2012 Shel Silverstein Poem Translation Competition (Sofia)

The Friends of Chicago Foundation, established in Sofia, Bulgaria in Protected content , the American Corner at the Sofia City Library and Tochitsa Publishing House announce for the second consecutive year Shel Silverstein Poem Translation Competition. This contest is not meant for only professional poetry translators. Therefore, anyone who has good comand of English and Bulgarian and is excited to translate the suggested poem from English into Bulgarian could participate. However, only one entry per participant will be accepted. The translated poem has to be emailed to: Protected content by June 1, Protected content .

Please provide in your email only the following information:

Your first and last names:
Your email address:
Your age:
Your school or university or profession:
The city you live in:
The translated poem (only in Bulgarian):

In the framework of the Protected content Days in Sofia, Bulgaria, an awarding ceremony will be held for the winners in the competition at the American Corner in Sofia at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 22, Protected content .

Sheldon Alan Silverstein, better known as Shel Silverstein, was born in Chicago. His first collection of poems, Where the Sidewalk Ends, was published in Protected content became an instant classic. Translated into 20 languages, his books have sold over 20 million copies. But Shel Silverstein was known not only as an author of children’s books. He was an American writer, cartoonist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer.

Protected content Days in Sofia, Bulgaria, co-organized by the Friends of Chicago Foundation, Sofia City Hall and the Embassy of the United States in Bulgaria, will be held from June 1 to July 4, Protected content . Concerts, exhibitions and presentations on Chicago history, culture and architecture will bring Chicago closer to Sofia and its citizens. Held just before the 4th of July, Chicago Days, initiated by a Bulgarian non-governmental organization, use people-to-people diplomacy to promote Bulgarian-American friendship and cooperation and to provide public support for establishing a sister cities relationship between Bulgaria’s capital Sofia and Chicago.

More information at Protected content and Protected content . For questions and inquiries: Protected content .

Please find below the suggested for translation poem:

WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white
And there the sun burns crimson and bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.