frodo…..you’re naked!” she whispered and giggled as she pointed down to his legs and opened her mouth in mock astonishment, mimicking a child about to tell on a sibling. Her actions drew laughter from him. “Shh, shhh! I’ve never been so near a naked lad before, except for, well, in the Tower…..but that didn’t count the same way as tim time. The butterflies are starting to take over now, I have a strange feeling right here,” and she flattened her hand against her belly. “Although, I have to admit, I’m not so scared now that we’ve talked.”

“And this will be that last that we talk for a very long while, my love,” he told her as his body implored her to lie on her back. She acquiesced, leaning into her pillow and spreading her hair out around her.

“So beautiful,” he murmured as he knelt low between her l He He reached for the hem of her nightgown, and piled it about his knees. “May I?” he asked her permission before he proceeded any further.

“Yessss…..”

She finally let go…..

Overcome, Frodo took the flimsy material and cautiously inched it up to the apex of her legs, revealing the small downy tuft resting there. He looked up to her to gauge her embarrassment and saw that her eyes were upon him, watching him, waiting for him. She closed her eyes with a tiny smile and inhaled deeply.

He felt the growing need to move on as he gently lifted her hips to slide the garment from her waist to her torso. Her skin, so lovely. In her color, a velvet blush diffusing across its surface. So blameless, so pure. He glided his hands across her skin to the narrowness of her waist. It was almost tiny enough for him to encircle in his fingers. There he stopped.

“There will be no turning back after this Samantha,” he raised himself even to her chest before continuing. One last chance for her to change her mind. He closed his eyes in desperation and waited.

“Yours, Frodo, yours…..I have always been yours. I belong to you, my love, please,” she purred.

He returned his attention to her tummy and noticed the small scar which now rested at the point below her breastbone. A pang of guilt and regret washed over him as his injured hand swept over the still-angry mark on his lover.

“Please forgive me my stupidity. I should have listened to you. Now you are marred because of my stubbornness,” he requested. “Shhhhh,” he impeded her protest as he lifted her up to his chest and raised the gown across her body and over her head. It was tossed to the side, unnoticed.

She instinctively covered her breasts with her forearm as he sat between her legs. He protectively sheltered her legs and abdomen with part of the sheet. He had vowed to himself not to cause her any emotional discomfort.

“Hey Frodo,” she whispered through and impish grin, “Guess what?” She paused. “Now I’m naked too!” A bubbling laugh exploded from him as they threw their arms around each other and tumbled to the bed.

Heated sighs answered their kisses as they realized the incredible sensation of pressing to each other, unclothed, for the very first time. The moisture of their intimate regions met and began to mingle as they moved in unison against each other. The feeling of Sam’s firm nipples against Frodo’s lithesome chest all but drove them both to the brink of their passion. He had to get his mouth to her breasts quickly, NOW.

“O’er her warm cheek and rising bosom move the bloom of young Desire and purple light of Love,”**** he softly uttered before his tongue whisked its way down to her chest. She impatiently arched her back and pressed herself up into him. She was beginning to lose herself in a haze of anticipation, so unlike the naïve and inexperienced girl she had been, and perhaps still was.

Frodo rested his mouth on the center of her chest as Samantha placed her hands on top of his head and tangled her fingers in his dark curls. She could feel his damp breath across the skin of her bosom. She slipped her hands down his neck to his shoulders and continued to his arms where she beckoned him to bring his own hands up to hers. Fingers entwined and unlaced, then came to rest upon her upper body, below her neck. Her hands covered his. Frodo raised his vision to look upon her.

“Oh, beautiful are the flowers of your garden,
The flowers of your garden are fair:
Green leaves of your eyes
And gold flower of your hair;
Dew flower of your mouth
And peony-budded breasts,
And the flower of the curve of your hand
Where my hand rests,”***** he whispered to her and smiled.

“I do not know of any poetry to quote which adequately expresses this yearning I have for you, my love,” Samantha answered. “So speak, speak the words for me?”

Frodo closed his eyes in thought for a moment before smiling up at her again. Then he spoke again.

“My heart was winter-bound until
I heard you sing;
O voice of Love, hush not, but fill
My life with Spring!

My hopes were homeless things before
I saw your eyes;
O smile of Loclosclose not the door
To paradise!

My dreams were bitter once, and then
I found them bliss;
O lips of Love, give me again
Your sweet kiss!

Springtide of Love! The secret Sweet
Is ours alone;
O heart of Love, at last you beat
Against my own!”******

Samantha laughed, a laugh natural and honest, being blessed with a joy that only she of all alive would ever know. She reached for Frodo’s shoulders and back and caressed him in her happiness.

“Samantha, trust me, my love, my sweet love…..do you trust me?” he inquired.

“I lay my body and soul full in your hands, husband,” she replied.

With that acknowledgement, Frodo moved down her form, all the while stroking her skin. First her soft cheek, then her delicate breasts. He watched in awe and wonder as her nipples became hard and puckered under his touch. She groaned and writhed as he gently squeezed each of them before licking and suckling her bosom. She gasped as she found she was unable to contain the cries of passion he elicited from her. No longer being her master in life, he became the master of her body and her bed and her love.

His mouth inched ever further downward as he passed and laid extra blessings with his tongue to the scar above her abdomen.

“Never again…..I will sacrifice myself before anyone lays a hand to you ever again,” he promised. “No one will hurt you while I still have life in my body.”

Then he discovered her bellybutton. In no way had he anticipated he would be so fascinated by this part of her form. Her waist so shapely and dainty, and there, in its curve, her bellybutton. A cute little innie. His tongue dove into it and lapped around its edge as his fingertips brushed the sides of her hips. The pleasure was too much for her to completely control.

“Ah! Elbereth, Frodo, I want you so much! Please!?! Please!?!” She quickly reached down to submerge her fingers in his hair once again. She tried to urge him to move up her body once more so she could kiss him, but he resisted.

“No, not yet,” he panted as he passed a hand across the velvety thicket between her legs. She sucked in violently in response. His hand protectively covered the spot where fire radiated from her spirit. Keeping a hand over this point, Frodo lifted himself up Samantha’s body until his face was next to hers and then he kissed her.

“Sam-wife,” Frodo had difficultly pulling himself from her embrace. “Samantha, listen to me,” he gasped as she began to caress his back. She further tempted him by stroking and fondling his bottom with one of her hands. He never presumed she would be so responsive. She giggled with delight at his difficulty.

“Sam, uhnn, Sam,” he kissed her and wrenched himself from her lips again. “Sweetness, I’m going to do something to you, something you may not expect or feel at ease with at first. But please trust me, it will bring you pleasure, a pleasure that will last for a few moments…..and…..,” Frodo suddenly thought he sounded quiet silly, like a father explaining the facts of life to a tweenager. “And…..and…..and,” he stuttered.

“Husband, are you trying to tell me that you are going to make me come?” She grinned at him in his embarrassment. She had concluded that sex could quite possibly be a very powerful instrument for a hobbitess to wield.

“Well, um…..well, um…..well…..yes, yes Samantha…..I, I’m certainly going to try. What I mean to say is that, that the way I actually do this might, might, well, surprise you, but, but, oh, spit it out you blockheaded Baggins!” Frodo stammered. Sam tried not to giggle more. He took in a deep breath and began again.

“I’ve wanted to be with you for so long now, Samantha. But I would like to satisfy you before we join because when I take you, there will be pain for you. I want to lessen your hurt as much as n ben before it happens. So I’m going to bring you to release and then enter you swiftly. That way the pain might not be so bad for you. It’s important to me not to hurt you, please, my love.”

At that instant he seemed like a frightened youth to Samantha, instead of the educated gentlehobbit the rest of Middle Earth knew. She was moved by his concern for her. He conducted himself as if it were his virginity about to be lost instead of hers. All she could do was look at him in wonder.

“All my body springs alive for you, my husband. Please, take what has always been yours…..”

With that said, Samantha gazed intensely at him as he returned a wanton look of his own. He moved quickly back to her abdomen, and then moved lower and lower. Sam spread her legs to make room for him there. Frodo caressed the skin on the insides of her thighs and touched the downy hair between her legs. She gasped as his fingers wordlessly solicited permission to touch her fair sex.

When he made contact with the most sensitive nub of flesh above her opening, she cried out in amazement and delight. Frodo suppressed a self-satisfied smile as he began his gentle strokes. His mouth found the lower part of her stomach and his lips and tongue pursued the tantalizing skin of her tummy. She tasted sweeter than any fruit that had touched his lips before, and he wanted to taste more......much more of his bride. He inched ever further downward with his mouth as his lips softly brushed across the fuzz of her mound. She quivered in reaction to his movements.

‘By the Shire!’ she marveled. ‘He’s going to kiss me down there!’ The thought of her husband’s mouth and tongue massaging that spot between her legs was almost more than she could bear. Her anticipation intensified.

Before she was quiet aware of what was happening, his tongue finished its first pass across her femininity.

“Uhnnnn, oh, Frodo!” she cried out, but was silenced by the additional movement of her husband’s tongue across her nubbin. Samantha snatched at the sheets by either side of her body in order to stabilize herself.

Falling from a cliff was nothing compared to this…..

One of Frodo’s fingers pressed into Samantha’s sheath.

“OH! My…..god…..Frodo! This, this, oh…..feels so, uhnnnn, good!”

A second finger entered her. This time he curved both fingers upward, putting pressure on the inside of her opening, applying a soft force against a primal spot deep within her. She unconsciously held her breath as an incredible sensation began to build within her body.

As if he felt his ministrations were not enough to please her, he moved his sheathed fingers independently of one another while still pressing upward. She felt as if she would surely explode and disintegrate like one of Gandalf’s fireworks if Frodo continued.

But continue he did…..

He carefully slid his fingers from her, almost removing them completely as he drew in a deep breath. Then he tenderly pushed his hand back to her body and began a slow rhythm against her, mimicking what was to happen soon after. All the while he continued his soft lapping to her center with his tongue.

She felt herself building…..

“Ooooh, Frodo! This.....feels…..so…..I love you! Mmmmm!” Samantha could no longer hold her body in check. An uncontrollable tide of intense sensation was fostered within her spine. Her breathing became ragged and her breath came out in short fiery gasps.

Frodo could feel Samantha’s body arch upward and tense like a bow as he continued his attentions to her. He wanted her to feel all the pleasure and love that she deserved so very much.

“Frodo, Frodo, Frodo, Frodo…..,” Samantha began to chant her lover’s name, a mantra aimed toward her own release. She thrashed her head from side to side on her pillow, the build up almost too much pleasure for her to take. A gathering of sensation rapidly converged in the center of her being and then burst from her core in a magnificent deluge of unbridled passion. From somewhere outside herself she saw nothing but light. In the distance she could hear her voice screaming his name as wave after wave of bliss pierced her spirit.

Her passion had been liberated.

Frodo held on to Samantha’s body as he sustained the movements of his mouth over the center of her delight The strength in her legs caused them to involuntarily snap against his body as he pushed his fingers deep into her. In the midst of his effort he could not help the smile that came to him as he became aware of how verbal his little wife could be during her most passionate moments. He could appreciate the endearments she spoke so wildly as her vocalizations sent him into a fit of longing and desire as well.

Samantha rode out her delight in the arms of her beloved; once fearful and timid, now safe and forthright in her love for him.

When he judged that her moment was done and she was left to a breathless recovery, Frodo quickly disengaged himself from his wife. She was still reeling from the sensation of her climax as he stretched his body over hers, his mouth once again against her mouth. She groggily looked up at him and blinked, trying desperately to regain her composure. She could taste her own musky sweetness on his lips as his kissed her reverently.

“No, THAT was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” he whispered to her between restless kisses. She could feel his legs nudging her own legs apart as he moved to position himself above her, careful not to cause her any more discomfort than necessary. Samantha began to come to her senses as she realized it was finally going to happen, she and Frodo were finally going to become one. She felt another swell of joy take root in her sheath as the tip of her husband’s organ pressed up between the folds of her most intimate region. His erection swept across her sensitive center as he moved closer to her opening. She was moist and ready to receive him.

Frodo lifted his head so he could see his bride beneath him. A look of wonder graced her fair features. He knew her expression of ecstasy would soon turn to misery as he looked down at her and moved his hips to position his member at her entrance. He had to take her quickly or else he would lose his nerve and not take her at all. He lowered his mouth to her ear and enfolded her in his arms, pressing himself fully against her entire body.

“The pain will be over quickly Sam, and then I will never hurt you again as long as I live, I swear. I’ll never hurt you again, my love,” he whispered as he pushed the tip of his manhood into her entrance. He lifted his face so he could see her better and stroked her hair, trying desperately to comfort her. “Never hurt you again,” he said. She could see tears building in his eyes as he bent to her and kissed her mouth. She feared he would lose his courage as she grabbed the sides of his body and tilted her hips against his, urging him on.

“Please, Frodo, I want this. I want you, please, my love,” she implored. The pain might not be that unbearable. She wriggled her body against him, eliciting a carnal longing from him.

And he pushed himself completely into her body as he kissed her deeply. His mouth absorbed the inevitable cry of pain that fled from her as he found the depth of her maidenhead with his organ. She moved her mouth away from his as a whimper of unbelievable anguish emptied from her. Frodo wedged a hand beneath her head to cradle it. Sam turned her face from his and grimaced as she felt the stabbing pain. She let out a great sob which prompted her husband to lean toward the curve of her neck where he softly kissed her.

“Sam-love,” he whispered, “I’ll never cause you pain again. Please forgive me.”

She sniffled and turned back to face him with a forced smile on her lips. She kissed the side of his head and laughed softly to herself before smiling with sincerity. Frodo searched her eyes for some explanation of her expression.

“Do not tell me stories husband. You know that the greatest pain of all has yet to befall my body.” She reached up to touch his cheek as he looked at her in confusion. “I have yet to bring your babes into this world…..but that, I have been told, is a pain I will quickly forget, just as my body has now forgotten the pain of our joining.” Frodo stared down at her again, only this time he was filled with surprise.

“I forgot, there will be children, our children. Your wonderful, beautiful babies!” He smiled and kissed her and was once again filled with a smoky desire as he felt Samantha softly press her hips up to him. He moved his arms under hers so his weight and her shoulders rested on his forearms. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and felt the skin of his naked back brush against her palms. The tips of her fingers moved up and down his spine very slowly as he let out a low moan. He realized that he had been absolutely still since penetrating her for fear of hurting her more. As Sam began to respond to him with subtle movements and undulations, he gained confidence and pressed to her, burying himself completely within her.

Now it was her time to gasp and shudder with excitement. She wanted him, needed him desperately to move upon her and take her now that she had overcome her apprehension. With reckless energy she pulled down upon every inch of him while pushing herself up to meet him. He laughed aloud at her responses and smiled as he thought of how he would make sure their bed would become a foundation of passion and intimacy beyond either of their wildest dreams. Yes, a happy life would finally be his to enjoy and share with her.

Lost, he was lost in her, and to her. He no longer lived within himself; there was only her, only her. He was no longer of any importance; he ceased to exist altogether.

And he was born, born anew. More alive than life itself. Every wish he had ever made, even as a child, was granted to him at that second in time.

A gasp wretched through his lungs and he sucked in violently. Too much to endure, too much joy to contain. Frodo slowly pulled himself back from her quivering form as he felt her tightness clench around him.

“No…..no,” she begged in short pants. Was he leaving her? “No…..no, please, no! Stay with me.”

Frodo plunged himself back down to her, and she cried out, a cry full of awe and utter happiness. The friction of her walls made him drunk with pleasure as he pulled himself back again, almost to the brink of her entrance before thrusting forward once more. He continued this smooth and steady rhythm above her and she answered him with every movement of her form.

She bent her knees and Frodo moaned almost uncontrollably in response as he was caught deeper within her womb. Samantha wrapped her legs around his ankles and slowly dragged one of her feet up the back of his calf. Her toes became an instrument of the most delicious torture he could imagine as she wriggled them over the sensitive skin on the backs of his knees. He suddenly removed his arms from under hers and placed his elbows next to her shoulders so his hands could cradle her head while he pumped his hips to her.

“Oh Samantha, this,” he plunged himself deep into her, “This is all I ever want for the rest of my days, to make love to you, my sweet, sweet wife,” he rasped as his breath covered her cheek. “Love you darling.” With his words he added a twisting movement to his thrusts where his groin came into contact with her feminine core. Waves of ecstasy began to radiate inside her belly.

Frodo’s own satisfaction was fast approaching him. He could no longer postpone his climax, no matter how much he wanted this moment to be never ending. He felt the extreme pressure build within him as his final uncontrollable shove laid his body helpless as he reached his zenith.

He pushed his lips to hers in clumsy passion as he cried out her name. He could feel her small hands clutching desperately at his back. In the distant night he could hear her voice calling out as well.

“Frodo…..Frodo…..again…..again…..it’s happening to me again!” She arched up into him and cried out also. “Yes, yes, oh Frodo, YES!”

“Samantha!” He chanted her name. He groaned as he began to empty his desire into her. His release was powerful and hard; it incapacitated all outside senses and he vanished into the sea that was his lover. He became a living part of her being…..

They became one…..


A sweet stillness engulfed the lovers. Only the sound of labored breathing could be heard in the silence of their room. Sam felt as if she could fall into a deep sleep. Frodo tenderly kissed her and stoked her face as he looked at her in wonder. He wanted to weep with joy. So long, he had waited so long, and almost lost her too many times.

“You are so beautiful Samantha,” he smiled.

“I love you, husband. I love you very much,” she answered.

“Never leave me, never lose me, please, never leave me all alone…..ever,” he whispered.

“I promise,” she said.

“I should have married you long ago Sam-love.”

“And I should have said yes to tea much sooner that I did…..and, Frodo, I should have said yes to you in Bree,” she smiled at his astonished expression.


Weverever was more fulfilling, the build up or the release, neither could decide.

“I like this, right now, the way we are together right now,” Samantha whispered. “No one ever tells a lass how it will be afterwards, when the act of love is finished…..,” she reached up and pushed a stray curl behind Frodo’s ear. A fine sweat covered his hairline. He leaned down to gently kiss her nose, then her lips.

“You were incredible,” he replied, “It was never like that before. I don’t remember it feeling this good.”

“I would hope not,” she giggled but then had trouble inhaling. The exhausted weight of Frodo’s body had begun to press down upon her. He read her discomfort and swiftly pushed himself from atop her. Neither of the lovers were ready for the cold emptiness that followed his retreat from her.

Once enveloped in warmth and protection, Frodo shuddered as he noticed the cruel absence of his wife’s welcoming depths.

Once covered and filled with her husband’s love and care, Samantha gasped as he removed himself from her body and she was left empty and hollow.

The newlyweds desperately cuddled to one another to make up for their unexpected loss. Frodo wrapped Sam in his arms as tightly as he could as she nestled her nose into the small of his throat. He kissed the top of her head and whispered sweet endearments.

“I love you too, sweetie,” she answered back to him. They lay there in silence as soft sounds of the night echoed outside their window. There they stayed, tucked in a mantle of utter contentment.

Frodo could feel Samantha’s body twitch slightly, a precursor he knew signaled she would soon fall into a deep sleep. An idea occurred to him as he recalled how they reassured each other during the cold nights of their journey together. As uncomfortable and painful as those times had been, the memory of how they slept, curled together, had always been a comfort and joy to him.

“Sam,” he gently shook her, “Sam-love.” She raised her face to his and gave him a groggy look through her sleepy grin.

“Hmmmmm?” she asked, her eyes already closed again. He chuckled at how adorable she was when she became drowsy.

“Darling, do you remember how we used to cuddle…..especially after we left Rivendell? Through Moria and out in the wilderness, I would put my arms around you when we slept, to chase your fears away. Then in Mordor, you did the same for me when I was in my darkest moments? Can we sleep like that now? I’ll put my arms around you this time love, can we?” he asked.

“Mmmmm, you mean like spoons?” she replied.

“Yes! Like spoons!”

“That sounds nice, husband, just remember to put the spoons away when you finish washing the dishes, or else Frodo-lad will break them and me Gaffer will kick your arse.” She was lightly sleeping as she rolled over to where her back faced him. He quickly nestled up to her and positioned the front of his body against the backside of her form. He slid one arm under her pillow and the other went immediately to her waist where she unconsciously grabbed his hand and cozied it up between her breasts. He bent his knees and moved his legs against hers. She was fast asleep.

Frodo buried his face into her hair until he could feel the back of her neck with his nose.

“Goodnight, Samantha Baggins,” he whispered.


***From Book I, Chapter X, of The Fellowship of the Ring

****Lines 40 and 41 of, “The Progress of Poesy: A Pindaric Ode,” by Thomas Gray

*****“The Lover Sings of a Garden,” by Helen Hoyt

******“Love’s Springtide,” by Frank Dempster Sherman