The 1st poem
This year’s ants are rushing through
the shell of last year’s snail, but
look―there in the pond
before us, legs slowly swaying,
two wild ducks are taking a lazy swim
Makoto Ooka（Poet, Japan）
Read all the poems
This year’s ants are rushing through
the shell of last year’s snail, but
look―there in the pond
before us, legs slowly swaying,
two wild ducks are taking a lazy swim
Makoto Ooka（Poet, Japan）
Read all the poems
Poem_e
- the 2nd poem
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It shakes the house so quietly!
With stomach-rippling vibrations a gigantic sea lion dashes forward face-down
Is that time? Transparently piercing us
Maiko Sugimoto（Poet, Japan）
- The 3rd poem
- 軍服の肩に飾られる星 国旗にずらりと並ぶ星
レストランの格付けに駆り出される星
失神する主人公の頭上に飛び散る漫画の星
天上の星と違って地上の星たちは忙しい
ときにエトワールの座を競いあって
谷川俊太郎（詩人）
Information
- 2008/2/8
- Now the third series of the Space Poem Chain has been launched. With Mr. Makoto Ooka as supervisor and with Mr. Kiwao Nomura as judge, 24 poems will be compiled and edited by February 2009. Entries from the general public over the internet will be the basis, and these will be combined with contributions from poets and others involved in the arts and sciences. This time we will invite poets inside and outside Japan and call for entries from many people beyond those borders.
In the column of "Comment by the Judge", comments by Mr.Nomura, about each poem selected or contributed, and advises for the next link will be announced.
The first poem was contributed by Mr. Makoto Ooka (poet), the second by Ms. Maiko Sugimoto (poet), and the third by Mr. Junichi Watanabe (Director of the Information Center and Outreach Department at the NINS National Astronomical Observatory).
We invite public applications for the fourth poem (3 lines) following the 5-line poem by Mr. Watanabe. Referring to the Application method and Rules, please send your 3-line poem to the Space Poem Chain Secretariat by email or fax by Monday, September 15 at 3:00pm (Japan Standard Time). The chosen poem will be announced on our website on Friday, September 19. We look forward to your participation.
Topics
- 2008/2/8
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For the 24th and final link, the Japanese poet Mr. Kiwao Nomura has contributed a poem. Mr. Nomura has been appointed as the judge of the third series of Space Poem Chain by Mr. Makoto Ooka, the current judge.
His profile is here.
With this link, the Vol. 2 of the Space Poem Chain has been completed. During its making, we received a total of 729 entries. Some were from people who participated every time, some from those who participated as families, some from those who entered with friends, some from those who participated as a school or a group. There were participants from Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Philippines, Romania, Saipan and the USA.
We extend our thanks to all those who participated in the Space Poem Chain and visited this site.
To commemorate the completion of Vol. 2 of the Space Poem Chain, we will hold a symposium on March 9, 2008, for which we will begin to accept applications on February 8.
More information about the symposium is here.
We look forward to many people attending.
With this, we close Vol. 2 of the Space Poem Chain. The launch of the third stage will be announced on this website as well. See you then!
