Post by Andorinha on Feb 12, 2009 10:23:43 GMT -6
February 2003 Poetry Contest
______________________________________________________
Reply
Message 1 of 11 in Discussion
From: Olórië
Sent: 2/5/2003 11:15 PM
You may have noticed by now that your humble Sage is fond of timely contest topics -- especially if they're broad enough to permit many interpretations. So when this topic idea came up in chat, it seemed perfect for February, when all hearts turn to, well, hearts:
Love in Arda
Your poem can be on any aspect of the topic; it may be written from any perspective. It can relate to the topic directly, or approach it in a roundabout way. This topic truly does allow many interpretations: besides the romantic kind (Aragorn loves Arwen, Luthien loves Beren), love comes in many forms and Tolkien has written about most of those, too. Here are just a few examples that came up in chat:
Gandalf loves Middle-earth
Sam loves Bill the Pony
Thorin loved the Arkenstone
Hobbits love mushrooms
Boromir loved Gondor
The Fellowship love each other
And so on. Now it's your turn. Use your creativity and share your vision!
The contest begins NOW and all entries are due before midnight on February 28. Once submitted, the poem will be considered 'final' and no further modifications should be made. The poems will be judged by member votes after the close of the contest.
No length guidelines, although the "No Epics, please" rule still holds. (We pushed that a little last month, I think. I'm guilty.)
If you have any questions, just email me (click on my name at the top of this message to get my email address).
NOTE: If you plan to participate in this contest, you may wish not to read the rest of this thread before you submit your own poem. It might affect your ability to remain "original." Then again, you may be able to draw inspiration from seeing others' work. It's your choice!
Have fun, and GO !!!
____________________________________________________
Reply
Message 2 of 11 in Discussion
From: Endirion
Sent: 2/10/2003 6:05 PM
Ecthelion's seat, mother-home of man,
The White City stands, guarding 'gainst Shadow,
Warding Darkness from the lands of all.
Seven times girt with alabastar walls,
Steward's Keep and Trust and Tomb.
City of the White Tower, the One Tree.
As seven walls enclose her, seven gifts embue her sons;
Honor bright, Courage and Truth, Fidelity to thee;
Virtue pure, Strength and Boldness 'gainst thy foes.
Gondor's gleaming crown and fairest gem,
Womb and Mother of stalwart sons,
Shield of the West, Dark-Lord's bane.
White Tower 'gainst Black, Light against Dark,
Dam against Anarch's flood of evil,
Blessed City of Mankind.
Each Son of Gondor's deepest vow;
To breathe our last, and fall, ere any stain
Of Darkness touch thy blessed walls.
We adore thee and defend thee;
Thou, the heart-love of Gondor's sons.
Minas Tirith, Queen of Cities.
______________________________________________________
Reply
Message 3 of 11 in Discussion
From: Glorfindle
Sent: 2/10/2003 11:53 PM
TOLKIEN LOVES ARDA
A thought, a theme, a world
I saw my mothers smile in the heat of Africa
Hilary looked up at me when our father died
Our ship sailed back to England
The trees in Sarehole welcomed me back home
Hilary and I ran over the hills for four years
It was the favorite time in my life
Mabel taught me God, England taught me Sir Edwards School
We moved to Birmingham in Mosely, Sarehole was gone forever
But I found my voice in a language
My sweet mother died of sugar at Rednal and Aunt Bea took us
Edith smiled at me from a door I dare not cross
And the cross looked down at me and denied Oxford
Finally Oxford, then Switzerland, then Edith of my life forever.
Together finally, then WAR takes it all from me, and I am gone
To Germany I go, and fever and nightmares return with me
Alone for a long while in hospital does the fever of my mind grow
To a land of Mordor, where many shadows go
I think of Sarehole, Mabel and Edith....I pass my hand over my eyes
Then there were sons and a daughter and life
A beauteous Luthien to remain as my wife
And tales to tell and tales to make
And ryhmes that were found in war's hellish wake
The world opened now before my wide eyes
Still colored by nightmares that still made me cry
But children and stories and a world that belied
All the hate and the fury we still wish to hide
For in a gentle hole, there dwelled a gentle Hobbit
A hole from Sarehole, and Africa's sun could not rob it
Nor the trenches of death, nor the halls of Oxford
Could steal fom my children a dishonest word
And as you sleep dear children of mine
And as I kiss each one of you in kind
Remember from Father comes at least this one thing
I give you a world where the crownless are King
___________________________________________________
Reply
Message 4 of 11 in Discussion
From: Colleen
Sent: 2/13/2003 9:28 PM
A Wraith’s Reverence
<o:p></o:p>
He whispered to me so none could hear
In secrecy he called me near
To bathe me in darkness and clothe me in fear
I heeded him, for his power and strength I did revere.
<o:p></o:p>
Mortals rue the day they say I fell
Now a phantom, I am freed from my mortal shell
Homeward he drew me, in shadow now I dwell
His faithful servant, my weapon is fear that none can quell
<o:p></o:p>
To him I devote my existence, for to him I gave my soul
And for my dedication, adoration he has given me this role
To restore him to power and greatness no mortal can extol
I, of his beloved nine, on whom he relies to achieve his goal
<o:p></o:p>
But too late he spied the Cracks of Doom
Our fates entwined, our disasters loom
We rush to his aid, but are wrenched into our tomb
And like the precious he desired, by the fire we are consumed
<o:p></o:p>
________________________________________________
Reply
Message 5 of 11 in Discussion
From: Colleen
Sent: 2/13/2003 9:34 PM
Grrrr -- stupid Microsoft Word and double spacing...
__________________________________________________
Reply
Message 6 of 11 in Discussion
Sent: 2/15/2003 6:14 PM
This message has been deleted by the manager or assistant manager.
___________________________________________________
Reply
Message 7 of 11 in Discussion
From: Lady Etain Morrigan
Sent: 2/17/2003 8:58 AM
Dear Sir, your words touched my heart...pray you share more with us all.
_____________________________________________________
Reply
Message 8 of 11 in Discussion
From: Olórië
Sent: 2/17/2003 2:53 PM
Just a gentle reminder to reserve the contest threads for the poems alone during the contest period -- out of fairness to all, please don't post comments about the poems until after the closing date.
You can, of course, send your encouragement privately in an email or mention it in chat. It will be very welcome, I'm sure!
Comments on this policy cheerfully accepted.
Thanks,
Olórië
__________________________________________________
Reply
Message 9 of 11 in Discussion
From: MSN NicknameIarwainBen-adar1
Sent: 2/19/2003 11:10 AM
Apologies all, I had to revise some portions which I felt didn't flow. Here is my offering revised, and apologies about the delete.
For the Love of Arda!
Obsessed, eccentric, odd, and weird
are oft the words of which I'm reffered,
By family, friends and colleagues whom....
Enforce belief,
Impose opinion
and generally always Advise me.
Guffaws, laughs, slurs, and wise-crack
are oft the things hurled towards my back,
By ingnorant, myoptic, and insensitive whom....
Feigned interest,
Judged blindly,
and generally always belittle me.
And yet through it all I stand straight and tall,
for my passion then burns all the hotter.
The intellectual thrill, the improving of skill,
is not doused by their short sighted water.
For with each turn of a page I find widom so sage,
I percieve echos of insight devine.
I see the hard plain, feel chill from the rain,
and find comfort in the scent of the pine.
And so as I aged, I never got over "that stage",
having always a desire to be there.
Yet resigned I now sigh, and know I shall die,
Leaving Arda a fleeting, glimpsed dreme fair.
And yet the warmth of it's bringing sets my tired soul to singing,
and the End I now see as the start.
For Arda exists just beyond our minds mist,
tween warm soul and true, open heart.
Obsessed, eccentric, odd, and weird
are oft the words of which I'm reffered,
By family, friends and colleagues whom....
Enforce belief,
Impose opinion
and generally always Advise me
It no longer galls me, for my eyes now can see,
the far shore which my child's heart desires.
My beloved land, I kiss Arda's sand,
and within text'd sheet escape all the Worlds fires.
Iarwain 2003
__________________________________________________
Reply
Message 10 of 11 in Discussion
From: Majah
Sent: 2/28/2003 8:37 PM
there is no love without the ring...
...if there is no love "within"?
~Majah
____________________________________________________
Reply
Message 11 of 11 in Discussion
From: Olórië
Sent: 3/2/2003 9:29 PM
Right, this is the SHORT month. The one where the end sneaks up on you like Gollum. Tricksy!
This post marks the closing of the February 2003 poetry contest. We have a very creative batch of poems this month -- way to go, poets!
Now it's time to vote for your favorites. It's easy, just send me an email -- you can get the address by clicking on my underlined name at the top of this post.
When you send your vote, please indicate your choices for first, second, and third place. Votes are due by Friday night at midnight (an hour past eleven p.m. on Mar. 7). I'll tabulate the votes and post the results on Saturday. If anyone has any questions in the meantime, just email me.
The winners will receive a prize ribbon sig file which they will have the right to display in each of their posts through the end of March.
______________________________________________________
Reply
Message 1 of 11 in Discussion
From: Olórië
Sent: 2/5/2003 11:15 PM
You may have noticed by now that your humble Sage is fond of timely contest topics -- especially if they're broad enough to permit many interpretations. So when this topic idea came up in chat, it seemed perfect for February, when all hearts turn to, well, hearts:
Love in Arda
Your poem can be on any aspect of the topic; it may be written from any perspective. It can relate to the topic directly, or approach it in a roundabout way. This topic truly does allow many interpretations: besides the romantic kind (Aragorn loves Arwen, Luthien loves Beren), love comes in many forms and Tolkien has written about most of those, too. Here are just a few examples that came up in chat:
Gandalf loves Middle-earth
Sam loves Bill the Pony
Thorin loved the Arkenstone
Hobbits love mushrooms
Boromir loved Gondor
The Fellowship love each other
And so on. Now it's your turn. Use your creativity and share your vision!
The contest begins NOW and all entries are due before midnight on February 28. Once submitted, the poem will be considered 'final' and no further modifications should be made. The poems will be judged by member votes after the close of the contest.
No length guidelines, although the "No Epics, please" rule still holds. (We pushed that a little last month, I think. I'm guilty.)
If you have any questions, just email me (click on my name at the top of this message to get my email address).
NOTE: If you plan to participate in this contest, you may wish not to read the rest of this thread before you submit your own poem. It might affect your ability to remain "original." Then again, you may be able to draw inspiration from seeing others' work. It's your choice!
Have fun, and GO !!!
____________________________________________________
Reply
Message 2 of 11 in Discussion
From: Endirion
Sent: 2/10/2003 6:05 PM
Ecthelion's seat, mother-home of man,
The White City stands, guarding 'gainst Shadow,
Warding Darkness from the lands of all.
Seven times girt with alabastar walls,
Steward's Keep and Trust and Tomb.
City of the White Tower, the One Tree.
As seven walls enclose her, seven gifts embue her sons;
Honor bright, Courage and Truth, Fidelity to thee;
Virtue pure, Strength and Boldness 'gainst thy foes.
Gondor's gleaming crown and fairest gem,
Womb and Mother of stalwart sons,
Shield of the West, Dark-Lord's bane.
White Tower 'gainst Black, Light against Dark,
Dam against Anarch's flood of evil,
Blessed City of Mankind.
Each Son of Gondor's deepest vow;
To breathe our last, and fall, ere any stain
Of Darkness touch thy blessed walls.
We adore thee and defend thee;
Thou, the heart-love of Gondor's sons.
Minas Tirith, Queen of Cities.
______________________________________________________
Reply
Message 3 of 11 in Discussion
From: Glorfindle
Sent: 2/10/2003 11:53 PM
TOLKIEN LOVES ARDA
A thought, a theme, a world
I saw my mothers smile in the heat of Africa
Hilary looked up at me when our father died
Our ship sailed back to England
The trees in Sarehole welcomed me back home
Hilary and I ran over the hills for four years
It was the favorite time in my life
Mabel taught me God, England taught me Sir Edwards School
We moved to Birmingham in Mosely, Sarehole was gone forever
But I found my voice in a language
My sweet mother died of sugar at Rednal and Aunt Bea took us
Edith smiled at me from a door I dare not cross
And the cross looked down at me and denied Oxford
Finally Oxford, then Switzerland, then Edith of my life forever.
Together finally, then WAR takes it all from me, and I am gone
To Germany I go, and fever and nightmares return with me
Alone for a long while in hospital does the fever of my mind grow
To a land of Mordor, where many shadows go
I think of Sarehole, Mabel and Edith....I pass my hand over my eyes
Then there were sons and a daughter and life
A beauteous Luthien to remain as my wife
And tales to tell and tales to make
And ryhmes that were found in war's hellish wake
The world opened now before my wide eyes
Still colored by nightmares that still made me cry
But children and stories and a world that belied
All the hate and the fury we still wish to hide
For in a gentle hole, there dwelled a gentle Hobbit
A hole from Sarehole, and Africa's sun could not rob it
Nor the trenches of death, nor the halls of Oxford
Could steal fom my children a dishonest word
And as you sleep dear children of mine
And as I kiss each one of you in kind
Remember from Father comes at least this one thing
I give you a world where the crownless are King
___________________________________________________
Reply
Message 4 of 11 in Discussion
From: Colleen
Sent: 2/13/2003 9:28 PM
A Wraith’s Reverence
<o:p></o:p>
He whispered to me so none could hear
In secrecy he called me near
To bathe me in darkness and clothe me in fear
I heeded him, for his power and strength I did revere.
<o:p></o:p>
Mortals rue the day they say I fell
Now a phantom, I am freed from my mortal shell
Homeward he drew me, in shadow now I dwell
His faithful servant, my weapon is fear that none can quell
<o:p></o:p>
To him I devote my existence, for to him I gave my soul
And for my dedication, adoration he has given me this role
To restore him to power and greatness no mortal can extol
I, of his beloved nine, on whom he relies to achieve his goal
<o:p></o:p>
But too late he spied the Cracks of Doom
Our fates entwined, our disasters loom
We rush to his aid, but are wrenched into our tomb
And like the precious he desired, by the fire we are consumed
<o:p></o:p>
________________________________________________
Reply
Message 5 of 11 in Discussion
From: Colleen
Sent: 2/13/2003 9:34 PM
Grrrr -- stupid Microsoft Word and double spacing...
__________________________________________________
Reply
Message 6 of 11 in Discussion
Sent: 2/15/2003 6:14 PM
This message has been deleted by the manager or assistant manager.
___________________________________________________
Reply
Message 7 of 11 in Discussion
From: Lady Etain Morrigan
Sent: 2/17/2003 8:58 AM
Dear Sir, your words touched my heart...pray you share more with us all.
_____________________________________________________
Reply
Message 8 of 11 in Discussion
From: Olórië
Sent: 2/17/2003 2:53 PM
Just a gentle reminder to reserve the contest threads for the poems alone during the contest period -- out of fairness to all, please don't post comments about the poems until after the closing date.
You can, of course, send your encouragement privately in an email or mention it in chat. It will be very welcome, I'm sure!
Comments on this policy cheerfully accepted.
Thanks,
Olórië
__________________________________________________
Reply
Message 9 of 11 in Discussion
From: MSN NicknameIarwainBen-adar1
Sent: 2/19/2003 11:10 AM
Apologies all, I had to revise some portions which I felt didn't flow. Here is my offering revised, and apologies about the delete.
For the Love of Arda!
Obsessed, eccentric, odd, and weird
are oft the words of which I'm reffered,
By family, friends and colleagues whom....
Enforce belief,
Impose opinion
and generally always Advise me.
Guffaws, laughs, slurs, and wise-crack
are oft the things hurled towards my back,
By ingnorant, myoptic, and insensitive whom....
Feigned interest,
Judged blindly,
and generally always belittle me.
And yet through it all I stand straight and tall,
for my passion then burns all the hotter.
The intellectual thrill, the improving of skill,
is not doused by their short sighted water.
For with each turn of a page I find widom so sage,
I percieve echos of insight devine.
I see the hard plain, feel chill from the rain,
and find comfort in the scent of the pine.
And so as I aged, I never got over "that stage",
having always a desire to be there.
Yet resigned I now sigh, and know I shall die,
Leaving Arda a fleeting, glimpsed dreme fair.
And yet the warmth of it's bringing sets my tired soul to singing,
and the End I now see as the start.
For Arda exists just beyond our minds mist,
tween warm soul and true, open heart.
Obsessed, eccentric, odd, and weird
are oft the words of which I'm reffered,
By family, friends and colleagues whom....
Enforce belief,
Impose opinion
and generally always Advise me
It no longer galls me, for my eyes now can see,
the far shore which my child's heart desires.
My beloved land, I kiss Arda's sand,
and within text'd sheet escape all the Worlds fires.
Iarwain 2003
__________________________________________________
Reply
Message 10 of 11 in Discussion
From: Majah
Sent: 2/28/2003 8:37 PM
there is no love without the ring...
...if there is no love "within"?
~Majah
____________________________________________________
Reply
Message 11 of 11 in Discussion
From: Olórië
Sent: 3/2/2003 9:29 PM
Right, this is the SHORT month. The one where the end sneaks up on you like Gollum. Tricksy!
This post marks the closing of the February 2003 poetry contest. We have a very creative batch of poems this month -- way to go, poets!
Now it's time to vote for your favorites. It's easy, just send me an email -- you can get the address by clicking on my underlined name at the top of this post.
When you send your vote, please indicate your choices for first, second, and third place. Votes are due by Friday night at midnight (an hour past eleven p.m. on Mar. 7). I'll tabulate the votes and post the results on Saturday. If anyone has any questions in the meantime, just email me.
The winners will receive a prize ribbon sig file which they will have the right to display in each of their posts through the end of March.