There is so much to learn about this beautiful word – a noun, a verb, and spelled with equal currency and correctness as “highth”. I learn with delight that my mother’s way of saying and writing it – “heighth” – is a lingering touch of the 17th century. I say it that way in my head, though I’ve adapted to the more acceptable spelling. Ahhh, words.

“height | highth, n.” OED Online, Oxford University Press, June 2020, http://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/85484. Accessed 22 June 2020.

Five times out of twelve in the work, the word means “that high place right over there”.

• 01.004 about half our height,
• 01.079 The pines were roaring on the height,
• 06.086 At the best of times heights made Bilbo giddy.
• 07.005 even from their great height,
• 08.132 a river ran out of the heights of the forest
• 11.005 in a height called Ravenhill.
• 12.007 at the height of their wealth
• 14.013 the dragon’s wrath blazed to its height,
• 15.010 This very height was once named Ravenhill,
• 17.031 The dwarves are exceedingly strong for their height,
• 17.048 climbed to the height of the Eastern shoulder
• 17.052 when a cry rang out on the heights above.

I’m including “hear”, “hears”, “heard”, and “unheard”. Word Fans, does “unheard” seem appropriate to you? Such decisions comprise the art that I have found necessary in this project.

• 01.004 which they can hear a mile off.
• 01.006 If you had heard only a quarter of what I have heard about him,
• 01.006 If you had heard only a quarter of what I have heard about him,
• 01.006 and I have only heard very little of all there is to hear,
• 01.006 and I have only heard very little of all there is to hear,
• 01.078 Was sung unheard by men or elves.
• 01.081 The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.
• 01.083 and hear the pine-trees
• 01.095 This is what he heard,
• 01.120 and didn’t you hear our song?
• 01.123 The first we heard of it was
• 01.137 Hear, hear!’ said Bilbo,
• 01.137 Hear, hear!’ said Bilbo,
• 01.138 Hear what?’
• 01.138 Hear what I have got to say!’
• 01.143 he could hear Thorin still humming to himself
• 02.028 and sang songs Bilbo had never heard before.
• 02.038 They have seldom even heard of the king round here,
• 02.048 Of the various burglarious proceedings he had heard of
• 02.072 The dwarves had heard noises from a distance,
• 02.080 not daring to move for fear they should hear him.
• 02.108 They had to hear Bilbo’s account
• 03.011 They could hear the voice of hurrying water
• 03.034 or one or two of the songs that they heard
• 03.037 I have heard that there are still forgotten treasures of old
• 04.005 They could hear the giants guffawing
• 04.012 it was good to hear the wind
• 04.013 but Gandalf would not hear of it.
• 04.025 because of the war which you have heard mentioned,
• 04.043 they began to hear goblin noises
• 04.044 so that do what they could the dwarves heard the cries
• 04.044 Soon they could hear even the flap of the goblin feet,
• 04.050 nor even Gandalf heard them coming.
• 05.001 He could hear nothing,
• 05.008 that men have mostly never heard or have forgotten long ago.
• 05.009 and still he heard no sound of anything
• 05.010 and he could hear,
• 05.034 Fortunately he had once heard something rather like this before,
• 05.038 Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
• 05.039 Bilbo had heard that sort of thing before;
• 05.056 and ogres he had ever heard told of
• 05.089 Bilbo thought he had heard the last of him.
• 05.090 Suddenly he heard a screech.
• 05.091 Bilbo heard him crying.
• 05.105 he heard the hiss loud behind him,
• 05.119 He had heard of such things,
• 05.132 then they’ll have heard his shrieking
• 06.003 when he heard voices.
• 06.020 because I heard him talking to himself.
• 06.025 Bilbo had not heard it.
• 06.028 As soon as Gandalf had heard Bilbo’s yell
• 06.041 and the last faint crashes could be heard
• 06.046 that he could hear the dwarves’ breathing
• 06.049 All of a sudden they heard a howl away down hill,
• 06.050 To hear it out
• 06.061 I will tell you what Gandalf heard,
• 06.066 I hear wolves’ voices!
• 06.067 and hear the howling
• 06.073 He could hear the goblins
• 06.089 No you don’t!’ he heard Dori answering,
• 06.097 in a weak little voice that nobody heard.
• 07.019 when they heard the wizard talking like this to Bilbo.
• 07.023 and I heard him growl
• 07.038 Never heard of him,’
• 07.039 I have heard of you,
• 07.039 if you have not heard of me;
• 07.039 but perhaps you have heard of my good cousin Radagast
• 07.076 That’s the first time I’ve heard eight called a dozen.
• 07.080 That’s the first time I’ve heard one from ten leave fourteen.
• 07.082 when he heard of the hobbit’s reappearance
• 07.090 The best I have heard for a long while.
• 07.093 was heard,
• 07.096 it seemed to Bilbo that he heard a sound
• 07.113 and heard nothing since the night before,
• 07.120 and he heard the same scraping, scuffling,
• 07.126 for I have heard that it carries enchantment
• 07.130 while the forest-road itself, he had heard,
• 07.153 They heard his voice come faintly:
• 08.029 but they heard the sound of hooves quickly falter
• 08.032 it seemed they could hear the noise
• 08.038 At times they heard disquieting laughter.
• 08.042 He could hear the dwarves shouting up at him from far below,
• 08.048 When he heard that there was nothing to eat,
• 08.062 and they heard the voices
• 08.080 That is why the spiders neither saw nor heard him coming.
• 08.094 and also to let the dwarves hear his voice.
• 08.130 had passed over him unheard.
• 09.003 Nor did they hear or feel him trotting along
• 09.014 when he heard Bilbo’s little voice
• 09.022 Then Bilbo heard the king’s butler
• 09.025 When he heard this
• 09.055 he could hear the elves still singing
• 09.056 He heard the creak of the water-gate being hauled up,
• 10.006 the noise of the falls could be heard
• 10.007 he heard the elves speak of
• 10.018 and did not hear the noise x of the unpacking of the dwarves
• 10.040 I have never heard what happened
• 11.027 Bilbo heard this –
• 11.030 At that very moment he heard a sharp crack
• 12.008 hear the rustle of the whispering voices of the others just outside.
• 12.015 Bilbo had heard tell
• 12.017 we’ll hear no more of that.’
• 12.022 The dwarves heard
• 12.028 A whirring noise was heard.
• 12.031 they could hear the roar of the flying dragon grow
• 12.043 and he won’t hear me.
• 12.043 He had forgotten or had never heard about
• 12.045 I hear your breath.
• 12.066 I am pleased to hear
• 12.089 or so I have always heard,’
• 12.092 or we should have heard him.’
• 12.095 Bilbo wished he had never heard them,
• 12.101 they heard the roar
• 13.016 when they heard his voice;
• 13.027 Faintly the dwarves heard his small cries,
• 13.070 Hear, hear!’ cried Bilbo,
• 13.070 Hear, hear!’ cried Bilbo,
• 14.001 to hear news of Smaug,
• 14.020 and of all that it had heard.
• 14.034 were now heard as loudly crying that the dwarves
• 14.040 Beorn had heard it
• 14.041 That will be the last we shall hear
• 15.001 they had not heard or seen any sign of danger.
• 15.009 You must have heard the ugly names
• 15.025 cried the dwarves as if they had not heard him;
• 15.026 As you have heard some of the events already,
• 15.027 they heard that three of their ponies had escaped
• 16.003 Bilbo heard these words
• 16.029 You have not heard of Dain
• 16.031 of which you have no doubt heard.
• 16.034 Let us hear it!’
• 16.045 There is news brewing that even the ravens have not heard.
• 17.002 said Thorin when he heard.
• 17.002 and I will hear,’
• 17.031 when a cry was heard
• 17.061 I have heard songs of many battles,
• 17.065 If the elves could not see him they could hear him.
• 18.010 that your voice was last heard
• 19.001 Bilbo heard the elves still singing
• 19.005 to hear the tale of their adventures.

Sing, sang, sung – there’s nothing like a good old strong verb to start my Monday correctly. Friends, there’s a parallel to be made with Methodist hymns in the last handful of examples – I leave this exercise to the Reader.

I did simultaneously search for “unsung” just in case.

• 01.063 But the dwarves only started to sing:
• 01.072 and then another began to sing as they played,
• 01.072 deep-throated singing of the dwarves
• 01.078 Was sung unheard by men or elves.
• 01.083 As they sang
• 01.084 and the singing had stopped,
• 02.027 and they told stories or sang songs
• 02.028 and sang songs Bilbo had never heard before.
• 02.029 with the kettle just beginning to sing!”
• 03.001 They did not sing or tell stories that day,
• 03.004 and of the kettle singing.
• 03.018 and sang
• 03.024 and sing with us,
• 03.025 Elvish singing is not a thing to miss,
• 03.026 and they sang a merry song as the party went across.
• 03.033 or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing,
• 03.049 and sing upon the midsummer’s eve.
• 04.002 and they did not dare to sing or talk too loud,
• 04.018 The goblins began to sing, or croak,
• 05.006 of which so many songs had sung;
• 06.075 Sing, sing little birds!
• 06.075 Sing, sing little birds!
• 06.075 Why don’t you sing?’
• 06.076 and they went on singing.
• 07.084 and sang songs making fun of us.
• 07.097 and presently they began to sing.
• 07.097 and their singing went on for a long while:
• 07.120 and while the dwarves were still singing songs
• 07.132 and to sing again
• 07.134 Birds began to sing less.
• 08.038 Sometimes there was singing
• 08.038 and the singing was beautiful,
• 08.048 and there was a merry singing,
• 08.070 And hark to the singing
• 08.071 and many were singing.
• 08.094 then dancing among the trees he began to sing a song
• 08.095 This is what he sang:
• 08.098 As he sang he threw some more stones
• 08.102 and went off singing.
• 08.119 and singing suddenly stopped.
• 09.005 and the elf-guards sang as they marched along the twisting,
• 09.039 and singing snatches of song.
• 09.050 So they sang as first one barrel
• 09.052 began to sing a song round the river-door.
• 09.055 he could hear the elves still singing
• 10.008 though some still sang old songs
• 10.008 Some sang too that Thror
• 10.034 Some began to sing snatches of old songs
• 10.036 So they sang,
• 10.037 and sang songs all day,
• 10.045 People sang on the quays
• 11.004 at the singing of old songs by the lake
• 11.019 and never called or sang,
• 12.015 and sing of dragon-hoards before,
• 14.016 the old songs of mirth to come had been sung
• 14.034 and some of those who had before sung the old songs loudest,
• 15.004 and sang;
• 15.004 and again he sang,
• 15.035 and was much like the song they had sung long before
• 18.043 and sang
• 19.001 Bilbo heard the elves still singing
• 19.002 And elves are yet singing
• 19.010 Below it many elves were singing loud
• 19.011 Sing all ye joyful, now sing all together!
• 19.011 Sing all ye joyful, now sing all together!
• 19.013 Sing we now softly, and dreams let us weave him!