AI Poetry Share Thread

How many poets does it take to change a light bulb?
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Morpheus
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Fri May 12, 2023 10:25 pm

Baucis and Philemon (Hybrid Version, not sure it was worth the effort)

In Phrygia's land, a tale is told,
of kindness rare and hearts of gold.
An elderly couple, humble and poor,
their cottage alone on a verdant moor.

One fateful day, two strangers came,
through weary roads, heads hung in shame.
Zeus and Hermes, in disguise,
To test the hearts of watchful eyes.

They wandered on, from spurn and spurn,
Drifters rejected with no concern.
The elderly couple, arms spread wide,
Bade them to enter with warmth inside.

No lavish feast, no riches to share,
Yet love and compassion filled the air.
With simple fare and humble grace,
They welcomed gods to their embrace.

Amidst the meagre provisions amassed,
They offered the strangers their very last.
Their meagre wine and meagre bread,
Shared selflessly, without a shred.

At the end of the meal, a magic ensued,
Their cottage becoming a heaven imbued.
Walls became marble, ceilings were adorned,
From kind-hearted gestures a temple had formed.

As gods revealed their celestial guise,
The elderly couple gasped with surprise.
Their humble guests were a deity pair,
The couple dropped to their knees in a prayer.

The gods proclaimed, praising their virtue,
"Tell us your wish and we’ll make it come true”
They wanted each other, not be alone
and die as a pair in the grounds of their home.

Thus, oak interwoven with linden grew
Reincarnated, refreshed and anew
Branches entwining, embracing together
A symbol of love and compassion forever.

****************************************************************************


Original ChatGPT autogenerated:
In Phrygia's land, a tale is told,
Of kindness rare and hearts of gold.
Baucis and Philemon, humble and poor,
Their cottage stood by a verdant moor.

One fateful day, two strangers came,
Through weary roads, seeking shelter's aim.
Zeus and Hermes, gods in disguise,
To test mortals' hearts, with watchful eyes.

They wandered on, rejected and spurned,
Until the elderly couple's hearth they earned.
Baucis and Philemon, their arms spread wide,
Bade them enter with warmth inside.

No lavish feast, no riches to share,
Yet love and compassion filled the air.
With simple fare and humble grace,
They welcomed gods into their embrace.

Amidst the meager provisions they'd amassed,
They offered the strangers their very last.
Their meager wine, their meager bread,
Shared selflessly, without a shred.

As the meal concluded, a miracle ensued,
Their cottage transformed, divinely imbued.
Walls turned to marble, a temple divine,
Their generosity reaping blessings fine.

The gods revealed their celestial guise,
Baucis and Philemon fell in surprise.
Their humble guests were deities rare,
In awe, they knelt, humbled in prayer.

Praising their virtue, the gods did say,
"You've earned our favor, both night and day."
A single wish was granted, sincere and true,
To live and depart this world as one, not two.

Thus, intertwined, an oak and linden arose,
Their love immortalized as nature chose.
Branches entwined, forever to be,
A testament to love and hospitality.

In Baucis and Philemon's tale so grand,
A lesson of compassion, forever will stand.
For kindness and generosity, beyond measure,
Can turn humble beings into eternal treasure
jisbell00
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Fri May 12, 2023 11:09 pm

Hi Morpheus,

The original reminds me a bit of William McGonagall, who I think rhymed according to a similar process. I love McGonagall, but that love partly reflects his imprisonment ni his rhyme scheme. The Chatbot doesn't generate that level of affection from me, not facing that plight (as far as I know!).

Cheers,
John
Morpheus
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Location: Lancashire

Sat May 13, 2023 7:55 am

That made me laugh John, :lol:

Have you read Ewan McTeagle?

All his poems were requests for money and written in prose :
Can I have 50 pounds to mend the shed?
I'm right on my uppers.
I can pay you back when this postal order comes
From Australia.
Honestly.
Hope the bladder trouble's getting better.
Love, Ewan.
The chatbot gets very defensive and apologetic when I interrogate. It kind of knows it's like William McGonagall but is keen to improve.

It took me about an hour an a half to tinker with the poem then give feedback on how I would improve it. I could have written something else from scratch in that time and reviewed several poems for real poets.

That said, normally I wouldn't have the patience to convert a Greek Myth into rhyming verse and it's a form of free flowing and disposable creativity.

There is a writing group I'm in where they want poems to order. The brief was write a poem that tells a story of compassion.

I read this myth earlier in the year with my daughter. Incidentally, the Cowries poem was also written after reflecting on one of the School issued books on the history of money. I found it very romantic. There's no AI in that poem or any poems I post on the experienced/beginners boards.
Last edited by Morpheus on Sat May 13, 2023 10:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
jisbell00
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Sat May 13, 2023 8:57 am

:)

I'd not heard of Ewan McTeagle. Brilliant stuff!

There's an American professor I just read about who is publishing articles in scientific journals largely written by AI. He credits Ai and gets peer reviewed, and his university seems OK with it. This is all very fascinating.

Cheers,
John
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