Samual Johnson

Poetry, indeed, cannot be translated; and, therefore, it is the poets that preserve the languages; for we would not be at the trouble to learn a language if we could have all that is written in it just as well in a translation. But as the beauties of poetry cannot be preserved in any language except that in which it was originally written, we learn the language. -Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784)

"All poems are language problems."
From "When the Light Blinks On", an article by Eliot T. Jacobson in rec.arts.poems, message-ID <4437@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU>. Original author unknown.

Consider, too, programming languages. For example, you don't need to be a propeller-head to see the beauty in this below (written in Perl by the reigning Perl Poet, Sharon Hopkins):

http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/quotall-poems-are-language-problemsquot

Edit: I decided to move this to it's own topic thread since it really has nothing to do with Samual Johnson [sic].

What is a propeller head? Is it like the comics from long ago when the kid had a propeller on the cap? Sorry, I dont understand it but it seems funny.

Exactly right in both cases, rolef:

1. representative of a "Pointdexter"
2. supposed to be funny

I rememebr Pointdexter? Cabinet ex navy guy?

Um, rather from Felix the Cat fame... Poindexter - First introduced in 1959, he is the young nephew of the Professor, the arch-nemesis of Felix. He is depicted as a stereotypical scientist; he is very intelligent and always wears thick coke-bottle glasses, a lab coat, and a mortarboard. A button on the chest of his lab coat acts as a control for whatever device the plot calls for.
[clipped from Wikipedia]