Dark.

The dark filled all the room, and the fire died down, and the shadows were lost, and still they played on. And suddenly first one and then another began to sing as they played, deep-throated singing of the dwarves in the deep places of their ancient homes; and this is like a fragment of their song, if it can be like their song without their music.

Far over the misty mountains cold 

To dungeons deep and caverns old 

We must away ere break of day 

To seek the pale enchanted gold.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells, 

While hammers fell like ringing bells 

In places deep, where dark things sleep, 

In hollow halls beneath the fells.

For ancient king and elvish lord 

There many a gloaming golden hoard 

They shaped and wrought, and light they caught 

To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung 

The flowering stars, on crowns they hung 

The dragon-fire, in twisted wire 

They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Far over the misty mountains cold 

To dungeons deep and caverns old 

We must away, ere break of day, 

To claim our long-forgotten gold.

Goblets they carved there for themselves 

And harps of gold; where no man delves 

There lay they long, and many a song 

Was sung unheard by men or elves.

The pines were roaring on the height, 

The winds were moaning in the night. 

The fire was red, it flaming spread; 

The trees like torches biased with light,

The bells were ringing in the dale 

And men looked up with faces pale; 

The dragon's ire more fierce than fire 

Laid low their towers and houses frail.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon; 

The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom. 

They fled their hall to dying -fall 

Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.

Far over the misty mountains grim 

To dungeons deep and caverns dim 

We must away, ere break of day, 

To win our harps and gold from him!

As they sang the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, a fierce and jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves. Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick. He looked out of the window. The stars were out in a dark sky above the trees. He thought of the jewels of the dwarves shining in dark caverns. Suddenly in the wood beyond The Water a flame leapt up--probably somebody lighting a wood-fire-and he thought of plundering dragons settling on his quiet Hill and kindling it all to flames. He shuddered; and very quickly he was plain Mr. Baggins of Bag-End, Under-Hill, again.

He got up trembling. He had less than half a mind to fetch the lamp, and more than half a mind to pretend to, and go and hide behind the beer barrels in the cellar, and not come out again until all the dwarves had gone away. Suddenly he found that the music and the singing had stopped, and they were all looking at him with eyes shining in the dark.

“Where are you going?” said Thorin, in a tone that seemed to show that he guessed both halves of the hobbit's mind.

“What about a little light?” said Bilbo apologetically. “We like the dark,” said the dwarves. “Dark for dark business! There are many hours before dawn.”

- J.R.R. Tolkien, from The Hobbit, or There And Back Again