W. S. Gilbert Meets Randall Monroe


There’s a marvel in the makeup of a mold
There is splendor in a cytoplasmic slime
And when scientists first noticed
This peculiar-looking protist
They agreed it was aesthetically sublime

Such a cheerful little fellow
In a brilliant shade of yellow
Yes I think it is aesthetically sublime!

There’s a multitude that live within a drop
They’re invisible until you use your lens
You can magnify the features
Of a myriad of creatures
Say hello to all your microscopic friends

If you grind it with precision
Then a lens can give you vision
So you notice all your microscopic friends!

If you agree
Sing derry down derry
It’s beautiful, very
And so much fun
Just look and see
Them verily vary
No magical fairy
To get things done

There is wonder in a parasitic wasp
In the horror she inflicts upon her foe
If a host should be infested,
From the inside she’s digested
In a process that’s as gruesome as it’s slow

What a wonder, but unnerving
I can think of none deserving
Such a process that’s as gruesome as it’s slow

There is beauty in a toxoplasmic spore
When it alters the behavior of a rat
With a tendency to pull it
Till it’s marching down the gullet
And residing in the stomach of a cat

Toxoplasma likes it best in-
Side a kitty-cat’s intestine
Which you get to through the stomach of a cat

If you agree
Sing derry down derry
It’s beautiful, very
And so much fun
Just look and see
Them verily vary
No magical fairy
To get things done

Inspired by The Mikado, of course, and by XKCD comic 877, “Beauty“.

Comments

  1. says

    Given Randal's CC license, you could include his graphic with your verse. Or your verse with his graphic. Or both.Sweet!I'm saving these for people who Just Don't Get It. Next is a poster — if the two of you could collaborate on that …

  2. says

    Actually, D.C., I had the graphic embedded, then previewed and found that this template cuts it in half. I need to work on a different layout or something.

  3. says

    I'm fairly certain he has no idea I exist, so don't get your hopes up! But if science tells us anything, it is that strange and wonderful things happen all the time!

  4. says

    When I read that xkcd comic, I thought, "There's a poem in here somewhere." Glad the Cuttlefish is on the ball with these things. :)

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