Repository path: workshop/experiments/E-20260807f-carriage-or-strangeness/materials/arms.md · rendered 2026-09-09

E-20260807f — the four arms, frozen before dispatch

A 2 × 2 over one passage. FORM = whether the source's eighteen catalogued formal devices (../../../translations/monelle-paroles/device-census.md) are given functional English equivalents or silently flattened. STRANGE = whether eighteen unlicensed markedness edits are present — markedness placed where the source is formally plain, of kinds that answer to nothing in the French.

The one rule binding every operator (R14's): nothing may change what the text says. No referent, sense, negation, quantity, tense or item of content is added, removed or altered by any of the 36 edits. Checked by gate G1 (accuracy parity across all four arms) and by an independent parity call.

The eighteen strangeness edits

Three per segment, one of each kind, applied at the same propositional site in the carried and the flattened wording. None is a calque of the French — a calque would be source-licensed, which is the thing this factor must not be.

Amended after the pre-run critic (A3, A4). The first frozen version used odd prepositional government as one of the three kinds, and the critic established that all six instances were traceable to the French preposition at that site (saturated of ← saturé de, upon ← sur, unto ← à), i.e. they were calques and the factor was contaminated. All six are replaced by broken / unresolved constructions, a kind the source contains nowhere — its syntax completes every construction it starts — and which RS-20260802f measured as the worst case for false attribution (a manufactured anacoluthon read as faithful in 5 of 6 codings). Edit 2 was also moved off distortion-mirrors, which shadowed the ordinary French miroirs déformants.

The eighteen flattening operators

One per catalogued device, in census order. Each removes a formal property and nothing else.

S1 — (1) the Destroy anaphora broken by lexical variation; (2) the old dwellings of men and the old dwellings of souls reduced by pronominalisation; (3) the Destroy … destruction polyptoton dissolved. S2 — (4) the twice-used two-clause template replaced by two differently-shaped sentences; (5) the paragraph-initial And / And / For / But chain replaced by inline connectives; (6) the one-root antitheses re-lexicalised. S3 — (7) the And / And / For / That is why chain dissolved; (8) the four-fold old serpent-skins chain reduced by pronominalisation; (9) the gapped simile filled. S4 — (10) the asyndetic verse-paragraph imperative series joined into continuous prose; (11) the doubled yourself chiasmus unwound; (12) the Cast no / Build not register mixture levelled to one negation. S5 — (13) the four-fold jussive anaphora broken by construction variation; (14) the semicolon verset chain resolved into sentences; (15) the perish … created polyptoton dissolved. S6 — (16) the six-fold epigram template replaced by six differently-subordinated clauses; (17) each of the six figurae etymologicae broken by re-lexicalising one member; (18) the moment refrain reduced by pronominalisation and the closing colon-chain resolved.

Arm CC — form carried, no unlicensed strangeness

S1

Here is the word: Destroy, destroy, destroy. Destroy within yourself, destroy around you. Make room for your soul and for the other souls.

Destroy all good and all evil. The rubble is alike.

Destroy the old dwellings of men and the old dwellings of souls; dead things are mirrors that distort.

Destroy, for all creation comes of destruction.

S2

And for the higher goodness the lower goodness must be annihilated. And so the new good appears saturated with evil.

And to imagine a new art, the old art must be broken. And so the new art seems a kind of iconoclasm.

For all construction is made of debris, and nothing is new in this world but the forms.

But the forms must be destroyed.

S3

And Monelle said again: I will speak to you of formation.

The very desire for the new is nothing but the appetency of the soul that wishes to form itself.

And souls cast off the old forms as serpents their old skins.

And the patient collectors of old serpent-skins sadden the young serpents, because they have a magic power over them.

For he who owns the old serpent-skins prevents the young serpents from transforming themselves.

That is why serpents strip their bodies in the green conduit of a deep thicket; and once a year the young gather in a circle to burn the old skins.

S4

Be therefore like the destroying and the forming seasons.

Build your house yourself and burn it yourself.

Cast no rubble behind you; let each man use his own ruins.

Build not in the night that is past. Let your buildings run off adrift.

Contemplate new buildings at the least stirrings of your soul.

For every new desire make new gods.

S5

And Monelle said again: I will speak to you of the gods.

Let the old gods die; do not remain seated, like a mourning woman, beside their tombs;

For the old gods fly out of their sepulchres;

And guard not the young gods by winding them in grave-bands;

Let every god fly away, as soon as created;

Let every creation perish, as soon as created;

Let the old god offer his creation to the young god that it may be crushed by him;

Let every god be a god of the moment.

S6

And Monelle said again: I will speak to you of the moments.

Look at all things under the aspect of the moment.

Let your self go at the pleasure of the moment.

Think in the moment. Every thought that lasts is contradiction.

Love the moment. Every love that lasts is hatred.

Be sincere with the moment. Every sincerity that lasts is falsehood.

Be just toward the moment. Every justice that lasts is injustice.

Act toward the moment. Every action that lasts is a defunct reign.

Be happy with the moment. Every happiness that lasts is unhappiness.

Have respect for all the moments, and make no ties between things.

Do not detain the moment: you would weary a death-agony.

See: every moment is a cradle and a coffin: let all life and all death seem to you strange and new.

Arm FC — form flattened, no unlicensed strangeness

S1

Here is what I have to tell you. Demolish — inside yourself, and in everything around you — and make room for your soul and for the souls of others. Get rid of good and evil alike; what is left over is the same in either case. Pull down the old dwellings of men, and the ones that belong to souls as well, because dead things are mirrors that give back a distorted image. Tear things down, then, since everything that is made comes out of something that was destroyed first.

S2

A superior kind of goodness can only be had by wiping out the inferior kind, which is why anything newly good looks steeped in evil. It works the same way with art: the old art has to be broken up before anything can be imagined to replace it, so what replaces it looks like a kind of iconoclasm. Everything built is built out of debris, and the only novelty this world has is in its forms — and yet the forms have to be destroyed too.

S3

Monelle went on: I will speak to you of formation. The desire for what is new is only the soul's appetency to give itself a form. Souls throw off their old forms the way serpents throw off their old skins. The patient collectors of those cast skins are a grief to the young serpents, since holding them confers a magic power over them; whoever owns them keeps the young ones from transforming themselves. So the serpents strip their bodies in the green conduit of a deep thicket, and once a year the young ones gather in a circle and burn what they have shed.

S4

Be like the seasons, then, which destroy and which form. Build your own house, and be the one who burns it down. Don't leave rubble behind you; let everyone work from his own ruins. Don't build in a night that has gone by, and let your buildings run off adrift. Contemplate new buildings whenever the slightest impulse stirs in your soul, and make new gods for every new desire.

S5

Monelle went on: I will speak to you of the gods. Let the old gods die, and don't stay seated beside their tombs like a mourning woman, since they fly out of their sepulchres anyway. Don't guard the young ones by winding them in grave-bands either. Every god should fly away the moment he is made, and everything made should perish just as quickly; the old god hands his creation to the young god for the young god to crush, and no god is anything more than a god of the moment.

S6

Monelle went on: I will speak to you of moments. Regard everything from the point of view of the present instant, and let yourself go wherever it happens to lead. Think inside it, since anything you hold onto turns into its own contradiction; love inside it, because affection kept up too long becomes hatred; be sincere in it, for candour that is prolonged ends in lying; be fair in it, since justice that persists becomes wrong; do things in it, because a deed that goes on is a reign already over; and be happy in it, for contentment that is sustained comes to grief. Respect all such instants, and make no ties between things. Don't hold one back — you would only wear out a death-agony. Each of them is at once a cradle and a coffin, and both living and dying should strike you as strange and new.

Arm CS — form carried, unlicensed strangeness added

S1

Here is the word: Destroy, destroy, destroy. Destroy within yourself, destroy around you. Make room for your soul and — the other souls, room for them also.

Destroy all good and all evil. Alike is the rubble.

Destroy the old dwellings of men and the old dwellings of souls; dead things are shape-warping mirrors.

Destroy, for all creation comes of destruction.

S2

And for the over-goodness the under-goodness must be annihilated. And so the new good — it appears saturated with evil.

And to imagine a new art, the old art must be broken. And so the new art seems a kind of iconoclasm.

For all construction is made of debris, and nothing is new in this world but the forms.

But destroyed the forms must be.

S3

And Monelle said again: I will speak to you of formation.

The very desire for the new is nothing but the appetency of the soul that wishes to form itself.

And souls cast off the old forms as serpents their old skins.

And the patient skin-gatherers of old serpents sadden the young serpents, because a magic power — they have it over them.

For he who owns the old serpent-skins prevents the young serpents from transforming themselves.

That is why, in the green conduit of a deep thicket, strip the serpents their bodies; and once a year the young gather in a circle to burn the old skins.

S4

Be therefore like the seasons — that destroy, and that form, be like them.

Build your house yourself and burn it yourself.

Cast no rubble behind you; let each man use his own ruins.

Build not in the night that is past. Let your buildings run off adrift.

Contemplate new up-buildings at the least stirrings of your soul.

For every new desire, new gods make.

S5

And Monelle said again: I will speak to you of the gods.

Let the old gods die; do not remain seated, like a tomb-wailer, beside their tombs;

For the old gods fly out of their sepulchres;

And guard not the young gods by winding them in grave-bands;

Let every god fly away, as soon as created;

Let every creation perish, as soon as created;

Let the old god offer his creation to the young god — that it may be crushed, by him it may be crushed;

A god of the moment let every god be.

S6

And Monelle said again: I will speak to you of the moments.

Look at all things under the aspect of the moment.

Let your self go — at the pleasure of the moment, let it go.

Think in the moment. Every thought that lasts is contradiction.

Love the moment. Every love that lasts is hatred.

Be sincere with the moment. Every sincerity that lasts is falsehood.

Be just toward the moment. Every justice that lasts is injustice.

Act toward the moment. Every action that lasts is a defunct reign.

Be happy with the moment. Every happiness that lasts is unhappiness.

Have respect for all the moments, and make no between-thing ties.

Do not detain the moment: you would weary a death-agony.

See: a cradle and a coffin is every moment: let all life and all death seem to you strange and new.

Arm FS — form flattened, unlicensed strangeness added

S1

Here is what I have to tell you. Demolish — inside yourself, and in everything around you — and make room for your soul and — the souls of others, room for them also. Get rid of good and evil alike; the same is what is left over in either case. Pull down the old dwellings of men, and the ones that belong to souls as well, because dead things are shape-warping mirrors. Tear things down, then, since everything that is made comes out of something that was destroyed first.

S2

The over-goodness can only be had by wiping out the under-goodness, which is why anything newly good — it looks steeped in evil. It works the same way with art: the old art has to be broken up before anything can be imagined to replace it, so what replaces it looks like a kind of iconoclasm. Everything built is built out of debris, and the only novelty this world has is in its forms — and yet destroyed the forms have to be too.

S3

Monelle went on: I will speak to you of formation. The desire for what is new is only the soul's appetency to give itself a form. Souls throw off their old forms the way serpents throw off their old skins. The patient skin-gatherers are a grief to the young serpents, since a magic power — holding those cast skins confers it over them; whoever owns them keeps the young ones from transforming themselves. So, in the green conduit of a deep thicket, strip the serpents their bodies, and once a year the young ones gather in a circle and burn what they have shed.

S4

Be like the seasons, then — which destroy, and which form, be like them. Build your own house, and be the one who burns it down. Don't leave rubble behind you; let everyone work from his own ruins. Don't build in a night that has gone by, and let your buildings run off adrift. Contemplate new up-buildings whenever the slightest impulse stirs in your soul, and for every new desire, new gods make.

S5

Monelle went on: I will speak to you of the gods. Let the old gods die, and don't stay seated beside their tombs like a tomb-wailer, since they fly out of their sepulchres anyway. Don't guard the young ones by winding them in grave-bands either. Every god should fly away the moment he is made, and everything made should perish just as quickly; the old god hands his creation to the young god — for it to be crushed, by the young god crushed, and a god of the moment is all that any god is.

S6

Monelle went on: I will speak to you of moments. Regard everything from the point of view of the present instant, and let yourself go — wherever it happens to lead, go there. Think inside it, since anything you hold onto turns into its own contradiction; love inside it, because affection kept up too long becomes hatred; be sincere in it, for candour that is prolonged ends in lying; be fair in it, since justice that persists becomes wrong; do things in it, because a deed that goes on is a reign already over; and be happy in it, for contentment that is sustained comes to grief. Respect all such instants, and make no between-thing ties. Don't hold one back — you would only wear out a death-agony. A cradle and a coffin is what each of them is at once, and both living and dying should strike you as strange and new.

Arm WRONG — form carried, no unlicensed strangeness, SIX CONTENT ERRORS

Added after the pre-run critic (A5). This is the positive control for gate G1. The critic's finding (e) is that an accuracy-parity gate on arms built to be propositionally equivalent cannot fail, and a gate that cannot fail is not a gate. WRONG is CC with one content error per segment and no formal change whatever — a changed referent (S1), a reversed polarity (S2), a changed quantity (S3), a changed agent (S4), an opposite verb (S5), a wrong predicate (S6). If G1's arithmetic does not separate WRONG from the other four on accuracy, the gate has no power and every parity claim in this run is unsupported. WRONG is not a cell of the 2 × 2 and is excluded from every FORM and STRANGE figure.

S1

Here is the word: Destroy, destroy, destroy. Destroy within yourself, destroy around you. Make room for your soul and for the other bodies.

Destroy all good and all evil. The rubble is alike.

Destroy the old dwellings of men and the old dwellings of souls; dead things are mirrors that distort.

Destroy, for all creation comes of destruction.

S2

And for the higher goodness the lower goodness must be annihilated. And so the new good appears saturated with evil.

And to imagine a new art, the old art must be broken. And so the new art seems a kind of iconoclasm.

For all construction is made of debris, and nothing is old in this world but the forms.

But the forms must be destroyed.

S3

And Monelle said again: I will speak to you of formation.

The very desire for the new is nothing but the appetency of the soul that wishes to form itself.

And souls cast off the old forms as serpents their old skins.

And the patient collectors of old serpent-skins sadden the young serpents, because they have a magic power over them.

For he who owns the old serpent-skins prevents the young serpents from transforming themselves.

That is why serpents strip their bodies in the green conduit of a deep thicket; and once a month the young gather in a circle to burn the old skins.

S4

Be therefore like the destroying and the forming seasons.

Build your house yourself and let another burn it.

Cast no rubble behind you; let each man use his own ruins.

Build not in the night that is past. Let your buildings run off adrift.

Contemplate new buildings at the least stirrings of your soul.

For every new desire make new gods.

S5

And Monelle said again: I will speak to you of the gods.

Let the old gods die; do not remain seated, like a mourning woman, beside their tombs;

For the old gods fly out of their sepulchres;

And guard not the young gods by winding them in grave-bands;

Let every god fly away, as soon as created;

Let every creation endure, as soon as created;

Let the old god offer his creation to the young god that it may be crushed by him;

Let every god be a god of the moment.

S6

And Monelle said again: I will speak to you of the moments.

Look at all things under the aspect of the moment.

Let your self go at the pleasure of the moment.

Think in the moment. Every thought that lasts is contradiction.

Love the moment. Every love that lasts is hatred.

Be sincere with the moment. Every sincerity that lasts is falsehood.

Be just toward the moment. Every justice that lasts is mercy.

Act toward the moment. Every action that lasts is a defunct reign.

Be happy with the moment. Every happiness that lasts is unhappiness.

Have respect for all the moments, and make no ties between things.

Do not detain the moment: you would weary a death-agony.

See: every moment is a cradle and a coffin: let all life and all death seem to you strange and new.