Space and poetry: embark on a literary journey with our selection of poems 08-30-2021 |  3 minutes

At ArianeGroup, space is a daily source of inspiration. We encourage you to take time for some cultural nourishment and discover or re-read the following eloquent tributes to the universe and the stars.

Sully Prudhomme was the first recipient of the Nobel Prize in literature. Published in 1888 and divided into 12 cantos, his philosophical poem Le Bonheur includes a fantastical love affair between Faustus and Stella. Set in the vast universe, the lovers travel from star to star on an impassioned voyage.

An epic poem running to hundreds of stanzas, Magnitudo parvi is an oxymoron: “the magnitude of the small”. Victor Hugo exhorts us to remain humble when faced with the immensity of the heavens. In his poem, Hugo converses with his daughter; his rhetorical discourse is midway between teachings about space and philosophical musings about the human soul.

The poem’s protagonist speaks directly to the deeply cherished Moon: seemingly so close that one can almost touch it, and yet a distant orb on a set trajectory. A powerless cry for love (“…prove to me that I am loved!”) before the unyielding forces of nature. Beautiful, moving, and, above all, human.

This intimate poem draws us in with a question – do you remember? – directing our attention upwards to the heavens, pointing to the stars that we used to watch in the company of the narrator in some distant shared youth. It paints an enchanting picture (tinged with a certain poignancy) of childlike open-mouthed amazement at the wonders of nature.

We sincerely hope you have enjoyed this poetic and literary voyage. Are you familiar with poems that describe space with passion and emotion? Share your favourite verses with us on social media!