100,000,000,000,000 poems

The marble tomb gapes wide with jangling keys
His exaltation shocked both youth and crone
His toga rumpled high above his knees
One gathers rosebuds or grows old alone
How it suprised us pale grey underlings
That metred rhyme alone can souls enslave
A daring baron pockets precious Mings
That every verbal shock aims to deprave
Staunch pilgrims longest journeys can't depress
With gravity at gravity's great cog
Poor Yorick comes to bury not address
But I can understand you Brogher Gog
Where no one bothered how one warmed one's bum
Fried grilled black pudding's still the world's best yum


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.