Sonnet: First in a Series of K, where K is Probably 3.

Eight years ago, I ran into some software called Shakespeare v. 1.0.1. It is what you might call an iterative sonnet composer; the code contains a databank of words and the syntactical rules of the sonnet, so it is able to generate random sets of fourteen lines. Then the user can choose which lines they like and which they don’t, and the program generates new lines to replace the ones rejected by the user. Repeat until a satisfactory poem has been generated. It kind of reminds me of Jabberwacky, a fun little Internet experiment where a program is trying to learn how to converse with humans, Personally, I like to add some punctuation for clarity in the end, but the whole thing is a joint project between the computer and myself anyway.

In any case, this post actually helps this blog live up to its name and supposed topic. I guess this software could be a potential way to test the ol’ thousand-monkeys-with-typewriters hypothesis…

sonnet1.out (“Illiterate wailing Babylon ablaze”)

Deride ineffable incongruous pipes;
Frenetic, rather passionate, matrix ends.
Police the feared emeritus (yipes),
Exemplify sustained sarcastic blends.

Vicarious Israeli staff material
Rewards a dull -the nun- and storms the bare.
Inject incompetent sideshow gross amoeba.
Illiterate wailing Babylon ablaze.

Computer hot, inspiring makeshift peon.
Design amoeba funk procedures flipped.
The waste, the pen- Hispanic functions dreamy,
Intuitive production pain equipped

In missed bouquet of tasteless disdain awash;
No heat, no greed: ineffable assuage.