Tag: poetry

The Right Music….

… or in this case the completely wrong music. To explain:

I was tired last night, and so spent the evening gawping at the TV. There wasn’t much on, but I did take a look on BBC4 at “Rome: A History of the Eternal City”. (Another repeat from many years ago). It was, as the name suggests, a history of Rome and inevitably the Vatican state and the Roman Catholic Church featured quite strongly. It was pretty standard TV history fare.

But just as the presenter was discussing St. Peter’s Basilica I heard the faint strains of familiar music in the background. After a few moments I identified it as part of Scheherazade, a symphonic suite written by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888, and one that I took quite a shine to when I was a boy. It’s based on the medieval story, ‘The 1001 Nights’ (or The Arabian Nights), in which the heroine – Scheherazade – tells her new husband stories to keep him interested in her, so he doesn’t have her executed the following morning. (The husband in question was Shahryar, a fictional Persian king whose 1st wife had been unfaithful to him and he had decided to execute each of his subsequent brides after their wedding night so they didn’t get the chance to do the same).

So why is this the wrong music? Well firstly, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was a member of the Russian Orthodox church, and relations between the Orthodox church and the Roman Catholic church have often not been particularly, err, ‘Christian’ in nature. Secondly, the music is far from Italian or even European, having a very middle eastern flavour, and thirdly, medieval Persia was an Islamic state, and so Shahryar and Scheherazade would both have been Muslims anyway.

OK, I’m being a bit nerdy here, but it does matter – music has always reflected its historical setting and getting it right can wonderfully enhance the experience. It’s a shame they get it wrong so often. For example, I recall the Kate Blanchett film, ‘Elizabeth’, concludes with Mozart’s Requiem, written 188 years after her death! I’m sure there must be some Italian or European music that would have been more appropriate!

Can a computer improve Wordsworth?

Artificial Intelligence seems to be all the rage these days. I had a brief play with Chat GPT a little while ago, but, having more interesting things to do, didn’t go very far down the rabbit hole, However, I’ve just noticed that the Wordcraft editor, which I use to write this stuff, has just added a set of AI features that allow it to creatively edit existing text into different styles, summarise it, or even expand it.

So just for fun I converted a famous poem into prose and ran it through some features. I started with this:

I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o’er vales and hills, when all at once I saw a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils; beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

So let’s try a few AI generated variations…..

Humorous style

I strolled like a lost balloon drifting through valleys and hills, when suddenly I spotted a gang, a whole bunch, of cheerful daffodils; by the lake, under the trees, swaying and grooving in the wind.

Passionate style

I wandered, solitary as a drifting cloud soaring above valleys and hills, when suddenly, a sight unfolded before me – a multitude, a throng of golden daffodils; by the lake, under the trees, quivering and cavorting in the gentle breeze.

Informal style

I was just strolling around, you know, like a cloud lazily gliding over the valleys and hills, when suddenly bam! I spotted a bunch of golden daffodils, just chillin’ by the lake, groovin’ under the trees and swaying with the breeze.

Simplified version

I saw a lot of golden daffodils near the lake and trees, fluttering in the wind.

Expanded version

I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o’er vales and hills, when all at once I saw a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils; beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze. This picturesque scene filled my heart with a sense of serene beauty, as the daffodils swayed gracefully in the gentle wind, their vibrant hue painting a breathtaking tapestry against the backdrop of the tranquil landscape. The feeling of solitude melted away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of connection to the natural world, each delicate flower seemingly whispering secrets of the earth’s wonders. It was a moment of pure enchantment, a fleeting yet eternal memory etched in the depths of my soul.

Expand twice.

This is the expansion of the expansion:

The picturesque scene of the daffodils alongside the tranquil lake etched a timeless image in my mind, as if nature itself had painted a masterpiece for me to behold. The gentle sway of the flowers, harmonizing with the whispering breeze, seemed to orchestrate a symphony of serenity that resonated deep within my being. It was in that profound moment of tranquility that I found myself immersed in the language of nature, where every petal, every blade of grass, and every ripple on the water spoke to me in a silent yet profound dialogue.

As the golden daffodils radiated their timeless charm, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of oneness with the earth, as if I had been granted permission to partake in a private performance of nature’s dance. The sunlight, filtering through the swaying leaves, painted the ground with a mosaic of shadows and light, a mesmerizing tapestry woven by the hand of the natural world. It was a gentle reminder that even in the midst of life’s chaos, there exists a tranquil sanctuary where one can find solace and inspiration, a place where the symphony of nature beckons us to listen and reflect.

In the quiet presence of the daffodils, I discovered that nature speaks to us not only through grand landscapes and majestic vistas, but also in the subtle whispers of a flower’s bloom and the delicate rustle of leaves. Each element of the natural world weaves a narrative of resilience, grace, and enduring beauty, inviting us to slow down and appreciate the intricate details that often escape our hurried gaze. As I took in the serene beauty that enveloped me, I realized that nature’s poetry is not confined to the pages of books or the strokes of an artist’s brush; it is a living, breathing entity that surrounds us, offering glimpses of transcendent beauty and timeless wisdom at every turn.

Simplify and summarise the double expanded version.

So, having completely wrecked Wordsworth, can we recover him by summarising and simplifying the double expanded version? This is what I was left with after repeated simplifications to get it back to a comparable size:

“The daffodils near the quiet lake remind us of a beautiful, peaceful place. Even amid life’s chaos, they bring comfort and inspiration. Nature speaks through the flowers and leaves, showing us stunning beauty and timeless wisdom”.

Now I don’t know how it came up with this drivel, but Wordsworth it ain’t!

Conclusions.

So has any of the above actually improved Wordsworth? I think the answer has to be, “NO”, but I must add that I quite liked the informal style, and the simplified version at least has the merit of brevity. Other than that, I think I’ll wait for version 2 of the software!