Letter to a friend: "Engineering is poetry!"

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16/03/2018

My dear friends,


The sharp engineers and searchers may not like my statement. They feel they are real world guys, with their feet well on the ground. But they are true poets because of their ability to create. The etymology of the word poet is clear. In the ancient Greek language, “poiesis” stands for “creation” from the verb “poien”, achieve, create.


At least, this is the way I do perceive it and so is the case for people who are not sharps technologists. When reading their writings through our smoky ignorance, we enjoy the music of their words, we like the rhythm and the freshness of their expressions, the soft focus of their esoteric and sibylline phrases .


The submarine cable environment, the associated challenges, the mysterious sea beds depths and demanding conditions, all of this brings an additional epic dimension. Beams of light flashing in deep waters, this is a poem!


Here is a perfect octosyllabic quatrain, that I somewhat picked up recently in a technical document :


“Il développe un nouveau projet

Qui va tout révolutionner

C’est top secret, confidentiel

Il va proposer la bande L” 


Reading these well balanced words, one is tempted to sing them loud. They say a lot! And they pique our curiosity!


The following one comes from the French poet Louis Aragon :


“The poet (engineer) is always right

He sees beyond the horizon

Looking forward is its domain

He owns the future of humans.”


Thanks to you, our dear poets.




Jean Devos

AQEST Senior Advisor

Maj: 

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