‘Ada in (almost) iambic pentameter’

by Yudi C.

“That brain of mine is something more than merely mortal; as time will show.”

— Ada Lovelace

That brain of mine is something more than can
Be sowed to lands where merely mortal grow
They seek to only view me to dismiss
Though praised my works will be as time will show

I yearn for truths that lie beyond the facts
Though bound in expectations duty lies
She feared the mind derived from Byron’s flesh
Fulfills insanity I can surmise

Princess of Parallelograms, she is
To lay claim to credit where it’s due
If not for Mathematics I infer
Simply gossip on my name will I accrue

They whisper callous hurts behind my back
Of family ugliness I cannot hide –
I take my worth as Lady Fairy and
Enchantress of Numbers I’ll not deny

In marriage of poetry to science
Imagination will prevail to breathe
life to the Analytical Engine
and promises of what can be achieved

Yudi is a 2nd year Compsci student who has always loved reading, writing and particularly poetry. She is an avid coffee-drinker, a dog-lover, and enjoys travelling and eating good food.
Her poem 'Ada in (almost) iambic pentameter' is inspired by Ada Lovelace's personal life as the daughter of famous poet father Lord Byron and mathematician mother Anne Isabella Milbank. Ada never met her father as her parents separated months after her birth, and had a poor relationship with her mother who pushed Ada to mathematics for fear Ada would develop her father's perceived 'insanity'.

Ada Lovelace herself was creative, imaginative and sought out beauty and poetry within the logical and analytical. This poem is written from the perspective of Ada herself, as an imaginative piece of what Ada may have wanted to express about her own life. It takes quotes and inspirations from Ada in her writings and letters.