Here it is. My dedication to the Professor on his twelfty-sixth birthday, to New Year's festivities and everything in between. Written in the ancient Alcaic stanza, originally thought to be after Horace, but having drifted so far away from him.

Elided vowels are marked by brackets. A literal (though not morpheme-by-morpheme) English translation follows.

A job of the last half-year.

Aukíra n' auré – métima nótima –
yo n' exa lómé, ter queriéva lé,
aiqu[e] Eldaron nosselwa nauva,
en quetuvalme, i•koiviéva

Nár oia kánor. naiti[e] alassion
tyavilye. lályes, lá tyarié rená!
quettalyar anyanyarrar entar
v[i] Ambaro nómi ta lúmi n' Ardo.

Alkaio líril maitaro sampane
nai ortuvanye, hy[a] en koluváse nai
palan Menelde, hyarna•Náré
forway[e] atulya merinye Thílé.

Mentá mekin nin. halla Pelórion
aikasse pell[a], ar ter Kalakirya tá
yo tálinen pá tyelpe•litse
tasse patailuva rúkienka.

Aiy[a] aiya Lámar péllo kelúvar ai:
ve nérion nér, Quent[á] atanív[á] atá
terkáno n' illambínen umbar
túrie tókanuvan Valannar.

Ma mauya ríken lá rie Minyanos:
quettan melehte tyárima fírima;
que koive faryás[a] eldalambin
yú y[ó] ataninnar ekinye pahta.

Meren samilm[e] ar rá koranárion
hrívendis ilyai viryaven anda né,
an exa vanwa Quelle kenna
went atatulya v[e] alasse•Tuile.

Mattá we•tultá, quant[á] i•kilinyuli!
lan mára málor thornave laukatar
ammelda ruimé wenya, mentá
hostalen aistana lissi yuldai

t[a] olpoi lalinquai: limp[e] oluváse wen
er kanwanen limb[á] armiruvóreo:
nai saila Lambengolmo sanwá
oiav[e] ar enyaluvalwe v[i] óri:

'avanwa koiven tyávie lúmeo,
antaita lúmen man poluvan kare?'
rá n' évean mótal kenasta
nossen Atanwa sinar voronwe.

{[One] cuts away the day – final, countable –
and the other night, through the way of turning,
were our kindred to be Elven,
then we'd talk, [as] of life

eternal they are lords. Truly, joys
are what you desire. Do not, remember [how they say:] 'Tis not liking!
these words of yours are being repeated on and on
in the places of Earth and times of the Realm.

By the song of Alcæus – stanza of the wordsmith –
let I arise, or otherwise be carried
in the wide Sky, to the south's Flame[=Sun]
I wish to be fetched and the north's Sheen[=Moon].

Send me [there], I implore. The tall Pelóri's
beyond the peak, and through Kalakirya then
with feet on the silvery sand,
as for me, I will be walking fearlessly.

Ai, ai! The Sounds from my lips would be flowing!
Like the Man of Men, the story [which is] the Second Kindred's Doom again,
as a prophet, in all the tongues
mightily I will retell in front of the Valar.

[But] is it necessary for this achievement to be specifically of the First Kindred?
The might of words can be caused [even when] mortal:
if the life suffices for the Elvish tongues,
then too the Mannish ones I may speak as well.

We also have a feast for the years'
change every Midwinter since long-ago,
for any other begone Autumn is seen
to us with you as a returning Spring of joy:

fetch us the food, fill the drinking-cups!
While blessed friends steadfastly keep warm
our most beloved fire in the hearth, do bring
for our sacred gathering the sweet draughts,

and the laughful bottles: may the mead turn for us
by a single order into the drop of high-Miruvor;
let the thought of the wise Linguist
we also forever recall in hearts:

"It is not possible to choose the time to live,
what can you do with the time given?"
But if you by any chance toil in the name of the future,
That is the faithfulness to the humanity this day.}