Jenom elfem být Teskná Elfská I. věk Epická

This is very personal song for me, which arose by itself while working on another, related song called “A New Star.” In this other song, Maedhros and Maglor are watching a new star that has just risen in the West and discuss, what it is and what does it mean. They realize they are looking at their father's Silmaril, but have quite the opposite opinions about what it means.

Maedhros sees the Star as an incentive to keep fighting for the remaining two Silmarils and even perhaps get killed in the process, because death is the only thing that will free them. He is now resigned to the fact that there is no other way for them – they must try, die, and then seek purification of their fëar in the Halls of Mandos. But Maglor sees it differently. In the Star he sees a promise of help, he sees hope and wants to believe in it. He wants to live in it – because he sees the liberation in a normal, ordinary life with loved ones by his side. However, he runs into a wall of fierceness of his older brother, who still has the upper hand as the head of the First House of the Noldor…

For a long time, I wasn’t able to finish this other song and meanwhile Maglor spoke to me and told me, what he desires. The song “To Be Just an Elf” was completely written in two days – not only the lyrics, but also the music and especially the organ finale. I didn’t make it up, I just suddenly heard it in my mind. Maglor's last sigh - a cry: "To be just an elf!" and the organ, which thunders and takes over, expands his theme and brings it to its finale.

I was very satisfied, that I was allowed to play Maglor in “The Voyage of Eärendil” performance and sing this song by myself. But unfortunately, the organ finale did not come out right on any of the two performances given and that was the main impetus to promptly record and publish this song in the form in which it was intended to be heard.

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English translation of Czech lyrics of the song:

To Be Just an Elf

If I could simply live,

free myself of the chains

Of oaths, curses, eternal wrongs.

To rest with a pure soul!

It is not enough to want,

To try to keep direction, to boldly sail home.

The West is closed,

Even when I wish to kneel before the Valar!

If only I could be just an elf.

Relinquish idle cries,

Hope that one day,

They will allow us to

Pass through life as an elf should:

To be a father, a husband, a son.

I don’t want to keep regretting!

I wish to love and dream as before,

To sing to the stars, to hear the laughter.

To drive away the shadow after the dark centuries,

To believe in happiness again.

Mandos is not a goal

of Eldar’s life.

I can still breathe.

So I want to be just an elf!