--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For it is now to us itself ancient; and…" description: "\"“For it is now to us itself ancient; and yet its maker was telling of things already old and weighted with regret, and he expended his art in making ke..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/j-r-r-tolkien-204_ancient_for-it-is-now-to-us-itself-ancient-and-y_3071418.jpg" --- # For it is now to us itself ancient; and yet its maker was… ![“For it is now to us itself ancient; and yet its maker was telling of things already old and weighted with regret, and he expended his art in making keen that touch upon the heart which sorrows have that are both poignant and remote.” quote by J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/j-r-r-tolkien-204_ancient_for-it-is-now-to-us-itself-ancient-and-y_3071418.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/j-r-r-tolkien-204_ancient_for-it-is-now-to-us-itself-ancient-and-y_3071418.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/j-r-r-tolkien-204_ancient_for-it-is-now-to-us-itself-ancient-and-y_3071418.jpg) > ““For it is now to us itself ancient; and yet its maker was telling of things already old and weighted with regret, and he expended his art in making keen that touch upon the heart which sorrows have that are both poignant and remote.”” [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ancient stories carry timeless sorrow, reflecting humanity's recurring regrets and the weight of history on the heart. **In simple terms:** Old tales echo deep sorrow. Key Takeaway Learn from past regrets to ease present pain. Themes history regret memory empathy Mood melancholic contemplative Type mythic literary When to use this quote - grieving - historical study - personal reflection Key Concepts mythology psychology literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - What ancient regret resonates with you? - How can acknowledging sorrow foster healing? A Different Perspective Focusing on past sorrows can hinder moving forward. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Ancient Maker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-maker-5197853/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Beowulf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beowulf/) [Heart Sorrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-sorrows-1188276/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Poignant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poignant/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Regret Expended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret-expended-5197854/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Sorrows Poignant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrows-poignant-1596418/) [Things Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-old-446798/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [There are few sorrows, however poignant, in which a good income is of no avail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-few-sorrows-however-poignant-in-which-a-good-income-is-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If the heart sorrows over physical loss, the spirit rejoices over hope of understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-kak/if-the-heart-sorrows-over-physical-loss-the-spirit-rejoices-over-hope/) [Subhash Kak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-kak/) > [“May your heart be mine, may my heart be yours. May your sorrows be mine, may my joys be yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/may-your-heart-be-mine-may-my-heart-be-yours-may-your-sorrows-be-mine/) [Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/) > [“A man inherited a field in which was an accumulation of old stone, part of an older hall. Of the old stone some had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/a-man-inherited-a-field-in-which-was-an-accumulation-of-old-stone/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [In my writing, I strive for a lyrical beauty somewhere between Tolkien at his best and Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/in-my-writing-i-strive-for-a-lyrical-beauty-somewhere-between-tolkien/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [“And a young prince must be prudent like that, giving freely while his father lives so that afterwards, in age when fighting starts steadfast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/and-a-young-prince-must-be-prudent-like-that-giving-freely-while-his/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [“A ring-whorled prow rode in the harbour, ice-clad, outbound, a craft for a prince. They stretched their beloved lord in his boat, laid out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/a-ring-whorled-prow-rode-in-the-harbour-ice-clad-outbound-a-craft-for/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [Quickly, the dragon came at him, encouraged As Beowulf fell back; its breath flared, And he suffered, wrapped around in swirling Flames -- a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burton-raffel/quickly-the-dragon-came-at-him-encouraged-as-beowulf-fell-back-its/) [Burton Raffel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burton-raffel/) > [To encounter 'Beowulf' is like taking a sledgehammer to a quarry face. You must bang in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/to-encounter-beowulf-is-like-taking-a-sledgehammer-to-a-quarry-face/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [We took Beowulf, the epic poem in Old English, and put it right together with John Gardner's contemporary retelling. If you bring it into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-taymor/we-took-beowulf-the-epic-poem-in-old-english-and-put-it-right/) [Julie Taymor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-taymor/) > [“4. The whole Icarus-flying-too-near-the-sun-and-plummeting-out-of-the-sky thing? That's real. Same with the Sirens who lure you to death with their irresistible song, and the odalisque so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-hanson/4-the-whole-icarus-flying-too-near-the-sun-and-plummeting-out-of-the/) [Todd Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-hanson/) > [“Eleven or twelve hundred years ago the poem Beowulf explored the contradictions of treasure: jewels and gold that when they have been bard won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-keene/eleven-or-twelve-hundred-years-ago-the-poem-beowulf-explored-the/) [Suzanne Keene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-keene/) > [Beloved Beowulf, remember how you boasted, Once, that nothing in the world would ever Destroy your fame; fight to keep it, Now, be strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burton-raffel/beloved-beowulf-remember-how-you-boasted-once-that-nothing-in-the/) [Burton Raffel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burton-raffel/) > [When the man who knows all about the fruit fly chromosomes finds himself sitting next to an authority on Beowulf, there may be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brand-blanshard/when-the-man-who-knows-all-about-the-fruit-fly-chromosomes-finds/) [Brand Blanshard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brand-blanshard/) > [Just don't take any class where you have to read BEOWULF.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/just-don-t-take-any-class-where-you-have-to-read-beowulf/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) ## More by J.R.R. Tolkien > [“I will vouch for him before the seat of Denethor,' said Gandalf. 'And as for valour, that cannot be computed by stature. He has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/i-will-vouch-for-him-before-the-seat-of-denethor-said-gandalf-and-as/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“I have chosen Mr Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you. If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/i-have-chosen-mr-baggins-and-that-ought-to-be-enough-for-all-of-you/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“he can see through a brick wall in time (as they say in Bree). But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/he-can-see-through-a-brick-wall-in-time-as-they-say-in-bree-but/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“No todos los que vagan están perdidos”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/no-todos-los-que-vagan-est-n-perdidos/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“The consolation of fairy-stories, the joy of the happy ending; or more correctly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous "turn" (for there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/the-consolation-of-fairy-stories-the-joy-of-the-happy-ending-or-more/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“Sméagol won't grub for roots and carrotses and - taters. What's taters, precious, eh, what's taters?' 'Po-ta-toes,' said Sam. 'The Gaffer's delight, and rare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/sm-agol-won-t-grub-for-roots-and-carrotses-and-taters-what-s-taters/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“But the Queen Arwen said: 'A gift I will give you. For I am the daughter of Elrond. I shall not go with him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/but-the-queen-arwen-said-a-gift-i-will-give-you-for-i-am-the-daughter/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“If you lived near the edge of Mirkwood, you would take the word of no one that you did not know as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/if-you-lived-near-the-edge-of-mirkwood-you-would-take-the-word-of-no/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“He was dark-haired as his mother, and promised to be like her in mood also; for he was not merry, and spoke little, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/he-was-dark-haired-as-his-mother-and-promised-to-be-like-her-in-mood/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“Sam: Mordor. The one place in Middle-earth we don't want to see any closer, and the one place we're trying to get to. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/sam-mordor-the-one-place-in-middle-earth-we-don-t-want-to-see-any/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“May your beer be laid under an enchantment of surpassing excellence for seven years!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/may-your-beer-be-laid-under-an-enchantment-of-surpassing-excellence/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“Though sword shall be rusted, And throne and crown perish With strength that men trusted And wealth that they cherish, Here grass is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/though-sword-shall-be-rusted-and-throne-and-crown-perish-with/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“Seguid si es vuestro deber —dijo—, yo me echaré aquí a dormir y a soñar con comida, ya que no puedo tenerla de otro…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/seguid-si-es-vuestro-deber-dijo-yo-me-echar-aqu-a-dormir-y-a-so-ar/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“Co to mělo v kapšiškách? Nechtělo to říct, ne, milášku. Podvodníšek mrňavá. Nefér otázka. Podvádělo to první. Poruššilo to pravidla. Měli šme to žmáčknout,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/co-to-m-lo-v-kap-i-k-ch-necht-lo-to-ct-ne-mil-ku-podvodn-ek-mr-av-nef/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“it is horrible being all alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/it-is-horrible-being-all-alone/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) [Explore all 857 J.R.R. Tolkien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) ## More Ancient quotes > [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/in-ancient-times-those-who-wished-to-illuminate-the-world-with-virtue/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [I don't know if I've come of age, but I'm certainly older now. I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [Men must speak English who can write Sanskrit; they must speak a modern language who write, perchance, an ancient and universal one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-must-speak-english-who-can-write-sanskrit-they-must-speak-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [So too, monks, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/so-too-monks-i-saw-the-ancient-path-the-ancient-road-traveled-by-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Those of us with this ancient compulsion to tell stories sometimes start with a single kernel of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/those-of-us-with-this-ancient-compulsion-to-tell-stories-sometimes/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [All the stories I have told you are finally as useless as all ancient knowledge is to man and to us. Its images and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/all-the-stories-i-have-told-you-are-finally-as-useless-as-all-ancient/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/so-what-if-i-m-ninety-three-so-what-if-i-m-ancient-and-cranky-and-my/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [Science has revealed a universe that is vast, ancient, violent, strange, and beautiful, a universe of almost infinite variety and possibility one in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/science-has-revealed-a-universe-that-is-vast-ancient-violent-strange/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) [Browse all 2,415 Ancient quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For it is now to us itself ancient; and yet its maker was telling of things already old and weighted with regret, and he expended his art in making keen that touch upon the heart which sorrows have that are both poignant and remote.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J.R.R. Tolkien" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/for-it-is-now-to-us-itself-ancient-and-yet-its-maker-was-telling-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancient" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/for-it-is-now-to-us-itself-ancient-and-yet-its-maker-was-telling-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/j-r-r-tolkien-204_ancient_for-it-is-now-to-us-itself-ancient-and-y_3071418.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/j-r-r-tolkien-204_ancient_for-it-is-now-to-us-itself-ancient-and-y_3071418.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/j-r-r-tolkien-204_ancient_for-it-is-now-to-us-itself-ancient-and-y_3071418.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For it is now to us itself ancient; and yet its maker was telling of things already old and weighted with…” — J.R.R. Tolkien", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "J.R.R. Tolkien", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“For it is now to us...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/for-it-is-now-to-us-itself-ancient-and-yet-its-maker-was-telling-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/for-it-is-now-to-us-itself-ancient-and-yet-its-maker-was-telling-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```