Happy Tolkien Day!
Letter 148a From a letter to Katharine Farrer 1954 after publishing Fellowship of the Ring. On Frodo's last quote to Sam, the word Elves, and Sam at the Grey Havens. (good combo of my fave characters ;)
In fact, I was delighted that you stressed the 'morality'. I think actually it is that which gives the story its realness and coherence --which my critics seem to feel--rather than any pictorial vividness. It was not 'planned', of course, but arose naturally in teh attempt to treat the matter seriously; but its now the foundation. FOr me the 'kernel' is in Frodo's lat words to Sam: 'I have been too deeply hurt. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saed, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger, someone has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them... all that I had or might have had, I lave to you.' Bernadette refused to go to Lourdes for her own healing.
Also I think you are right in not using the name Elves. It is hopelessly spoilt. This use of mine really does come down from the time when this stuff was only a 'private' world, and though there will be a note on the Eldar and the anglicization at the end, that is still some way off, and not all (I fancy ) will get there.
I think of inserting at the ned, as Sam stands forlorn, a faint cry over the water, echoing the end of Galadriel's elvish song: namarie, nai hiruvalye Valimar: farewell, maybe you too shall find Valimar. But woudl that spoil the bleak simplicity?