The Cyberiad

by Stanisław Lem

imagine, simulating the whole Universe from scratch, not to mention Civilization in every particular, and to end up with such dreadful doggerel!

Not much time went by before news of Trurl’s computer laureate reached the genuine—that is, the ordinary—poets. Deeply offended, they resolved to ignore the machine’s existence.

There were many poet protests staged, demonstrations, demands that the machine be served an injunction to cease and desist. But no one else appeared to care. In fact, magazine editors generally approved: Trurl’s electronic bard, writing under several thousand different pseudonyms at once, had a poem for every occasion, to fit whatever length might be required, and of such high quality that the magazine would be torn from hand to hand by eager readers.

instead of manuscripts in their suitcases, more and more poets were bringing rifles to defeat Trurl’s electronic bard.

all we have to do is construct a digital device, a computer capable of producing an informational model of absolutely anything in existence.

One can accomplish something only so long as one cannot accomplish everything.