PROLOGUE – LYRIC MESSAGE
A Mountain Rain Arriving from some Distance Place.
World Academy of Arts and Culture World
Congress of Poets
Some 2,500 years ago, Confucius said, “At Forty, I had no more doubts.” This year is the forty-third anniversary of the World Congress of Poets, an opportunity for poets from around the world to come together. One fine day, Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Chan Buddhism, crossed the mighty Yangzi River on a single reed in search of single person not under the influence of delusion. A poem reveals a person’s heart, and also reveals the entire world: A universe in a grain of sand; a Tathagata in a single leaf.
Through a poem, the poet takes into account the whole world. Embodied in real life, he stays calm and composed; enlightened, thus free from perplexities; open minded, yet unaffected by exterior occurrences. Such is the power of poetry to clarify notions and pacify doubts, to shake one to the core and reveal the perfection of one’s inner reality.
Through the discovery of the mind, origin and the revelation of his true colors, the Chinese Chan master attains a tranquil state of mind. He is free to come and go, emancipated from the fetters of baffled reasoning. He confronts the myriad phenomena of the secular world, fearless, unburdened by reputation, fortune or station, and these true qualities are the glorious splendor the poet is eager to manifest the fragrant south wind altogether ebullient;
non-abiding, of marvelous movement in the summer.
Color color color the rhythmic transformations of the ocean’s comely hues;
the mysterious mountain, fond of smudging the rays of the sun.
Who can ascertain the inscrutable ocean-seal, the very life-force of the universe?
The incomprehensible power forever existing in each auspicious moment.
Sound sound sound I hear the rain approaching far away on the mountain, as hoards of dragonflies fill the sky.
Echo echo echo the pretty seven-colored rainbow which likes to hide behind the high clouds after it rains.
Poets are a blessing from Heaven unto this blue planet, an essential character aboard Noah’s Ark. Poets are like that Morning Star, shining amongst the Milky Way in the night sky, like the beautiful flowers blooming in the spring. They are ships on the oceans, navigating – dreamily – towards the wharf along the shore. They are flying birds in the sunlight, roaming freely in the birthplace of pure poetry.
The poet transcends materials and exteriors with a pure mind; from a faint smile he experiences the reality of “whatever is conspicuous is real”; he discovers the “supreme truth” of life through effortless comprehension.
Poetry is the center of human spirituality, a blade of grass, a drop of dew; poems are the dewdrops clinging to the grass. With poetry, the spirit of sentient beings becomes radiant and light. Every poet is like a small blade of grass, even though the drops are miniscule; however, they can reflect all things between Heaven and Hell in the universe. Poetry passes down sincere conversations among human beings, as well as their breaths and pulsations. In this manner, poetry fashions illimitable nuances and subtle wit.
The poet is thus the most beauteous and dignified human being in the universe. We are—all of us—wandering poets of the blue planet, beating the kettledrum for this chaotic, newly born world; restoring truth to ever-changing history; humbly singing praises of love and peace; praying for all the living creatures upon this blue planet. Such is what I perceive; suddenly, by chance, in a beautiful and momentary fated encounter. It is an eternal miracle that creates history; that germinates joyful contentment, filling the soul; that germinates emotionally stirring elements, filled with happiness.
Poets, with their graceful footsteps, their lofty ingenious wisdom, compose verses on friendship and peace, to jointly create the five oceans and seven continents, a vision and dream of the blue planet. In this beautiful, fated encounter, we together plant the seed of the fragrant blossom of poetry—and quietly wait for the harvest.
Dr. Maurus Young
World Academy of Arts and Culture
World Congress of Poets
Established in 1969, the World Congress of Poets (WCP), affiliated with the World Academy of Arts and Culture (WAAC), registered in United States of America and recognized by UNESCO, is a venerable and prestigious international poetry organization, with more than 1,200 members from 65 countries and five continents. Its founding objective is to promote world brotherhood and peace through poetry.
The World Congress of Poets was founded at the 1st WCP held in Manila, Philippines August 25 – 30, 1969, the same year that astronaut Armstrong landed on the moon.
During the past four decades, World Congress of Poets has convened 31 congresses in more than 20 countries. Some 5,000 poets and writers from 85 countries and the continents of Africa, North America, Asia, Australia and Europe have participated in our movement of promotion of world brotherhood and peace through poetry. Many leading poets have been named Poet Laureates by WCP, including Robert Penn Warren (U.S.A.), Leopold Sedar Senghor (Senegal), Justo Jorge Parón (Spain), Manuel S. Leyva Martinez (Mexico), Yu Hsi (Taiwan), M. Karunanidhi (India), Lee Zhao-xin (China) and Mend-Ooyo Gomojavin (Mongolia); while among poets awarded Honorary Doctorate of Literature by World Academy of Arts and Culture (WAAC), such as Osten Sjostrand (Sweden), Robin Fulton (U.S.A.) and Nambaryn Enkhabayar (Mongolia); poets who at the same time have been successful organizers of festivals of poetry, such as Arthur Haulot (Belgian); poet-professors such as Tomas Transtromer (Sweden, Nobel Prize of Literature winner in 2011), Jascha Kessler(U.S.A.), and Yu Kwang-Chung (Taiwan) , were invited to our Congresses as keynote speakers. The WAAC has honored these distinguished men of politics and social life with the Honorary Doctorate of Humanities: King Juan Carlos I of Spain, King Hassan II of Morocco, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of India and former President Ronald Reagan of U.S.A.
In the past 43 years, some 20 poetry anthologies have been published to advocate world peace through the collective endeavor of member poets who have gradually realized this noble goal.
The Manila Congress presided over by Dr. Amado Yuzon, Founder and President, passed the Objectives of WCP as the guide of the WCP movement. In response to requests of world poets, the 2nd WCP convened in Taipei, Taiwan in 1973, at which Dr. Tin-wen Chung was the President and the Charter was set up by which the World Academy of Arts and Culture was established and registered in the State of California, U.S.A. and WAAC became the Governing Board of the WCP movement.
Since the Charter was approved by Dr. Amado Yuzon, Dr. Tin-wen Chung, Dr. Krishna Srinivas, Dr. Lou LuTour by virtue of the power vested in them from the Congress. The four were recognized as Founders of the WCP movement.
According to the By-law approved and signed by the Executive Committee on September 6, 2007 in Chennai, India, at the XXVII World Congress of Poets:
1) All the powers of the Congress shall vest in the Executive Committee.
2) The composition of the Executive Committee:
b) Secretary General.
c) Three Vice Presidents.
d) Four Executive Committee members.
e) One Treasurer.
f) One Public Relations Officer.
3) The Executive Committee shall hold office for a period of three years subject to re-election. The goal of the WCP movement is: “to promote World Brotherhood and Peace through Poetry.”
Dedicated to the sacred movement since 1985, I have attended more than 20 congresses and served as secretary general for 13 years (1995 -2008) and been elected as president since 2008 at the 28th WCP in Acapulco, Mexico. I see WCP/WAAC as one big family.
We are meeting each year to change views on poetry, to make poetry friends and renew friendships with acquainted poets.
We are not an academic organization and do not seek to establish and support a canon as we see that would limit and minimize our mission. We accept and aspire to critical standards in poetry, but we are mainly concerned about the promotion of poetry as a natural and vital network connecting poets to the world’s need for international cooperation and peace.
Our goal is to “promote brotherhood and world peace through poetry”. Keeping this in mind, the door of WCP/WAAC is not only open to world-famed poets and less-known poet, but also to poetry lovers.
Our beloved founders of WCP/ WAAC poetry movement shall joyfully know through the WCP Congresses that what they envisioned has continues to grow each year, that we continue to assemble and embrace interested poets from many nations in the very same spirit of seeking peace through poetry.
I am proud to say: our WCP is a Miniature United Nations. Over hundreds of poets from different countries, races and cultures meet in a country, read their poems, discuss papers, conduct symposiums and publish an anthology. You may notice that we have constructed our website on internet in Chinese, English, Spanish and Japanese languages to introduce our members’ heartfelt poems to the world, as well as to provide information about our activities to readers around the world. You may obtain newsletters and information of WCP/WAAC from internet when you are at home or traveling.
This golden book is published for you and to welcome you to be with us as a member of our family. We declare: “WCP/WAAC is a family by the poets, of the poets and for the poets.
The Executive Committee members are elected as servants of the organization. There is a universal proverb, saying: “In unity there is strength.” Let us from now on unite and make each Congress a tremendous success.
The World Congress of Poets is a peace-loving family