Samstag, 21. Juli 2018

"Some roads are hidden and other roads are away." - Google Translate Poetry

I've put some lyrics into GoogleTranslate and iterated it through almost every language it offers. (This is not a new idea, but definitely a fun thing to do on a free-ish afternoon.) The original text was a passage from Bernstein´s Candide, written by Richard Wilbur. I will not put the original version in this post, because I like to keep it a bit more mysterious. Also, I add extra line breaks for a more poetic reading experience.

~ ẞ ~

After some iterations, this was the first result. The author hasn't quite found their voice yet, but at least they are certainly showing some promise, even if their grammar tends to be overly complicated:

No. 1

Do not hesitate to think
that I might be irritating and angry,
but in fact I said
that I had a good life in this castle castle
and I would go every day.
I liked much and do not know
that they do not know
that their black party in this world.

I took the family ferns,
I wrote a crown
and dropped half of my dough.

He was wrong and met
and went away several times;
he was forced to stop all enthusiasm;
But recently, I believe
that the practical result
is comfortable and avoidance!

I am fascinated with the poet´s ability to write themself a crown. Also, "castle" is such an important element that it has to be said twice.

~

Several iterations later... there is definitely some existential angst coming to the surface, mixed with some lines about ... food?

No.2

It does matter, but they believe
they are problematic and difficult,
but it is considered
as a wonderful life
in the palace and in everyday life.

I really like them,
and I do not know,
you do not know what is
in this part of the black and white world on earth.

On the bunches of fungus,
on the crown and on the left of the pastry.

Some seasons went into the accident
and they went away because of some traffic.
Why do you think it's a recent event,
worship, and salvation?

~

A few iterations further down. I particularly like the line about roads - the author clearly found a way to express their feelings. A sharp contrast between the rich people in palaces and the author´s own longing for a place in the world.

No.3

I believe they are problematic
and complicated,
but they seem to be a beautiful life
in the palace and everyday life.

I love them and you do not know
what this black and white part is.

Crown and dessert on the left side of the grass.
Some roads are hidden and other roads are away.

Why is this the youngest event,
worship, security?

~

It has become quite a bit shorter already, as you can see. There are no big changes from No.3 to No.4 - mostly the author´s intent became clearer, in my opinion - but somehow, a sweater entered the narrative:

No.4

We believe they are difficult
and difficult,
but they seem to live a beautiful life
in everyday life
and everyday life.

I like it, but I do not know
it's black and white.

The crown and sweater on the left side of the pool.
Some roads are secrets and other roads are left.
What is the reason for this situation?

~

The author corrects their mistake - it wasn't a sweater, it was a jersey. And they got rid of the crown. Apparently it turns out you can't write yourself into royalty that easily. Which might be the reason why they urge the reader to see that the only way to go is to the political left, even if we do not know what got us into this mess. The first part seems to refer to the upper-class?

No.5

We believe they are heavy
and heavy,
but they seem to live a rich life
of everyday life.

I liked it,
but I did not know it was white.

Necklace and jersey on the left side of the tank.
Some of these are deeper but the remaining steps are left.
What's the cause of this situation?

~

In the next version, the author has decided to drop any pretense of a happy life. The individual gets reduced to himself, and ... I admit I have no clue what this line about clothing on the beach is about. But there seems to have been a tragic event, and only some people survived.

No.6

They are hungry, thirsty,
but want to live globally.

I, but I think it's not just that.

Clothing is also on the beach.
Some of them are left.
Who helped?

~

In this next iteration, the author has turned towards spirituality - is there a world beyond this one? Does the plight of the starving people on earth make any sense? I especially like the missing question mark at the end.

No.7

They are hungry, lucky,
but they want to live in the world.
But I think this is not the only one.

There is also trash.
Some of them have left.

Who helps

~

Apparently, looking for solace in religion did not work out, and the author returns to a more dadaistic style to express their angst:

No.8

They are hungry, but wanting to live in the world.
But I think this is not one
Crops
Who went out?

~

The language becomes more and more condensed. Still this lingering question at the end - is there someone out there to help?

No.9

People are hungry, and in the world.
But no one
plant
Who's there?

~

A preference for shorter phrasing characterizes the tenth iteration. The author has turned away from looking towards religion again - now the question is much more mundane, looking to another human for solace:

No.10

Everyone's hungry.
we had
factory
Who is this?

~

Finally, we have reached a state of exhaustion - humans are reduced to their basic needs - food, sex, contact to other people:

No.11

Everyone is hungry.
sex
phone
Who is this?

~

One last change - personhood has become irrelevant, the only question is about what, not whom.

No.12

All hungry
Sex
phone
What is it?

~

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