So I threw some of these lines at Bard and true to its name, it made stuff that is better than my lines. Still not sure if any of it counts as poetry but there are definitely a line or two or a metaphor or two here that are interesting.
What I wrote:
Read Nietzsche the first time to appear well read and find confusion
The second time to appear serious and find epiphanies
The third time for yourself and reject the overman
What the LLMs rewrote:
Nietzsche’s pages turn,
Confusion sparks enlightenment,
Overman dismissed.1
First, a borrowed cloak,
Nietzsche struts, impressing crowds,
Empty, echoing.
Then, a seeker’s beard,
Epiphanies sought in smoke,
Ashes in his hand.
Finally, unmasked,
He laughs, tears off the false skin,
Free, and only man.2
Tried Nietzsche to swagger, impress the crew,
Brain scrambled, left me scratching my shoe.
Second go, all earnest, brow furrowed deep,
“Aha!” moments came, then went to sleep.
Third and final, just me and the page,
“Übermensch” baloney, turning the cage.
My own way to go, the hype I dismiss,
Nietzsche’s a puzzle, not some hip abyss.3
First dive into Nietzsche for some street cred,
Got lost in the jumble, scratching my head.
Round two, looking serious, seeking insight,
Epiphanies popping up, left and right.
Third time’s a charm, just for myself,
Overman? Nah, put that book on the shelf.
Finding my path, rejecting the hype,
Nietzsche, my guide, in this philosophical tripe.4
Thought Nietzsche cool, like shades and a scowl,
Read, got lost, felt like a clueless owl.
Tried again, serious, highlighter in hand,
“Deep thots,” I’d shout, then couldn’t stand.
Third time, alone, book open and worn,
Overman stuff? Nah, more like a yawn.
My own truth’s out there, beyond borrowed gleam,
Nietzsche’s a teacher, not some grand scheme.5
(Verse 1)6
Caught a freight train down to wisdom’s depot, Nietzsche in my pack
Heard the hipsters talkin’, thought I’d join the existential act
Cracked the spine, let words like shadows crawl across my mind
But meaning danced like dust devils, never could I pin it down
(Chorus)
First time through, a borrowed mask, words I didn’t own
Spouted wisdom from the rooftops, just another crow cawin’ alone
Second time, all furrowed brow, highlighter in my hand
Epiphanies like lightning bugs, sparklin’ on the promised land
(Verse 2)
But lightning fades, and truth ain’t found in borrowed sparks
So I stripped it back, raw wood and nails, no fancy, gilded arks
Read for me, not crowds, not critics with their sharpened quills
Just a man unmasking shadows, climbin’ his own personal hills
(Chorus)
Third time round, the book worn thin, spine crackin’ with each turn
No more Übermensch charades, let the embers of my spirit burn
I ain’t no superman, don’t crave Olympus’ golden throne
Just lookin’ for a path of my own, where the wind whispers in my bones
(Bridge)
So thanks, Nietzsche, for the storm, the tangled mountain trail
You showed me wisdom ain’t a summit, but a fire that never fails
I may have borrowed your compass, but the stars I follow now are mine
Each scar a map, each breath a song, this journey’s truly divine
(Chorus)
First time blind, second time blurred, but now the focus clear
No borrowed wings to lift me up, my feet planted right here
So long, Zarathustra, your shadows fade in the mornin’ light
This path’s mine, and I’m walkin’ on, the stars as my sight
- Brief and bloody well summarized ↩︎
- My favorite: borrowed cloak, seekers beard, ashes in hand. ↩︎
- I do like a hip abyss ↩︎
- This was weak, i know. but of the 15 odd poems i generated this was in the top five ↩︎
- A teacher, not a scheme. damn good ↩︎
- and finally as a bob dylan song, can’t be sung to Mr. Tamborine man’s tune tho ↩︎