What was J.R.R. Tolkien’s first published poem, appearing in 1911?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s first published poem was “The Battle of the Eastern Field,” which appeared in 1911.

The poem was published while Tolkien was still a student at King Edward’s School in Birmingham. Its appearance predates his major Middle-earth books by decades and shows that verse was part of his creative life well before The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings.

This early poem is easy to confuse with later Tolkien poetry. “The Adventures of Tom Bombadil” is the title of a 1962 collection, while “The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun” was published much later, in 1945. Tolkien also wrote poems connected with his invented mythology and with stories that were eventually incorporated into his wider legendarium.

Tolkien’s poetry was not separate from his fiction. Songs, riddles, chants, and lays help carry history and memory throughout his narratives, especially in The Lord of the Rings.