Domine defende nos contra hos Motores bos!

Domine defende nos contra hos Motores bos! is a shared title of a poem "in thirty-one octosyllabic couplets" and a Latin text that were written by J.R.R. Tolkien for The End of Bovadium.

Poem excerpt
Alas! that prayer was never heard:
Jove’s ears, maybe, were rendered surd;
for Motors prolific bred and teemed;
from near and far to Town they streamed,
hunting their prey with hooting shrill
from Iffley turn to Hinksey Hill.
Their stink above the steeples went;
stones were shaken and ears were rent
by din of wheels and engine-blare.
Background

While it is untold when exactly Tolkien first wrote the poem "in thirty-one octosyllabic couplets" and its related Latin text, Christopher Tolkien speculated that the Latin text followed the poem, but was unsure how they both relate to The End of Bovadium since they share details with earlier drafts. In a book review by the Tolkien Collector's Guide, it is suggested that Tolkien may have had the poem From Iffley, an early version of Valedictory, in mind when writing Domine defende nos contra hos Motores bos! due to the mention of "from Iffley" in the poem. They noted in the review that "it is a stark change from the timelessness of the former to the smoke fumes of the" latter.

Referencias

1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 25/05/2026.

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