"Star Party Blues" by Eugene O'Connor from the Starrynights list, as shared by Susan Delaney. Experiences at the South Pacific Star Party ( 2001? ). (Do let me know when you have a website to list here, Eddy. : ) 

From Eddy : "My thanks to Roger and Daniel for lifting our spirits on those clouded nights. Discerning lovers of ballad will recognise my indebtedness to ‘John O’ Brien’, Robert Service and Oscar Wilde, great balladeers."

When Mir fell to Earth in the Great Southern Seas
We gathered at Ilford and camped under trees.
With the tripods and scopes , the Naglers and Charts
We were ready to probe at those galaxies’ hearts.
A well-crafted spectroscope peered at the sun
Displaying such colours to make the eye stun.
As the Kandos Scout cooks provided the fare
The  crisp tang of onions was sharp in the air.
But as darkness came down and the big scopes rolled out
A menacing cloud crept in from the South.
It soon filled the sky and blanked out all hope
- the gods were not moved with yon burnt telescope.

Chorus
But  Roger and Daniel  just strummed their guitars,
As we sat near the camp fire and dreamed about stars.
Oh, play us some more of those far distant tunes
Of longing and love and Jupiter’s moons.
For the skies are so gray and galaxies dim-
Here’s a glass of  Star Port, let the Universe swim.

We had lectures and talks in a large crowded hall
From astronomers great and astronomers small.
There was Gordon Gerradd, him with spiraling locks
Who likes to take pictures or near orbit rocks.
He had recently worked in a large Biosphere
He said all went well ‘till they ran out of air.
Ted Dobosdz likes to work with a CCD image
A gadget to make a cosmic mirage.
To the blue you add green, to the green you add red
Hey, the picture you make comes straight from your head!
Jaworski on doubles soon drew a large crowd
As we all get inspired sitting under a cloud!

Chorus
But  Roger and Daniel  just strummed their guitars,
As we stretched near the camp fire dreaming of Mars
Oh, play us some more of those Cat Stevans  tunes
I’m now losing count of Jupiter’s moons.
Let’s forget the bright skies wrapped in  inky dark gloves
As each man drinks from  the cup that he loves.

Next day was still cloudy and it threatened to rain
But a telescope tour soon softened the pain.
If you’ve seen a  broad paddock of State of Art scopes
It fuels all our dreams, our wishes and hopes.
Such wonderful woodwork, such well-fashioned tubes
Of scopes that collapse into small-car boot cubes.
And mirrors from George or from Marc ground by hand
Give magical images to this home-workshop band.
Not to mention accessory tables and chairs-
One Dad got the prize just for showing he cares.
And as for the sky as the time moved past noon
Forget it dear friends, sing along to the tune…

Chorus
Let  Roger and Daniel  just strum their guitars,
Throw a log on the fire and forget about stars.
Oh, let us all sing to  those distant tunes
Who cares if we cannot see Jupiter’s moons
Or the giant 25 inch sitting out there
Sip the Star Port, drink up, don’t yet despair.

For the  second day speakers we soon packed the shed
With a lady from NASA and a strange bloke called Fred.
Dr. Miriam Baltuck spoke about space
And a search there for life – is there even a trace?
Well they’re combing each rock each nook and each cavity
But the problem remains how to live without gravity.
Now Fred was as charmer with stories to savor
Of the weird and the wild astronomic behaviour.
How South hated Sheepshank, they were both vilified
And the feud lasted years after one man had died.
Did I mention the sun ne’er appeared in that clime?
Mike Smith had the answer, fill your glass – in good time…

Chorus
Come on Roger and Daniel  just strum those guitars,
We need a fast number – let’s sing a few bars.
We’re picking our way through those far distant tunes
Let’s blind out the vision of far distant moons.
For the skies are still gray and the nights still in doubt-
Runed like O’Hanrahan, the clouds still are out.

Soon a bunch of the boys were whooping with glee
As Mike Smith performed his renowned rocketry.
He began with some drama to launch the small toys
As the crowd gathered round like goggle-eyed boys
With a bang and a whoosh the rockets shot up
Then dangled in chutes, were chased and picked up.
The final launch came of a very large missile
Stand back – here’s the count down- look up with a smile.
But a  sudden right turn as the rocket got wings
Sent it scorching the wombats just near Siding Springs.
But soon we lined up for spit roast and spuds
As those grand Ilford skies still were masses of cruds.

Chorus
Come Roger and Daniel  just strum your guitars,
Poke that glowing camp fire and shower us with stars.
Does it matter the words to these old-fashioned tunes
That Trivia quiz has my poor brain in ruins.
…Ah Eta Carina and that Red Planetary
I can see still see them now through my wine blotted memory.

The usual people won massive door prizes
There were scopes and eyepieces of all shapes and sizes.
The vendors stalls flourished with prices not cheap
Our plummeting dollar would make a bloke weep.
But bargains were best at the lively Swap Meet
With eyepieces bulging from pockets a treat.
But now it was time to pack up the car
To travel to Wagga or Woop Woop or far.
Next year we’ll return with expectant eyes
Hoping those Globulars glow in dark skies.
It’s time for farewells my song is near done
Of that Ilford Star Party of two thousand and one.

Chorus
For Roger and Daniel have packed their guitars,
Let’s not sing of Star Parties without any stars.
But those clear skies of Ilford are  like distant gongs
They play on the mind and enrich like old songs.
What matter dark skies and galaxies grim-
Stars  pulsate in our souls where they never can dim.

"The Galaxy Song" by Monty Python with mp3 download available at http://www.open.hr/space/space/jokes.phtml .

Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
and revolving at 900 miles an hour,
It's orbiting at 19 miles a second, so it's reckoned,
the sun that is the source of all our power.
The Sun and you and me, and all the stars that we can see,
are moving at a million miles a day,
In the outer spiral arm, at 40,000 miles an hour,
of the Galaxy we call the Milky Way.

Our Galaxy itself contains 100 billion stars,
it's 100,000 light-years side-to-side,
It bulges in the middle, 16 000 light-years thick,
but out by us it's just 3 000 light-years wide.
We're 30,000 light-years from galactic central point,
we go round every 200 million years,
And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions
in this amazing and expanding universe.

 

The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding,
in all of the directions it can whizz,
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light you know,
twelve million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
how amazingly unlikely is your birth,
Pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,
because there's bugger all down here on Earth.

“Nocturne” A Song from Vietnam . Translated by Dumoutier, 1890

The night is deep, the stars are shining brightly

Mist covers the rice fields

The bamboo rustles in the wind

The crickets chirp in all the corners

The monks are reciting hymns in the temple

 

Do you see above the hills

The pink moon rising

It looks like a fire in the woods

The strong and beautiful trees

 

There is a star of the north

Scintillating like a glow-worm

There comes a breeze, refreshing our faces

A stone will be worn by the river

But our love will stay all our lives