(A poemification of the contents of the “golden discs” that were sent into outer space in the two Voyager rockets)
To:
Extraterrestrials Anywhere
From:
The NASA Kennedy Space Center,
Cape Canaveral, Florida
1977
Dear Extraterrestrials Anywhere,
It might have been lovely
to meet you. However,
given we probably
will no longer exist,
please find enclosed
the following gifts:
A RECORDED GREETING
from Kurt Waldheim,
Secretary General of the UN:
I send greetings on behalf
of the people of our planet.
We step out of our solar system
into the universe,
seeking only peace and friendship,
to teach if we are called upon,
to be taught if we are fortunate.
We know full well
that our planet and all its inhabitants
are but a small part
of this immense universe that surrounds us.
And it is with humanity and hope
that we take this step.
of the people of our planet.
We step out of our solar system
into the universe,
seeking only peace and friendship,
to teach if we are called upon,
to be taught if we are fortunate.
We know full well
that our planet and all its inhabitants
are but a small part
of this immense universe that surrounds us.
And it is with humanity and hope
that we take this step.
A WRITTEN STATEMENT
by Jimmy Carter,
President of the USA:
This Voyager spacecraft was constructed
by the United States of America.
We are a community
of 240 million human beings
among the more than 4 billion
who inhabit the planet Earth.
We human beings are still divided
into nation states,
but these states are rapidly becoming
a global civilization.
by the United States of America.
We are a community
of 240 million human beings
among the more than 4 billion
who inhabit the planet Earth.
We human beings are still divided
into nation states,
but these states are rapidly becoming
a global civilization.
[Ha ha]
We cast this message into the cosmos…
It is likely to survive
a billion years into our future,
when our civilization is profoundly altered
and the surface of the Earth
It is likely to survive
a billion years into our future,
when our civilization is profoundly altered
and the surface of the Earth
may be profoundly changed.
Of the 200 billion stars
in the Milky Way galaxy
some, perhaps many,
may have inhabited planets
and space-faring civilizations.
If one such civilization intercepts Voyager
and can understand these recorded contents,
here is our message:
in the Milky Way galaxy
some, perhaps many,
may have inhabited planets
and space-faring civilizations.
If one such civilization intercepts Voyager
and can understand these recorded contents,
here is our message:
This is a present
from a small distant world,
a token of our sounds,
our science,
our images,
our music,
our thoughts
and our feelings.
We are attempting
to survive our time
so we may live
into yours.
We hope some day,
having solved
the problems we face,
to join a community
of galactic civilizations.
This record represents
our hope and our determination
and our goodwill
in a vast and awesome universe.
EARTH SOUNDS
- music of the spheres
- mother and child
- life signs
- heartbeat
- F-111 flyby
- volcanoes
- earthquake
- thunder
- birds
- pulsar
- riveter
- crickets
- laughter
- hyena
- fire
- rain
- tractor
- train
- the first tools
- footsteps
- surf
- sawing
- wind
- frogs
- tame dog
- wild dog
- mud pots
- Saturn 5 lift-off
- elephant
- horse and cart
- speech
- herding sheep
- per aspera ad astra in Morse Code
- ships
- chimpanzee
- blacksmith
- bus
- car
- kiss
SPOKEN GREETINGS
in 55 languages
as translated below:
Akkadian
May all be very well.
Amoy
Friends of space, how are you all?
Have you eaten yet?
Come visit us if you have time.
Have you eaten yet?
Come visit us if you have time.
Arabic
Greetings to our friends in the stars.
We wish that we will meet you someday.
We wish that we will meet you someday.
Aramaic
Peace.
Armenian
To all those who exist in the universe,
greetings.
greetings.
Bengali
Hello!
Let there be peace
everywhere.
Let there be peace
everywhere.
Burmese
Are you well?
Cantonese
Hi. How are you?
Wish you peace, health
and happiness.
Wish you peace, health
and happiness.
Czech
Dear Friends,
we wish you the best.
we wish you the best.
Dutch
Heartfelt greetings
to everyone.
to everyone.
English
Hello
from the children of planet Earth.
from the children of planet Earth.
(From Carl Sagan’s six-year-old son,
Nick.)
French
Hello everybody.
German
Heartfelt greetings to all.
Greek
Greetings to you,
whoever you are.
We come in friendship
to those who are friends.
whoever you are.
We come in friendship
to those who are friends.
Gujarati
Greetings
from a human being of the Earth.
Please contact.
from a human being of the Earth.
Please contact.
Hebrew
Peace.
Hindi
Greetings
from the inhabitants of this world.
from the inhabitants of this world.
Hittite
Hail.
Hungarian
We are sending greetings
in the Hungarian language
to all peace-loving beings
in the Universe.
in the Hungarian language
to all peace-loving beings
in the Universe.
Ila
We wish all of you well.
Indonesian
Good night,
ladies and gentlemen.
Goodbye
and see you next time.
ladies and gentlemen.
Goodbye
and see you next time.
Italian
Many greetings
and wishes.
and wishes.
Japanese
Hello!
How are you?
How are you?
Kannada
Greetings.
On behalf
of Kannada-speaking people,
good wishes.
On behalf
of Kannada-speaking people,
good wishes.
Kechua
Hello to everybody,
from this Earth
in Kechua language.
from this Earth
in Kechua language.
Korean
How are you?
Latin
Greetings to you,
whoever you are.
We have good will towards you
and bring peace across space.
whoever you are.
We have good will towards you
and bring peace across space.
Luganda
Greetings
to all peoples of the universe.
God give you peace always.
to all peoples of the universe.
God give you peace always.
Mandarin
Hope everyone’s well.
We are thinking about you all.
Please come here to visit
when you have time.
We are thinking about you all.
Please come here to visit
when you have time.
Marathi
Greetings.
The people of the Earth send their good wishes.
The people of the Earth send their good wishes.
Nepali
Wishing you a peaceful future,
from the Earthlings.
from the Earthlings.
Nguni
We greet you, great ones.
We wish you longevity.
We wish you longevity.
Nyanja
How are all you people
of other planets?
of other planets?
Oriya
Greetings
to the inhabitants of the universe
from the third planet Earth
of the star Sun.
to the inhabitants of the universe
from the third planet Earth
of the star Sun.
Persian
Hello
to the residents of far skies.
to the residents of far skies.
Polish
Welcome,
creatures from beyond the outer world.
creatures from beyond the outer world.
Portuguese
Peace and happiness to all.
Punjabi
Welcome home.
It is a pleasure to receive you.
It is a pleasure to receive you.
Rajasthani
Hello to everyone.
We are happy here
and you be happy there.
We are happy here
and you be happy there.
Romanian
Greetings to everybody.
Russian
Greetings. I welcome you.
Serbian
We wish you everything good,
from our planet.
from our planet.
Sinhalese
Wish you a long life.
Sotho
We greet you,
oh great ones.
oh great ones.
Spanish
Hello
and greetings to all.
and greetings to all.
Sumerian
May all be well.
Swedish
Greetings
from a computer programmer
in the little university town of Ithaca
on the planet Earth.
from a computer programmer
in the little university town of Ithaca
on the planet Earth.
Telugu
Greetings.
Best wishes from Telugu-speaking people.
Best wishes from Telugu-speaking people.
Thai
We in this world
send you our good will.
send you our good will.
Turkish
Dear Turkish-speaking friends,
may the honors of the morning
be upon your heads.
may the honors of the morning
be upon your heads.
Ukrainian
We are sending greetings
from our world,
wishing you happiness,
goodness, good health
and many years.
from our world,
wishing you happiness,
goodness, good health
and many years.
Urdu
Peace on you. We,
the inhabitants of this earth,
send our greetings to you.
the inhabitants of this earth,
send our greetings to you.
Vietnamese
Sincerely send you
our friendly greetings.
our friendly greetings.
Welsh
Good health to you
now and forever.
now and forever.
Wu
Best wishes
to you all.
to you all.
EARTH IMAGES
- a calibration circle diagram
- a Chinese dinner party
- a construction scene in Amish country
- a cotton harvest
- a crocodile
- a dancer from Bali
- a demonstration of licking,
eating and drinking - a factory interior
- a fishing boat with nets
(Greece) - a flying insect
(Ichneumonidae)
with flowers - a forest scene
with mushrooms - a grape picker
- a group of children
- a gymnast
(Cathy Rigby) - a house in Ethiopia
- a house in New England
- a human father and daughter
(Malaysia) - a human fertilized ovum
- a human foetus
- a human nursing mother
(Malaysia) - a leaf
(Fragaria) - a man from Guatemala
- a master craftsman from Taiwan
- a modern highway
in Ithaca, New York - a modern house in Cloudcroft
New Mexico - a mountain climber
(Gaston Rébuffat) - a museum
- a woman with a microscope
in Somalia - a page of the book
On the System of the World
by Isaac Newton - a portrait of a human family
- a school of fish
- a schoolroom in Japan
- a seashell
(Xancidae) - a seashore
(Cape Neddick, Maine) - a sketch of Bushmen
- a solar location map
- a street scene in Pakistan
- a sunset with birds
- a supermarket
- a tree toad
- a United Aircraft Corporation turbotrain
- a waterhole
- an airplane in flight
- an airport in Toronto
- an artisan with a drill
- an astronaut in space
- an eagle
- an elephant
- an old man with beard and glasses
(Turkey) - an old man with dog and flowers
- an underwater scene
with diver and fish - an X-ray of a hand
- Boston
- cells and cell division
- chemical definitions
- cooking fish
- daffodils and a tree
- diagrams of:
a human foetus
continental drift
human conception
human family ages
human male and female
vertebrate evolution
- DNA Structure
- Earth
- Egypt
(the Red Sea,
the Sinai Peninsula
and the Nile) - Heron Island
- house construction in Cameroon
- House Interior with Artist and Fire
(a photo by Jim Amos
of Jim Gray & his wife) - human anatomy:
skeleton, front
skeleton and muscles, back
heart, lungs, kidneys
and main blood vessels, back
heart, lungs, kidneys
and main blood vessels, front
internal organs, back
internal organs, front
ribcage
muscles, front
sex organs
- human conception and birth
- Jane Goodall with chimps
- mathematical definitions
- Monument Valley
- Oxford
- physical unit definitions
- rush-hour traffic in Thailand
- Snake River
and the Grand Tetons - snowflakes on a sequoia
- solar system parameters
- some Andean girls
- some Bushmen hunters
- some children with a globe
(United Nations International School) - some dolphins
- some fallen leaves in autumn
- some sand dunes
- some sprinters
(with Valeriy Borzov of the USSR
in the lead) - the Arecibo and Westerbork radio telescopes
- the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition
- the Golden Gate Bridge
- the Great Barrier Reef,
(Australia) - the Great Wall of China
- the planets Mars, Mercury and Jupiter
- the score of the cavatina
from Beethoven’s String Quartet
No 13 - the solar spectrum
- the structure of the Earth
- the Sun
- the Sydney Opera House
- the Taj Mahal
- the Titan Centaur launch
- the UN Building
by day and by night
EARTH MUSIC
- the first movement
of J S Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto
No. 2 in F
together with his Gavotte en rondeaux
from Partita No. 3 in E major
for Violin
and the Prelude and Fugue in C
from The Well-Tempered Clavier - the Javanese court gamelan
Kinds of Flowers - Senegalese percussion
- a Pygmy girls’ initiation song
from Zaire - the Aborigine songs
Morning Star and Devil Bird
from Australia - the Mexican song
El Cascabel - a men’s house song
from New Guinea - The Queen of the Night aria
from Mozart’s The Magic Flute - the Tchakrulo chorus
from the Georgian SSR - Peruvian panpipes and drum
and a Peruvian wedding song - Melancholy Blues
performed by Louis Armstrong
and his Hot Seven - bagpipes
from the Azerbaijan SSR - The Sacrificial Dance
from Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring - the First Movement
of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony
together with the cavatina
from his String Quartet No 13
in B flat, Opus 130 - the Bulgarian folk song
Izlel je Delyo Hagdutin - a night chant
by Navajo Indians - Anthony Holborne’s
The Fairie Round - panpipes
from the Solomon Islands - Flowing Streams
from the Chinese Ch’in dynasty - the raga
Jaat Kahan Ho
from India - Dark Was the Night
by Blind Willie Johnson
Enjoy!
Yours sincerely
Earthlings
