Visiting the Poetic Mountaintop of AI (II)

Finding the Shore

As I mentioned in the previous article, “Visiting the Poetic Mountaintop of AI (I) — A garden made of water”, I set off on the journey to Santa Monica Pier after finishing the poem “Water Garden” in the Water Garden. With only a few miles separating the two places, I managed to arrive at the pier before it got completely dark. This was merely the second time I’d visited. I first ventured here last winter when I wrote a poem titled “Yesterday Garden”:

I woke up in the yesterday garden,
While I was flying with a song.
The afterglow chased a forlorn martin,
Calling carefree clouds over the throng.

Rolling sands refreshed long-lost souls,
Precarious swings awaiting the eternal vast.
Seeking the wave of lost goals,
Free twilight had awakened the unchained past.

12/17/2022
At Santa Monica Pier, LA

Last winter, I wasn’t even aware AI could enhance poems even though ChatGPT had been introduced, so I made all revisions myself.

Although the pier is famous, I personally don’t find it as compelling as its reputation suggests. Beyond a small amusement park, named Pacific Park, with a sizable Ferris wheel, which somewhat stands out as a feature of the pier, it’s quite an ordinary seaside pier extending slightly into the ocean. It’s unjust to compare this tiny amusement park to Disneyland; even the Ferris wheel isn’t exceptionally tall. It’s much shorter than the office buildings I composed the Water Garden poem in front of. This amusement park is indeed stunning at night, particularly the Ferris wheel embellished with flashing lights. However, it doesn’t hold a candle to any renowned amusement park. Thus, I believe the primary reason for its success really lies in its view and unique location, right by the sea.

Likewise, I suppose the fame of this pier truly stems from its rich history rooted in its geographic location, as well as the cultural environment, with street artists and boardwalk vendors on the streets leading to the pier, rather than relying solely on its distinguished or exceptional scenic views. The sea and beach indeed offer a unique ambiance, at least compared to one city street after another. The most memorable part of my recent visit, just four days ago (July 23, 2023), was a magician I met. I was so inspired by his performance that I wrote a whole article about it the next day on Medium, titled “Real Genius of Magic Performance — From One Magician to Another”.

The pier is a fantastic spot to watch the sunset. If my school were close by (say, a 10-minute walk), I’m sure I would frequent this place almost every night during weekdays. However, I wouldn’t be here as much during weekends or holidays because the pier typically becomes particularly crowded, making it difficult to truly appreciate the beautiful natural view. This is a significant downside of visiting popular viewpoints. I don’t enjoy crowded spaces, especially those where smoking is permitted, like this pier. I prefer peaceful places with fresh air, just like the Water Garden. So, as it was a weekday, the pier was pleasantly empty and serene. Although this was during my Spring Break, the holiday was limited to my university.

The beach under the pier was also tranquil. Facing the sea, standing on the beach, instead of a full poem, this time I composed the following prompt to see what AI could generate here:

Seagulls from the past come back,
Like grass from the sky.
Tide will never end.
Countless cents will be there,
waiting for one moment of peace.

I asked ChatGPT to add rhyme to it, and here’s what it came up with:

Seagulls of old return once more,
As blades of grass from heavens soar,
The tide that ebbs will ne’er conclude,
Countless coins, but one peace pursued.

Then, I decided to challenge it further: I asked it to extend the poem in Shakespeare’s style. Here’s its instantaneous response:

Hark! Seagulls of the past, they doth return,
As though the grass from yonder skies doth churn,
The tide that never doth come to an end,
Doth leave us but a single peace to fend.

For countless cents we toil and strive,
To find that peace, and keep it alive,
But oh, how fleeting is that moment dear,
Like sand through fingers, it doth disappear.

Yet still we press on, in hope and faith,
That one day we’ll find that peaceful wraith,
And though the seagulls come and go,
Our hearts still beat, with hope aglow.

Astounding! You know, Shakespeare is unquestionably one of my favorite poets. I especially appreciate the particularly well-known Sonnet 18:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

And also the poetic language of his plays following a verse format, like this excerpt from Romeo and Juliet:

Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.

What if her eyes were there, they in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright
That birds would sing and think it were not night.

See how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!

Juliet: (speaking from the balcony)
Ay me!

Romeo:
She speaks.
O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art
As glorious to this night, being o’er my head,
As is a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white, upturned, wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds
And sails upon the bosom of the air.

(from Act 2, Scene 2 of “Romeo and Juliet”)

Shakespeare’s works, laden with Early Modern English, feature a unique historical flavor. The AI-generated poem above imitated this aspect well by adding a few archaic English phrases such as “Doth, yonder, dear, aglow, leave us but…” However, it seems to have made a critical grammatical error: “they doth return”. “Doth” is simply “does” (the third-person form of “do”) in archaic English, so of course “they does return” would be mistaken, even in poetry. Besides, the word “doth” appears excessively, five times in the entire poem. It seems that GPT was overly eager to mimic Shakespeare and went slightly overboard. Hence, I made a brief revision and added a title:

Chasing Peace among Seagulls

Hark! Seagulls of the past, they return,
As though the tides from yonder skies churn.
The surge that never comes to an end
Leaves us with but a single peace to fend.

For boundless bliss, we toil and strive,
To find that peace and keep it alive.
But oh, how fleeting is that moment dear,
Like sand through fingers, it doth disappear.

Yet still we press on in hope and faith,
That one day we’ll find that peaceful wraith.
And though the seagulls come and go,
Our hearts still beat with hope aglow.

3/12/2023
Lifeguard Tower 28

That’s it! I then uploaded it to my personal website and noted that it was primarily modified and extended by AI from my original poem. I didn’t want to take undue credit from the AI, even though, as it frequently says, “As an artificial intelligence language model, I don’t have human feelings or emotions.” Similar to the Water Garden poem, I copied it to the Play.ht Voice Clone system, had my cloned voice read it, and paired it with footage I had taken at the pier using iMovie. Here’s the final product: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bBv6duQARc&list=PL5Ir6_ZFOgX9jjBgP8NIBjmXShav_TC8S&index=10

As the stars took over the sky, a seagull left the pier, venturing into the expansive firmament. Realizing it was growing late, I decided it was time to head back. I truly appreciate this place. Perhaps I will return tomorrow. This Spring Break offers a rare chance to enjoy the seaside’s tranquility. Even if I don’t return soon, a part of my heart will remain here for quite a while. As the final line of the poem states, “And though the seagulls come and go, Our hearts still beat with hope aglow.”

Ivan Zhanhu Feng
July 22~28, 2023
At Fairmont Apt., LA

Last update: Aug 5, 2023