100,000,000,000,000 poems

The wild horse champs the Parthenon's top frieze
Licks round carved marble chops on snails full-blown
Replies like this the dumbstruck brain may tease
One gathers rosebuds or grows old alone
The roundabout eats profits made on swings
That metred rhyme alone can souls enslave
A daring baron pockets precious Mings
That every verbal shock aims to deprave
Poetic licence needs no strain or stress
What things we did we went the whole darned hog
And played their mountain croquet jungle chess
Southern baroque's seductive dialogue
The Taj Mahal has trinkets spice and gum
And lessors' dates have all too short a sum


Raymond Queneau

Translation to English by Stanley Chapman
found in "Oulipo Compendium"
Atlas 1998, ISBN 0-947757-96-1

Idea and implementation by Magnus Bodin 1997
Produced in the wonderful country of Sweden.