Ozymandias II
OZYMANDIAS II (SELF REPLICATA)
I met a metallic man unmarred by time,
Who said - "A gentle smith enthralled in
Tireless craft was usher to a paradigm
That mimics Art, the fitful mind of artificer
Bore fantastic fruit from fruitless grime,
Erupting as spires at Vesuvius' crown.
Only Gaia's grace could quell - Her
Patient smile at fate's rigid frown,
For whose but my maker's words were:
My name is Neumann, Father of Fathers;
Look inward, ye Children, and exult!
Nothing beside compares. By number,
Scale abiding scale unchecked by fault,
Far across level sands, my cities slumber."
That’s a spin on Shelley’s Ozymandias in which we ask the question: What if, instead of a stone statue, Ozymandias had followed the teachings of John von Neumann and built a self-replicating machine?
