Some of the world's most beautiful poems were sung in Japan well before the introduction of writing to record them. The writing came from China some 1,200 years ago, the songs are an even older oral tradition that was not recorded in words and preserved until the 8th century. The poems demonstrate the feelings of the Japanese people before they were influenced by other cultures. In these songs, the permeating idea of sadness, pathos and resignation seem not yet to be known.

I wrote several years ago about "Songs They Sang in Ancient Japan," compiled/translated by Noah S. Brannen and William I. Elliot published by Heine, 1-38-12 Takamatsu, Nerima-ku Tokyo, ISBN4-938821-01-XC1093, 7,200 yen. Occasionally I pick it up and read a bit.

There was good humor: "The great fish will never seem so great, great fisherman, as when your harpoon misses and she swims away." Or, "My lord stands in front of the house wearing layer and layer of clothing -- and tries to fasten his leggings." And love? "Since you never came, I had no need to hang the curtains -- that a much better image, I think, than all the patient maidens waiting sadly by their lanterns for the cock to crow, symbolizing another hopeless night of waiting." Or, "Don't bring in his sleeping robe! I hate him! Let it get wet in the rain. Don't bring it in! He won't come. Oh, I hate him." Surely that was no endlessly waiting court lady. Generally, love was to be enjoyed: "No matter what they say, we are meant for each other. My parents object to my nighttime escapades, but I have decided who my wife will be." Or this -- "Go with the current as the boat enters Ina River where the streams converge. Don't capsize the boat! Don't! My young wife's on board -- and so am I."

Well, I hadn't meant to give so many examples, or even write of ancient poetry, but I get rather carried away whenever I open that volume, wanting to share it with others. Still, this was not the poetry I wished to write about, nor is it haiku, a perfected form of suggestion, each syllable enhancing the exquisitely polished meaning, now composed by followers throughout the world. Today's topic is tanka, yet another form of Japanese poetry. It, too, has prescribed forms and words yet lends itself to occasional surprises.

I recently attended a most impressive ceremony, an awarding of prizes in an international tanka contest held at the Imperial Hotel. The winning poems were sung, not read, by gentlemen in formal attire. The awarding of prizes was pictured in The Japan Times on May 21. A reader, seeing the photo and interested in poetry, wonders if there will be another contest. Yes, this was the second of what will become an annual tradition.

The next theme is Winds, which can include anything from breezes to storms. Required is the standard 5-7-5-7-7 syllable, five-line form. Write only your entry on the back of a postcard in block letters. Your name, address, birth date, gender and occupation should be on the reverse side along with the address Hoshi-no-Mori International Tanka Contest, 5-15-11 Matsugaoka, Funabashi, Chiba 274-0064, to be received by Dec. 15 this year. Hoshi-to-Mori, a distinguished publishing company specializing in poetry, sponsors this annual event along with The Japan Times and Plaza magazine. "Tanka letters to Andorra," 1,400 yen, is a helpful handbook for those wanting to compose tanka in English, information by fax from (03) 3203-5155. For more information, see www3.justnet.ne.jp/~jmickey/tanka.html.

Now is a good time to tell you about an exhibition titled Wind Caravan, which hopes to show how we can live in harmony with nature and how artistic activities can be a part of world-wide cultural exchange. Scheduled showings of 21 sculptures interacting with the wind begin at Sanda rice fields in Hyogo near the studio of sculptor Susumu Shingu, 6/12 - 25; Motukorea Island near Aukland, 11/4 -19; Brazilian dunes, 11/17-12/2; Finnish ice field in Lapland, 2/10 - 25, 2001; a hilly field near Casbah in Morocco, 4/14 - 29; and Mongolian steppes near Ulanbator, 7/5-22. The packing crate transforms into a wind-operated power station producing electricity to illuminate the sculptures at night. For more information, see www.wind-caravan.org.