This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World

by Naomi Shihab Nye

A beautiful collection of poems from around the world selected by renowned anthologist Naomi Shihab Nye.

This award-winning multicultural compilation of poetry introduces more than 125 poems from sixty-eight countries around the world, many translated into English for the first time, and offers glimpses of similarities across people despite cultural differences.

Genres: Poetry, Young Adult, Cultural, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Anthologies

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Naomi Shihab Nye was born to a Palestinian father and an American mother. During her high school years, she lived in Ramallah in Jordan, the Old City in Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas, where she later received her B.A. in English and world religions from Trinity University. She is a novelist, poet and songwriter.

She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas. She was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2010.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd like to believe that the poems that I shared to fifth graders helped them feel what Naomi Shihab Nye intended: "I hope the poets of This Same Sky feel like a family to you - full of odd cousins, comforting sisters, hopeful brothers. How can we ever be lonely with this wide family of voices out there? And don't ever believe what anyone told you about not talking to strangers. Talking and listening to 'strangers' may be the most important thing you do in your life."

[Magdelanye · Rating 5 out of 5]

One who has no ear for poetry
shall hear only the moaning of the storm...
shall lose the inheritance of the horizons
AZM Obaidullah Khan from Bangladesh
quoted in the introduction pxiii

In this exquisite volume, Naomi Shibab Nye has gathered a bouquet of poetry from a wide array, awakening the reader to other flowering fields, intimately presented.

I hide behind simple things so you'll find me,
if you don't find me, you'll find the things,
You'll touch what my hand has touched;
our handprints will merge.
from the poem The Meaning of Simplicity p11
Edmond Keeley from Greece

The cover alone and the delicate illustrations present a dream portal. That the poems in general are as good as they are indicates an eagerness for poetry to enter the dream and reflect back our world, shining.

There's an enormous comfort knowing
we all live under the same sky...
we see the same sun and the same moon
from the poem Under This Sky
Zia Hyder fom Bangladesh p124

Where is the heart I am calling?
....Before there is a heart I am made of beating
I am calling in an open doorway
I am calling from inside.
Robeto Juarez from Argentina

[Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t often read poetry but these are lovely. Soul enrichment like a good Oregon rain.

[Danielle Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A varied collection of poems from all over the world. Some didn’t seem to flow quite right to me, or A few I just didn’t get them. Naomi explains this in her introduction though, with the acknowledgment that yes something might be lost in translation, but think of all we have gained! There are treasures to be found here.

[Diane Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This Same Sky" is a collection of poems selected by Naomi Shihab Nye. This book full of poems really made me get into reading poetry. I love how the author picks the most beautifully written poems. This book does not have a story line or structure, but instead creative language that within itself is a story. For me, a reader, it is hard for me to pay attention to story lines, but I am great at picturing scenarios and scenery, therefore I enjoy poetry so much.
An example of beautifully written text is a poem called "Companion" written by Manjush Dasgupta,"I said, I won't read Butterflies do not read Rivers do not nor does the ocean Even the stars do not read. Mummy said, I read Your grandpa reads So does your father And millions of other people Why would you remain different? I said, I would play Play with the paper boats on the stream Stars would decorate them. Now Mummy is no more Father is away I am sick I read and only read. Books are Brooks to me."I love how to every poem there is a hidden message in the play of words. Like people say written words are a creative act in itself. What I love with poetry and only poetry is that the writer can really make you feel with all those words and how unique that feeling holds into you. The author(s) really make you 'feel' it, and 'see' it.
I conclude that I loved this book very much, I and enjoy feeling the words of the authors. Although this was not a proper book, but more of a combinations of poems, I do really mean to give it 5 stars.

[Rhiannon Bacon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A peek into poetry throughout the world. The editor has given us a collection wrought with human emotions. By organizing the book in theme not by country, we are allowed to see the similarities of mankind first and not the differences. This Same Sky can be enjoyed as a collection as a look at the human condition or singularly as individual, finely crafted poems.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not super enamored with any of the poetry, but it's a good resource for teachers.

[Lindsay Bray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favourite Quote From The Book:
“There’s an enormous comfort knowing that we all live under this same sky, whether in New York or Dhaka, we see the same sun and same moon.”
-Under This Sky By: Zia Hyder (Bangladesh)

My Rating: 3.5 rounded to 4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Review: Such a beautiful collection of poems from all over the world, shared from many perspectives. I have a deep love for poetry, it really is food for the soul. I always tell myself I’ll read more of it but I rarely do... after reading this, I am making it my mission to find more poetry collections. I really enjoyed the different styles and verity of cultures that were bound together in this book. It was nice seeing the different cultures and customs through the eyes and experiences of these poets. But I can’t give it a full 5 stars, I found that some poems definitely aged better than others. There were a few poems that I felt were racist. I am aware that this was published in 1996 and that some cultures/counties that the authors are from, find certain terms acceptable but I found them to be problematic and hard to read. (I did end up just skipping over them.)
However, I really enjoyed discovering new poets from all over the globe and I can’t wait to discover more!

[Edyta Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a wonderful anthology of poems from around the world selected by Naomi Shihab Nye. I found it on the ALA Notable Children’s Book list and I would recommend it to older audiences (starting from middle schoolers). I love it especially, because there are currently so many anthologies featuring poets/ writers who are born in the United States only. This is truly a collection of poems from all continents (except Antarctica:). I like that the poems are grouped into themes, not by countries. For example, in a “Family” section we read about the interactions among families from different countries and continents. We learn about the feelings of different family members in general and toward each other, we learn about their leisure time, their triumphs and struggles. But regardless where we come from, we can see that we have a lot in common! This anthology undeniably brings us all together under “this same sky”.

[Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this. It's useful to know, as is noted in the forward, that these were generally selected with children in mind. I imagined myself reading them to my future children, should I have any, and then pointing on a map to where each poet is from. The downside is that many of these poets don't have any translated works beyond their featured poem. I guess that makes these poems more precious. My favorites were Wildpeace by Yehuda Amichai, A Sailors Memoirs by Muhammad al-Fayiz, Childhood by Jean Joubert, Vistasp by Gieve Patel, Wind's Foam by Al Mahmud, Cat by Jibaranda Das, the Pit Ponies by Leslie Norris, and Home by Nasima Aziz.

[Tandava Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthologies are usually hit-and-miss with me, and mostly miss at that. I especially wouldn't have expected much of one whose only theme is poets not being born in America. But a student shared with me a poem out of this one (“Locked In,” by Ingemar Leckius) that really intrigued me, so I started reading more. And this is really a great book. There are lots in here I’m going to be saving for my personal collection, or to share with my class. Very nice collection.

[Zoraida Rivera Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has an excellent array of poems that helps see how different and yet how alike we can be. I enjoyed reading these poems as diverse as poems about horses, growing up in different environments, letting go, the value of old and how new things can be a pain, too. This book is a great place to discover new poets, new experiences and to reflect on life.

[Olivia Birazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World, a multicultural anthology, includes 125 poems from 68 countries all over the world. Although some of the poems have been translated into English, there many cross cultural experiences and ideas. I would use this analogy in my classroom to explore different countries and determine differences and similarities around the world.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A worthy compilation that introduces us to poetry from around the world, showing us how we are similar in our joys, hopes, and worries.

I couldn't help but feel, over and over again, that so much is lost in translation. I would've liked the originals alongside their English translations.

[Jasmin Alexia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poems just aren't my thing, but I did enjoy the read.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection. Picked it up randomly and glad I did!

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good poetry book

[Parvathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A set of poems from around the world, illustrating the commonality of human emotion, irrespective of the place you come from. Some of the poems stick with you, most do not. Worth a read, though.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

read for my lit class and i’m just not a poetry fan

[Danielle Hardy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I could say I enjoyed reading poetry from around the world, but I did not particularly like or connect with any of the selections.

[Alexandra Cadieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naomi Shihab Nye complied a book of poems from around the world and named it, This Same Sky. This work proves as a physical representation of the collective human consciousness, with nature being present through most of the rhythmic lines of each individual piece.
One could almost think each poem was inspired by a writer sitting quietly among the wilderness, capturing the happenings in front of them. Some works even find the writer immersing themselves into the nature flowing around them. Tommy Olofsson wrote “Old Mountains Want to Turn to Sand” in the first-person point of view to introduce the mountain as a main character, allowing the reader to identify with the aging mountains through personification (This Same Sky 13).
Other poems in this book do not address nature so directly; nature is used in simple metaphors. The opening lie of “The Gatherer” reads, “Blooming gardens are my words,” after a line break continues, “My words are dusky gardens...” written by Ali al-Mak (This Same Sky). With the use of metaphors, the poet adds a song like rhythm to the work by balancing the of use the same syllables, the first line structured in one way and the second reversing with the same flow. In this poem, imagery benefits greatly from this strategy; words gather on the page like flowers flourish from a barren brown garden in winter to the lush colors of spring.
No matter where a person lives, or travels, they share contact with nature and its many wonders. Nature is one underlying connection between all living things on Earth, and for the sake of poetry, especially human life. This book touches upon the notion of animals being one with nature, while humans are more like visitors who often find themselves struck in awe or inspiration.
Nye hand selected a variety of poems and poets from multiple regions spanning all the world. Despite the differing rhythmic styles and choice of meter from individual poets, each piece flows into the next with a fluent grace. She used thoughtful consideration to align the works, so that their differences complimented one another. Some poems, such as “The Gatherer”, span multiple lines, making use of the caesura formation. The use of line breaks in the middle of sentences/thoughts cause al-Mak’s piece to have an abrupt, chopped tone of nostalgia (This Same Sky 15). Nye offsets different writing styles by the procession of the poems’ order. Nye places “The Pen” by Muhammad al-Ghuzzi only two poems previous of this one. Here the line breaks are end-stops that form complete thoughts and only spans four lines.
One line reads, “The whole world is a sky-blue butterfly” — fitting to Nye’s motifs and probably the reason she picked this specific poem — is one that anyone who has observed nature can relate to (This Same Sky 15). The imagery in this subtle poem is one that touches again on the collective consciousness, everyone who can see has witnessed a cloudless sky and the fluttering of a butterfly.
With this structure of worldly works, Nye sheds light on suffering — maybe because this is a part of human nature. The poems grow more intense and complex the further one reads into This Same Sky. Titles even take on more meaning; such “A Brief Note to the Bag Lady, Ma Sister” written by Yusuf Eradam, that speaks on homelessness, so touching that the location of this suffering matters not then followed by a much simpler suffering, “A Man Never Cries” which uses an allusion to the false bravado that society has ingrained in men across the world (This Same Sky 57-9).
The collective voice in this book holds a tone of nostalgia, one of the strongest human factors. Reflective words, expressions, memories of the poems gathered here touch on the
beautiful nature of the world and the ugliness of human suffering. Nye did the literary world a favor by bring together poetry from Sweden, The Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, and many other countries to show similarities across the spectrum. This book offers understanding readers can turn to when they would like to learn of travesties or know they are not alone in their plights of daily life

[Kelsey]

In This Same Sky, by Naomi Shihab Nye , the reader is introduced to poetry from around the world. This book is comprised of 129 poets from more than 60 different countries and illustrates the natural world around us. Key features in this poetry anthology are its use of both humans and animals, and their relations to the each other and the world.

This poetry anthology is a great collection for people who love imagery of nature and world that surrounds us. These poems are great artifacts of diversity and include authors from many different countries. Each poem is indexed by the country of origin, either through the use of voice in the poem, or the setting itself.

This poetry anthology is a great way to introduce students not only to poetry itself, but through a very diverse lens as well. The students can each choose a country that one of the poem(s) are from, and see if they can find key characteristics in the poem that represent that country.

“….What lovely, larger life becomes ours when we listen to one another?”

Paired Books: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, The Earth and Me by Mike Artell, Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman, Let’s Celebrate! Festival Poems from Around the World by Debjani Chatterjee and Brian D’Arcy

[Patricia Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that consists of a compilation of poetry from around the world. The poem by Antonio Jacinto called The Rhythm of the Tom Tom is from the country of Angola in Africa. The poet proclaims the love and pride he has for his country. The book is separated into three sections. The author did a great job selecting poems for this book. However, I noticed that there weren't any poetry from the United States. So that leads me to believe that this book was intended for children in the U.S. There aren't many illustrations in the book except at the beginning of each section. The cover of the book is beautifully illustrated that would draw a potential reader to it. I rated this book 3 stars because it was enchanting but I would've like to see at least one poem from the states. The book of poetry could be used in the classroom as a multicultural theme and also as a geography lesson. Children could research the country of the poem's origin. The intended age group is intermediate level ages 12 and up. Children would relish this book because the author chose poems from far away countries that might not be familiar to them.

[Cathleen Ash]

Each poem within these pages provides the author, country and translator. Sometimes, it's a surprise to reach the end of a poem and realize it was not written in your backyard, or even on your continent. The poems resonate with humanity, and feelings that cross cultures. This is the best part of the book. Broken down into universal themes of words and dreams, family and human mysteries, the poems capture a sense of people across borders. The pages themselves may not be appealing to young adults (poor paper quality for such beautiful words), but the thoughts and vision of the poets within will be.

[Denn Angelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Same Sky, is a great read for poetry from different walks of culture. It isn't stagnate to one area, and upon each poem you see that the tales, may not always be in relation to the things you are accustomed to or related to. This is a great poetry tread as well as touching into connected different tales of far lands.

In the sense of multicultural children's books, this novel connects to different perspectives of life tales form different areas. The connections one can make may be hard but not difficult to take in. Often times mistaken, but this novel brings the collaboration into a great scope for all readers to enjoy.

[Anne K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book taught me to love words. It's a beautiful collection of poems from around the world and one of the aesthetically pleasing books I've ever had the pleasure to own. I've had this book for close to 15 years and many of it's pages are folded in the corners to mark the places I wish to come back to someday.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite book of poetry from countries all over the world. I love reading these out loud with friends! There are poems about chicken pens in France to Chilean pears to Apartheid in South Africa. SO GOOD.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this anthology. The poems were imagistic and well-chosen, and were accompanied by color art.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

terrific~
one of my most treasured gifts from a very dear friend!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of poems from around the world.