: Jesse - love your post and the reading responses it has received. First - off the main point - I always loved "Stairway to Heaven" because I always felt it was entirely about Galadriel - full of wonderfully veiled referrences that only Tolkien lovers would "get" while masquerading as a popular rock hit. A re-working of the song she sings as the Fellowship leaves Lorien and after she has resisted the temptation of the Ring "what ship would bear me ever back across so wide a sea?" This now brings me to my real point: Besides loving the story and Tolkien's ability I have been affected by Tolkien's poetry. Ever since my first reading (in 1975)I found myself easily memorizing various "songs" from the book. Have you ever heard the album made by Donald Swann? Several of the poems are put to music; lovely, old-fashioned, single piano, non-technical melodies that evoke just the right tone. Besides that you get Tolkien himself speaking both an Elvish "prayer" and reading "Tom Bombadil".

: Whenever I walk in the woods (I go backpacking a lot) or even if I'm just out under a moonlit or starlit sky I find myself chanting his poetry. And yeah, I DO get a feeling looking at sunsets that comes directly from the idea of "the West". Or on a beach when you see a tiny sail way out there -is it Frodo? And - I know this sounds corny - when the stress of life builds up or some horrible thing happens, I'm able to think of Sam in the Tower of Cirith Ungol when all seemed lost, and that he sings to himself "I will not say the day is done, nor bid the stars farewell".

: And finally, I never thought of trees as really living things until I met Ents. Like Legolas on the edge of Lothlorien I explore even the bark of trees, touching it to feel its breathing.

: In every wood, in every Spring, there is a different green.

: That is a very interesting interpretation of that song, I never heard that one or thought of Galadrial but it makes sense. I actually could not figure out what the entire song meant, but I heard Robert Plant say he ripped off Tolkien in a lot of his lyrics (which is obvious). I assumed the line about the West was an example of his Tolkien "rip-offs" but, (at least in the context of LotR), I could not connect the rest of the words to form a clear meaning (or recognizable story)---Thank you for clearing that up.
I think for me, there have been a number of things which contributed to the magic the west holds (which Zepplin summed up so beautifully in those 11 words). Most likely the genesis of it is due to my childhood experience. A path below the "powerlines" started behind my house and ran west to the unknown horizon. For a young child full of imagination--what lay at the end? A pot of gold, a magical land etc. Combine imagination with the natural awe you feel when you look to the horizon, or across the ocean etc. and you, (at least I) am flooded with thoughts of an otherness. I think this has been the inspiration for the creation of many fascinating places, perhaps even Tolkiens Undying Lands. If I am not making sense I apologize, I do not want to "Ramble On"--ha ha--sorry. Back to my point--there are many other things which probably contributed to the magic but Tolkien, by magnifying those feelings with his writting style, really brought the ideas forth from my sub-conscious. If it were not for Tolkien those thoughts probably would never have been brought to fruition.

: I am interested in the album you mentioned. Could you tell me if it can still be bought, and where I could find it ? I also have a poem I wrote a while ago on my thoughts above, you might enjoy--perhaps I could send it to you for comments/criticism?
You can E-mail me at MythikWolf if you're so inclined just mark Tolkien as subject.