<P> The early versions of the poem are recorded in The Treason of Isengard, part of The History of Middle - earth book series by Christopher Tolkien . The first draft of the poem, which at that stage of composition was the only content of Gandalf's letter, reads: </P> <Dl> <Dd> All that is gold does not glitter; </Dd> <Dd> all that is long does not last; </Dd> <Dd> All that is old does not wither; </Dd> <Dd> not all that is over is past . </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> All that is gold does not glitter; </Dd> <Dd> all that is long does not last; </Dd>

Not all those who wander are lost written in elvish