The Poetry Thread

[SiberianTiger]

Come on, I don't believe that no a single one among us, the space geeks, have ever written a verse! Share your artistic experiments, whatever they are, with everybody here.

In my own case, I'll participate with others' poetry translated into English. Since English is not my native language, I would appreciate native speakers commenting on if they notice a ridiculous choice of a word or a messed up grammar, etc. On the other hand, I don't want this thread to be only mine playground... So, please, participate!


-----Posted Added-----


The first turn would be...

My friend whom I know for a long time, once written a fan poetry about the Babylon 5 universe. She also performed this and other small fan poems as songs - all in Russian, of course. I've taken some effort and put one of them into English words. The youtube flicks are here for better immersion into the subject. Enjoy.

Londo Mollari's Monologue
Text, music and song: Na'Toth
Translation: SiberianTiger

Flow agush, jhala, into my vial
You are tasting of blood and of horror,
I am drinking to deafen my trial,
I am drinking to deaden my dolor.
Staying drunk - that is now my obsession,
Very mildest of all my disgraces,
Just to not see this merry expression
On Centauri stupid faces.

Now Centauri Prime's jubilizing,
The Centauri people are rejoicing.
How comes it, I feel agonizing,
Like if I've drained a cup of a poison?
Perky Narns shall be taught a lesson:
What it matters to tax our patience.
So why this is so deadly depressing
When I'm getting another war message?

I was certainly thinking of revenge,
But my vision was never so scary:
Our deeds were the deeds of a savage,
Honour must be forsaken forever.
It's no matter how much I am drinking,
I'm besieged by the scorching sensations:
Devastation of Narn, millions screaming,
And G'Kar, with a look of damnation.

 

[tblaxland]

Great thread, ST! I'm not much one for writing poetry but I don't mind reading it. I look forward to seeing what others have.

Are you looking for just space poetry, or broader subjects?

 

[SiberianTiger]

Are you looking for just space poetry, or broader subjects?

Anything. I endorse freedom of self-expression.

 

[jedidia]

Uff, being a musican, I have lots of it, but not much digitized... I prefer notebooks. Will take a look.

 

[GregBurch]

Broken Chalice, a poem I wrote 12 years ago about the Galileo Jupiter mission:

http://www.gregburch.net/writing/galileo1.htm

 

[jedidia]

Greg, that's great! you should do one for the Probe! :speakcool:

 

[ar81]

My mother is a pencil
The car is sad
The sky is Mary
Economy is in peril
on a landing pad
so poetry is not scary.

Geez. Am I a talented poet? :lol::rofl:

 

[David]

That was pretty impressive, Greg. Thanks.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

A few Haiku's:
Over a Mountain
The sunrise greets us daily
Welcoming the Day

A star shines brightly
I see it drawing near me
A delta glider

Non haiku's:
Faster than light it can't be done
Nothing can be faster than what comes from the sun
But someday I will be the first one

It is my dream of flying fast
Leaving light behind on an antimatter blast

 

[thegrogen]

Aerobraking

I began far out, far away,
over centuries closing the distance,
and then passing by. But always
did I miss, by hundreds of miles,
drifting silently and lifelessly past,
until one lucky autumn, one lucky day
I encountered an atmosphere.


Slowly at first I begin to turn,
becoming stable, the sky still black
as I point my head forward.
High above the world I slow,
though not yet burning I am captured;
it is only a matter of time.


The subtle whisper of wind dies
as triumphant I rush free, rising
still at great speed. But swiftly
again I begin to slow, altitude peaking,
at the top of the arc, the apogee,
and on the night-side I begin to fall.


Blue bands rising to meet me again,
the whisper now increasing in a stiff crescendo
to a wanton shriek, a banshee's siren
warbling through flames melting off my skin,
and yet it feels good, right, perfect,
or is it only anticipation of the next pass
that makes it so? I rise again, for the third time
rushing towards the stars, slowing, peaking.


One last time I streak screaming towards the sunrise,
azure airglow enfolding me in a fiery embrace,
this time slowing me enough that I go down, down
down 'til the sky shines robins-egg blue
and the sun a fiery yellow, as my own flames die
leaving behind a cherry-red gleam, turning to blackness.
Passing through clouds, a moment of white-out
and then I'm through, still slowing, heat dissipating,
approaching terminal velocity.


Ground rising. Closer.
Closer!
And then I'll hear your voice calling my name,
and I'll open my eyes
to see you smiling.

 

[David]

That one was really good, too.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Here's another translation of a B5-inspired poetry done by me.

Author: Tatiana Yanalina

My last hope is slowly dissolving
Despaired, I'm clenching my fist.
I'd like to feel peaceful and calmly,
Not like an anguished beast.

I want to see an evening of summer,
And still bright yet declining sun.
But my time keeps so rapidly running,
When death comes, it's never undone.

Dust will cover all today's grandeur,
And time will erase our footprints.
And sometimes will marvel newcomers
At the tragic and heroic deeds.

Once over, the leaves will have blossomed,
The sky will have cleared of clouds.
And once again, someone will get shocked
By the simple and ancient truth:

We all are the voices of Universe,
Its only embodiment of life,
Composing the lines of a great verse.
By us it can be glorified.

If only someone will get silenced,
Will leave his position in the ring,
Will vanish destroying the balance,
Departing forever to seas,

If he will get destiny's sentence,
With a war carrying out verdict -
That's all. This will mean that his absence
To us mortal blow will inflict.

Sun is almost touching horizon
Reflections are lighting the wall.
And raising my both hands so wizen
I bless both this time and this world.

That's all. I am barely living.
Asylum stays ready for me to receive.
And perhaps in early morning
As clearly expected, I'll leave.

I go, I have nothing to yearn for,
I take with me nothing which hurts.
I travel beyond the point of no return,
To the sky, full of stars.

 

[steph]

A short poem I wrote after seeing Terminator 2
Thousands of cries
Torn down by lies
Battered by the hail
All defenses seem so frail

Darkening the skies
All hope dies
Masses plunge in fire
Futile fight against eternal pyre

But it's just a glance
At the disappearing chance
Sinking in despair
They don't seem to care

Endless factions march with hate
Blind to their fate
Met the end in bloody clashes
Dying under falling ashes

Burning hatred in their mind
There's no more hope to find
For we've been too blind
Sealed the fate of human kind.

 

[Suzy]

A somewhat morbid ISS poem I wrote in 2001 :lol::

There goes the neighborhood...

On Space Station Alpha
Orbiting high in the sky,
Three spacemen watched
As their planet died.

An asteroid had appeared
From the depths of space,
Slamming into the Earth
And thus sealing Man’s fate.

The tremendous impact
Split the world to its core;
Red magma erupted
With a thunderous roar.

The vast oceans seethed
With kilometers-high waves,
As dust in the atmosphere
Darkened this last day.

In the ensuing chaos
Most life on Earth died
Humans followed the dinosaurs
Into an eternal night.

Earth was no longer blue
But covered with clouds
That enveloped the planet
Like a mourning shroud.

The three men on Alpha
Could only watch in despair;
Unable to return home –
It was Armageddon down there.

Two Russians, one American
Were all that was left;
And now they could only wait
For their own certain deaths.

They called Mission Control
Again and again in disbelief;
But only static replied –
And for loved ones they grieved.

As the weeks passed
Their supplies ran low;
They had no one to turn to
And nowhere to go.

One by one the men perished
As Alpha’s systems shut down;
Their corpses floated silently,
Never to be buried underground.

The Space Station had become
A cold orbital tomb;
It would circle the Earth,
Till it met its own fiery doom.

​

 

[tblaxland]

A somewhat morbid ISS poem I wrote in 2001 :lol:

Morbid indeed but I really enjoyed it :speakcool:

 

[SiberianTiger]

Suzy,

Your poems are very impressive. Would you mind posting more of them in this thread?


-----Posted Added-----

In my own case, I'll participate with others' poetry translated into English.

Okay, and this time this is a song originally performed by one quite well known Russian rock musician, Boris Grebenschikov. The music itself if quite far from being a rock, however:

THE GOLDEN TOWN

In a distant dream land, there is a golden town
With tall and clear gateway, and shining morning star.
All over are the greens, the grass and flower beds
And there you can find the beasts, with looks of perfect grace.

The first is like a lion bright as flame,
Another one is ox with tender eyes.
Also you can see with them an eagle,
Whom you can't forget once having seen in sky.

Defying the daylight, there shines a lonely star.
It's yours, my angel, only yours; be happy and be calm.
Who loves, is always loved. Who shines, is a holy one.
So trust the star and let it guide you to the promised town.

You shall be met by lion bright as flame,
By ox who looks at you with tender eyes.
Also you will see with them an eagle,
Whom you can't forget once having seen in sky.

 

[T.Neo]

Surveying Meridiani

I apologise if I'm "bumping" this thread or anything.

Surveying Meridiani:
Meridiani is a nice place. It's quiet, no people, maybe a bit dusty, and the air a bit thin, but the views are spectacular. Those butterscotch days at noon, those violet sunsets. Rock-strewn vistas as far as the eye can see.
And the morning star, is stunning. a busy little world, all marbled blue and white.

And somewhere in Meridiani, is a small thing. Odd, a golden box with six wheels, a satellite dish stuck on top, and a tool on the end of an arm, like a geologist's hammer. An Opportunity.

You see, no human has ever set foot on Meridiani Planum. And that is why I am surveying it from a couple of million miles away.

You see,

Meridiani is on Mars.

 

[Omhra]

OK I'll take a crack at his poetry thing.
This is a prose I wrote a while back When G.W.B "took" 1st term and the "Patriot Act" was passed. Iraq became an extension to the war in "terror". When science (in class rooms) became threatened by religiously biased legislation... And some wanted "The" ten commandments in the court houses... meanwhile Hubble was looking to the furthest reach in the deep field for the first time... Its dark and gloomy .. but at the very end there is hope.
I hope to offend no one, yet I hope it puts perspective on our day to day choices.





Light thoughts for a Night.

Welcome to the night of time. Welcome my wonderful creatures you, how free and sublime you are. Oh, so unaware of the darkness that enshrouds you and prompts you to detect, deduce and point to others not like you. So vulnerable, unprotected from a faceless foe on someone else's agenda on someone else's banking profile, or on your own mirror. Unknowing of the eternal boundless nature of the communal sentient existence amongst the living, and lacking knowledge and understanding of the lasting and perennial shifts in the essence, locality and forms of life, you seek its control. Forgotten fractured mortal's freedom glitters broken pieces on the ground as the stars become clouded to forgetful eyes, yet they shine in all the greatness that they hold, and the last of the feathers are torn. Welcome my tiny luminous creatures. Welcome to the paradigm of times.
All secrets are revealed one by one and a real threat for the powerful has been born.
Let the long night through the careless enterprises of your frail minds erase the annals and the diagrams, condemn all that is secular and canonize your forms of expression.
For form and motion are function; the vehicles for this brief experience and thought the manifestation... and happiness the motive. Yet this night is to sense the fashions of the nations, and cleanse the races from impurity and lack of likeness.
In secluded rooms you gather to imagine, picture and promulgate, to all, for the sake of comforting your mind against all wisdom, the face of a glorious faceless God. And to strike fear into the hearts of the weak and the plain, of life and of death. Cast aside those unlike you, cast them down to the depths of misery, and there you too shall meet with them. Oh Sweet night of hate and pain aide the powers that be and bring the pride of a nation to rise, to dominate and chastise, and claim all for her. Let the fires of hell run wild and the blood with red grip stain the gravel. And let life continue as it has, for all of the fools who crave it. It is time to set the teachings of masters of peace and love to rest and show to yourselves that, even though the meaning and origins of your lives are a mystery to you, you can surely terminate other forms of it.

Tenacious critters you! Wanting a clean world you burn and burn in complete ignorance, using up all that you find use for. Careless decimation of resources and energy create comforts and, short of sustaining them for long spans of time, you race to use all that you can. Oh terrible night. Oh dark night.

Great dawn come and wake us clean. Take us and shape us to the image of that which we cannot see. Give us the sense to see the flood of light amongst the stars.

---

 

[Suzy]

A solo Mars mission (written in 2001):

I have stood in an alien desert
And seen Earth as the morning star
I have crossed the dark void from my homeworld
And sailed in my spaceship to Mars.

Throughout my long and perilous journey
I have been on my own –
But distant voices from Earth comfort me
As over the Red Planet I roam.

Only the wind moves on this dead world
Vast dust storms cover the sky
Huge volcanoes tower into the heavens
I am a mote in the land of the giants.

Water once flowed through this arid land
Perhaps life flourished here, too
But only the Monuments of Mars now remain –
Silent sentinels of doom.

My lander is a lonely outpost
On this world, my home and refuge
But should Mars turn against me
It will become my tomb.

My footsteps are the first on the Red Planet
I hope they will not be the last
Others will make landfall here
As humanity reaches for the stars.

High above Mars in orbit
United with my spaceship once more
I take in one final view
Of the planet on which I first walked.

Deep in a months-long slumber
I sail through a sea of night
Cradled in the womb of my spaceship
I am bathed in ancient starlight.

My eyes open after my long sleep
To behold the sight of blue Earth
An oasis in a vast, dark desert
I am welcomed by the planet of my birth.​

 

[n72.75]

that's very nice.