Poetry plays a vital role in transmitting culture, expressing individual identities, and cultivating community. The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures has organized this Poetry Project to pay tribute to the rich poetic traditions of Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Persian, Turkish, Uzbek and other languages in their regions and diasporas. The project also provides a platform for members of the Ohio State community share and appreciate poems together.
As we navigate the peculiar and disorienting 2020-2021 Academic Year, we invite OSU students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other community members to join us in a celebration of poetry!
To participate:
- Choose a short poem or poem excerpt written in one of the languages we teach (Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Persian, Turkish, or Uzbek)
- Provide an English translation of the poem (by you or someone else)
- Create a short video or audio recording of you reading the poem (In the original language or in that language and English)
- Provide a brief written statement of why you chose the poem. Reasons for sharing a particular poem may be personal, academic, linguistic, or other. We’d like to see poetry approached from a variety of perspectives!
After you send your NELC Poetry Project submission (to nelc@osu.edu), we will have a language instructor verify the translation (and provide feedback/assistance if necessary), and add it to this website. We will also share submitted poems on our social media channels.
Please join us in this project as we celebrate poetry and the ways in which words and language bring us together and broaden our world views!