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641,959,232,274,432 Sonnet Anagrams

The following pair of sonnets has been randomly selected from the 641,959,232,274,432 possible anagrams able to be generated from the sets of lines listed further down on this page. In each set the four lines are mutual anagrams and also rhyme with one another, and the 14 sets taken together have the standard abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet. Each of the 641 trillion full sonnet anagrams is constructed by choosing two lines from each of these sets and placing one in each sonnet.

The lines were constructed such that no matter which choice is made for each line, the resulting pair of sonnets says something reasonably coherent (vaguely having to do with the current world situation). There are some other mild constraints involved as well: the four line #2s mention each of the four seasons in turn, and there are some minor allusions to other poems.

Here are the 14 sets of 4 lines:

------- Line 1 -------
Go, sinful worm, to heed the transient day;
=
Enough were let to stand forth in dismay;
=
Oh, it's not freedom ruins the tangled way;
=
We find soon that the melodies turn gray;

------- Line 2 -------
Our flesh an empty mold, a Winter sigh.
=
To play of idle art when Summer's nigh.
=
Up, artist-men, go home when Fall is dry.
=
Who fuel hate immortal Springs deny.

------- Line 3 -------
Now try and read this short life's resume,
=
Hide so in terror, damn the stressful way,
=
The rules of his mind's order went astray,
=
Firm soldiers enter, shun the wars today,

------- Line 4 -------
Because men rose at once with plans so high.
=
When each soon-passing truth becomes a lie.
=
See towns through peace, man's chosen alibi.
=
Ban laws, choose change, the promises untie.

------- Line 5 -------
So on this earth mature delights are sown:
=
To dreaming souls the art hereat is shown:
=
Some insights that our leader-haters own:
=
Or measure this, what golden artists hone:

------- Line 6 -------
The countryside, a blue romantic sea,
=
Your tuna slice, the basic modern tea,
=
His secret cloud, a mountain by a tree,
=
A land secure that you inscribe to me,

------- Line 7 -------
One steady hand, firm hills, a pleasing tone;
=
A Hampshire field, a lonely standing stone;
=
Day sport in health, and seeing films alone;
=
Long life as mine and ready lips that shone;

------- Line 8 -------
These too shall run and meet their destiny.
=
Their modern nation yet the dust shall see.
=
Then heroes sat, 'round death time, silently.
=
No matter, these should die here instantly.

------- Line 9 -------
On this outlandish earth, replete with fear,
=
To read, to learn, within this hateful sphere,
=
Our faith in this low planet shattered here,
=
With haunted hope, if lethal traitors sneer,

------- Line 10 -------
When men in arms the battlegrounds foreswore,
=
While wrongs at men returned, as months before,
=
When we from these grand nations bluster more,
=
Where farming thousands low resentment bore,

------- Line 11 -------
Will hopes on that regard today pass near?
=
Shall any good in these tart words appear?
=
Do troops end all the pagan wars this year?
=
Then shall two years go rot and disappear?

------- Line 12 -------
So finely Quoth the Starling, "Nevermore".
=
Grim envy flees onto the tranquil shore.
=
Then go, love - harm is frequently in store.
=
No, never quit the smaller things of yore.

------- Line 13 -------
Dethrone hard toil and to the past succumb;
=
So strut not: death placed acid on her thumb;
=
The lot stood up, then snatched Bacardi rum;
=
I touch clasped hands, to batter on the drum;

------- Line 14 -------
Doubt this, the gentle sacrament of some.
=
Let gather Fates; the icon moon sets dumb.
=
The best of things must to a real end come.
=
O face his sad tomb, note the gentle strum.

NOTES:
There are twelve choices for each set, e.g. if the four lines are A,B,C,D then the choices available to you are (A B), (A C), (A D), (B C), (B D), (C D), (B A), (C A), (D A), (C B), (D B), (D C). It might seem that this yields a total of 12¹⁴ possible sonnet pairs, but as every pair will appear twice (as X,Y and as Y,X) the grand total is actually (12¹⁴)/2 = 641,959,232,274,432.

4-way anagram sets were chosen for a simple reason: 4 is the smallest value which gives a number of anagrams larger than 100,000,000,000,000 - the number of sonnets in Raymond Queneau's "Cent Mille Milliards de Poems" (which has a similar "pick-and-choose" structure, though it has nothing to do with anagrams).

Here are the 14 sets of 4 lines:
------- Line 1 ------- Go, sinful worm, to heed the transient day; = Enough were let to stand forth in dismay; = Oh, it's not freedom ruins the tangled way; = We find soon that the melodies turn gray;	------- Line 2 ------- Our flesh an empty mold, a Winter sigh. = To play of idle art when Summer's nigh. = Up, artist-men, go home when Fall is dry. = Who fuel hate immortal Springs deny.
------- Line 3 ------- Now try and read this short life's resume, = Hide so in terror, damn the stressful way, = The rules of his mind's order went astray, = Firm soldiers enter, shun the wars today,	------- Line 4 ------- Because men rose at once with plans so high. = When each soon-passing truth becomes a lie. = See towns through peace, man's chosen alibi. = Ban laws, choose change, the promises untie.
------- Line 5 ------- So on this earth mature delights are sown: = To dreaming souls the art hereat is shown: = Some insights that our leader-haters own: = Or measure this, what golden artists hone:	------- Line 6 ------- The countryside, a blue romantic sea, = Your tuna slice, the basic modern tea, = His secret cloud, a mountain by a tree, = A land secure that you inscribe to me,
------- Line 7 ------- One steady hand, firm hills, a pleasing tone; = A Hampshire field, a lonely standing stone; = Day sport in health, and seeing films alone; = Long life as mine and ready lips that shone;	------- Line 8 ------- These too shall run and meet their destiny. = Their modern nation yet the dust shall see. = Then heroes sat, 'round death time, silently. = No matter, these should die here instantly.
------- Line 9 ------- On this outlandish earth, replete with fear, = To read, to learn, within this hateful sphere, = Our faith in this low planet shattered here, = With haunted hope, if lethal traitors sneer,	------- Line 10 ------- When men in arms the battlegrounds foreswore, = While wrongs at men returned, as months before, = When we from these grand nations bluster more, = Where farming thousands low resentment bore,
------- Line 11 ------- Will hopes on that regard today pass near? = Shall any good in these tart words appear? = Do troops end all the pagan wars this year? = Then shall two years go rot and disappear?	------- Line 12 ------- So finely Quoth the Starling, "Nevermore". = Grim envy flees onto the tranquil shore. = Then go, love - harm is frequently in store. = No, never quit the smaller things of yore.
------- Line 13 ------- Dethrone hard toil and to the past succumb; = So strut not: death placed acid on her thumb; = The lot stood up, then snatched Bacardi rum; = I touch clasped hands, to batter on the drum;	------- Line 14 ------- Doubt this, the gentle sacrament of some. = Let gather Fates; the icon moon sets dumb. = The best of things must to a real end come. = O face his sad tomb, note the gentle strum.