Mac Mania 5/MacMania 5.toast//Tools&Utilities/PiPhilology 6.0/PiPhilology 6.0 - Part I/PiPhilology 6.0 - Part I.rsrc/TEXT_159.txt

Text File | 1996-09-14 | 9KB | 284 lines

                                  English 21

3.1
415
926535
897932384
62643383
27950288
419716
9399375105
8209749445
92307816
406286
2089
986280
3482534211
706798
21480865
1328230
66470938
4460955
0582231725
359408128
4811174
5028410270
193852110
555964462294
895493038196
4428
81097566
5933446128475
6482337867
831652712
019
091456485
66923460
34861045
432664821339
360
72602491412
737245870
066063155
8817488
15209
2096282925
40917153
643678925
903600
11330
5305488204
66521384
1469519415
116094330
57270
36575959
1953092186
1173819326
1179310511
85480
74462379962
74956735
18857527248
9122793
81830
11949129
8336733624
406566430
8602139
494639
52247371907
021798
60943702
770539217
17629
3176752384
67481846
766940513
2000568
127145
263560827
7857713
4275778
960917
3637
1787214684
4090122495
34301465495
8537105
079
2279689258
923542019
9561121290
2196086
4034418159
813
6297
****************************************************

Poe, E.: Near A Raven

(...)

The poem below, which bears an uncanny similarity to a certain
famous poem by Edgar Allen Poe, is one of my recent (and challenging)
attempts at constrained writing. Constrained writing is the art of
constructing a work of prose or poetry that obeys some
artificially-imposed condition. For example, there are two published
novels from which the letter 'e' is absent - Gadsby, by Ernest Vincent
Wright (1938), and La Disparition by George Perec (still in print, and
even available in a very recent English translation (A Void, translated
by Gilbert Adair) that also obeys the constraint!).


Poe, E.
Near A Raven

Midnights so dreary, tired and weary.
Silently pondering volumes extolling all by-now obsolete lore.
During my rather long nap - the weirdest tap!
An ominous vibrating sound disturbing my chamber's antedoor.
"This", I whispered quietly, "I ignore".

Perfectly, the intellect remembers: the ghostly fires, a glittering ember.
Inflamed by lightning's outbursts, windows cast penumbras upon this floor.

Sorrowful, as one mistreated, unhappy thoughts I heeded:
That inimitable lesson in elegance - Lenore -
Is delighting, exciting...nevermore.

Ominously, curtains parted (my serenity outsmarted),
And fear overcame my being - the fear of "forevermore".
Fearful foreboding abided, selfish sentiment confided,
As I said, "Methinks mysterious traveler knocks afore.
A man is visiting, of age threescore."

Taking little time, briskly addressing something: "Sir," (robustly)
"Tell what source originates clamorous noise afore?
Disturbing sleep unkindly, is it you a-tapping, so slyly?
Why, devil incarnate!--" Here completely unveiled I my antedoor--
Just darkness, I ascertained - nothing more.

While surrounded by darkness then, I persevered to clearly comprehend.
I perceived the weirdest dream...of everlasting "nevermores".
Quite, quite, quick nocturnal doubts fled - such relief! - as my intellect said,
(Desiring, imagining still) that perchance the apparition was uttering a whispered "Lenore".
This only, as evermore.

Silently, I reinforced, remaining anxious, quite scared, afraid,
While intrusive tap did then come thrice - O, so stronger than sounded afore.
"Surely" (said silently) "it was the banging, clanging window lattice."
Glancing out, I quaked, upset by horrors hereinbefore,
Perceiving: a "nevermore".

Completely disturbed, I said, "Utter, please, what prevails ahead.
Repose, relief, cessation, or but more dreary 'nevermores'?"
The bird intruded thence - O, irritation ever since! -
Then sat on Pallas' pallid bust, watching me (I sat not, therefore),
And stated "nevermores".

Bemused by raven's dissonance, my soul exclaimed, "I seek intelligence;
Explain thy purpose, or soon cease intoning forlorn 'nevermores'!"
"Nevermores", winged corvus proclaimed - thusly was a raven named?
Actually maintain a surname, upon Pluvious seashore?
I heard an oppressive "nevermore".

My sentiments extremely pained, to perceive an utterance so plain,
Most interested, mystified, a meaning I hoped for.
"Surely," said the raven's watcher, "separate discourse is wiser.
Therefore, liberation I'll obtain, retreating heretofore -
Eliminating all the 'nevermores' ".

Still, the detestable raven just remained, unmoving, on sculptured bust.
Always saying "never" (by a red chamber's door).
A poor, tender heartache maven - a sorrowful bird - a raven!
O, I wished thoroughly, forthwith, that he'd fly heretofore.
Still sitting, he recited "nevermores".

The raven's dirge induced alarm - "nevermore" quite wearisome.
I meditated: "Might its utterances summarize of a calamity before?"
O, a sadness was manifest - a sorrowful cry of unrest;
"O," I thought sincerely, "it's a melancholy great - furthermore,
Removing doubt, this explains 'nevermores' ".

Seizing just that moment to sit - closely, carefully, advancing beside it,
Sinking down, intrigued, where velvet cushion lay afore.
A creature, midnight-black, watched there - it studied my soul, unawares.
Wherefore, explanations my insight entreated for.
Silently, I pondered the "nevermores".

"Disentangle, nefarious bird! Disengage - I am disturbed!"
 Intently its eye burned, raising the cry within my core.
"That delectable Lenore - whose velvet pillow this was, heretofore,
Departed thence, unsettling my consciousness therefore.
She's returning - that maiden - aye, nevermore."

Since, to me, that thought was madness, I renounced continuing sadness.
Continuing on, I soundly, adamantly forswore:
"Wretch," (addressing blackbird only) "fly swiftly - emancipate me!"
"Respite, respite, detestable raven - and discharge me, I implore!"
A ghostly answer of: "nevermore".

" 'Tis a prophet? Wraith? Strange devil? Or the ultimate evil?"
"Answer, tempter-sent creature!", I inquired, like before.
"Forlorn, though firmly undaunted, with 'nevermores' quite indoctrinated,
Is everything depressing, generating great sorrow evermore?
I am subdued!", I then swore.

In answer, the raven turned - relentless distress it spurned.
"Comfort, surcease, quiet, silence!" - pleaded I for.
"Will my (abusive raven!) sorrows persist unabated?
Nevermore Lenore respondeth?", adamantly I encored.
The appeal was ignored.

"O, satanic inferno's denizen -- go!", I said boldly, standing then.
"Take henceforth loathsome "nevermores" - O, to an ugly Plutonian shore!
Let nary one expression, O bird, remain still here, replacing mirth.
Promptly leave and retreat!", I resolutely swore.
Blackbird's riposte: "nevermore".

So he sitteth, observing always, perching ominously on these doorways.
Squatting on the stony bust so untroubled, O therefore.
Suffering stark raven's conversings, so I am condemned, subserving,
To a nightmare cursed, containing miseries galore.
Thus henceforth, I'll rise (from a darkness, a grave) -- nevermore!

-- Original: E. Poe
-- Redone by measuring circles.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Solution:

Despite the rather difficult constraint (to be revealed shortly),
observe how this revised version of "The Raven" duplicates the story,
tone, and rhyme scheme of the original fairly closely (including the
internal rhymes in the first and third line of each stanza). The only
major concession to the form is that the original has six lines per
stanza, with the fourth and fifth lines usually being very similar. Due
to the nature of the constraint I imposed (revealed in the next
paragraph), this would have been nearly impossible to do. Therefore,
this version eliminates the similar line in each stanza.

Give up? Hint: Start at the very beginning (with the word 'Poe') and
write next to each word the number of letters it contains. Put a
decimal point after the first digit. Look at the first few digits (or more
if, like me, you know the first several hundred by heart). Are you
impressed yet?

Even given the rather difficult constraint, I was able to match the
original very closely in spots. The very first line, although its meter is
wrong, is surprisingly close. Others which are very close, even to the
point of using many of the same words, are stanza 4 line 5, stanza 6
line 3, stanza 7 line 4, and stanza 15, line 1.

Note the use of the term "blackbird" a couple of times. Though not,
strictly speaking, correct (a raven is a black bird, not a blackbird), the
term is particularly appropriate. It is a subtle reference to George
Perec's La Disparition, which contains another
written-with-constraints version of "The Raven" - in this case the
constraint being "write it in French without using the letter 'e'". In the
English translation of La Disparition by Gilbert Adair, the poem is
faithfully translated into English, also without using letter 'e'. The
English version of the poem is titled (wait for it...) Black Bird!

The poem encodes the first 740 decimals of pi. The encoding rule is
this: a word of N letters represents the digit N if N<9, the digit 0 if
N=10, and two adjacent digits if N>10 (e.g., a 12-letter word
represents the digit '1' followed by '2').

(...)

I believe that "Near a Raven" establishes the world record for length
of a pi mnemonic. I would be glad to hear of other wordy attempts,
either in prose or poetry. Perhaps someone would like to attempt a
short story or a novel?!

Mike Keith

http://users.aol.com/s6sj7gt/mikerav.htm