From the first book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J R R Tolkien
The Moon now shone upon the grey
face of the rock; but they could see nothing else for a while. Then slowly on
the surface, where the wizard's hands had passed, faint lines appeared, like
slender veins of silver running in the stone. At first they were no more than
pale gossamer-threads, so fine that they only twinkled fitfully where the Moon
caught them, but steadily they grew broader and clearer, until their design
could be guessed.
At the top, as high as Gandalf
could reach, was an arch of interlacing letters in an Elvish character. Below,
though the threads were in places blurred or broken, the outline could be seen
of an anvil and a hammer surmounted by a crown with seven stars. Beneath these
again were two trees, each bearing crescent moons. More clearly than all else
there shone forth in the middle of the door a single star with many rays.
'There are the emblems of Durin!'
cried Gimli.
'And there is the Tree of the
High Elves!' said Legolas.
'And the Star of the House of
Feanor,' said Gandalf. 'They are wrought of ithildin that mirrors only
starlight and moonlight, and sleeps until it is touched by one who speaks words
now long forgotten in Middle-earth. It is long since I heard them, and I
thought deeply before I could recall them to my mind.'
'What does the writing say?'
asked Frodo, who was trying to decipher the inscription on the arch. 'I thought
I knew the elf-letters but I cannot read these.'
'The words are in the
elven-tongue of the West of Middle-earth in the Elder Days,' answered Gandalf.
'But they do not say anything of importance to us. They say only: The Doors of
Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter. And underneath small and faint
is written: I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs. '
Picking up his staff he stood before the rock and said in a
clear voice: Mellon! The star shone out briefly and faded again. Then silently
a great doorway was outlined, though not a crack or joint had been visible
before. Slowly it divided in the middle and swung outwards inch by inch, until
both doors lay back against the wall. Through the opening a shadowy stair could
be seen climbing steeply up; but beyond the lower steps the darkness was deeper
than the night.
My picture take on it