Spam Poetry

[Ben] Once in a while, I actually glance at the content of the spam that I get, just to stay current with what the idiots are doing. Since these days, they tend to throw in a bunch of random verbiage to confuse spam filters (not that this affects Spamassassin :), I'm sometimes rewarded with abstract poetry like this:

near-by novel-crazed paper carrier olive gnat parcel-divine
n-dimensional one-piece patchouli oil Middle west oil-fired
paper stainer one-pipe mummy brown murmur diphthong
pauper-fed oyster agaric opossum tree mora hair mighty-spirited
passenger car oak blight
oblique-angled orange orchard passage-free
oyster fork oxyhydrogen blowpipe Paleo-american night-tripping night
raven os magnum moon-crowned pale-looking paper birch opening bit
Parma red out-group moon-born
out-of-school office-seeking ninety-ninth orange-hued needle fir
nimble will pea flower out-of-towner oil gland
one-lunged needle spar passion-wasted oil gauge middle-shot wheel New
years eve nose pipe moose elm Michaelmas sitting page gauge mui-tsai
mint camphor Pan-celticism
opium-smoking pain-fearing pea blight out-of-turn Middle high german
night parrot neural axis never-lasting mis-con
one-word New thoughtist Mid-april morning campion paper-whiteness
paving roller paddle shaft
pantechnicon van passage grave Neo-punic
mist-blotted obturator fascia money-mad multiple-toothed oat-crushing
neat-fingered object matter naked-flowered

Isn't that lovely? Absent the spam content (a link), it could actually be seen as somebody's attempt at real abstract poetry. Hell, I've seen lots worse done on purpose. :)

[clarjon1] Yeah, i get that too...

Here's one my filter caught (missing just the pic that was to cover up the text, i guess)

departed knowd it; and the departed done what was right by her, as

not a little shabby already. I wanted to be cutting at those trees
exercises on the lawn behind the house, I saw her face pass from

When I come to any town, he pursued, I found the inn, and waited
pecuniary embarrassments, is, with the generality of people, at a

Yes. said Mr. Peggotty, with a hopeful smile. No one cant dishonest
act; and has used it, ever since, to torture and

It is not my intention, he continued reading on, to enter on The early
stars began to shine while we were lingering on, and

better heart. exclaimed the girl, with most forlorn regret; for by
snatches as we were employed. When I left, at nine oclock, she

But, much too soon, we heard the others laughing and talking, and When
we were nearly come to the last round of the punch, I

For a time - at all events until my book should be completed, which
other dog but Jip; because he wouldnt have known me before I was

a supreme satisfaction, of a personal and professional nature, in
Theres a long statement in the papers, sir, about a murder,

wonderful housekeeper. Accordingly, she polished the tablets,
venerable pile, for which the spot to which I refer has acquired a

There was a beggar in the street, when I went down; and as I turned
will ever bear in mind, that he had infinitely better put his fist

I wonder if it's a part of someone's abstract poetry?

[Jason] I suspect it's generated by Markov chains (or something similar) from some large corpus like, e.g., project Gutenburg texts.

[Ben] Hmmm, possible.

ben@Fenrir:~$ gzip -dc The\ Bible,\ King\ James\ Authorized\  Version.gz | dadadodo -

   For me bright brass and some Elias; talking or the recorder, land
   shall abide at all works of Leah was sent me, all the children of
   thieves, And with me.  Hear (not a this is he Send thee between her
   suburbs and in Gezer; but godliness). 

   And the silver the counsellors have reproached, and when thou,
   hast thou although fell out of Israel, abiding; in the people
   are weak is sick of the people shall say, unto Amos, hear the
   length thereof, he pressed him.  And into singing women, go
   they have born. 

James Joyce's "Ulysses", of course, looks completely unaffected by this process.

[clarjon1] By the way, Ben, have you been to Canada recently? If so, I think you may have dropped a pair of sunglasses by my place...

[Rick] Just for the heck of it, I fed that through Danny O'Brien's found-haiku (yeah, senryu) Perl script. Here are some of the better works of literature that result:

gauge middle-shot wheel

New years eve nose pipe moose elm

Michaelmas sitting

paper-whiteness

paving roller paddle shaft

pantechnicon van

Cheers, Rick ("whose colourless green ideas sleep furiously") Moen