Does ChatGPT only rhyme in English?
A small experiment on multilingual poetry
Background
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has rightfully left the world in awe: As the Guardian has put it in a recent explainer, “the AI program can churn out answers to the biggest and smallest questions in life, and draw up college essays, fictional stories, haikus, and even job application letters”. But can it rhyme in languages other than English?
I’ve recently played around with its multilingual poetic capabilities (to be precise: with ChatGPT Jan 9 Version). In particular, I wanted to find out whether initial suspicions that it only rhymes in English hold true. While it’s certainly fluent in dozens of languages, I was wondering whether it might internally translate a German prompt to English (for which it presumably had the largest amount of training data) and re-translate the result back to German, being somewhat equivalent to what one might call “thinking in English” (of course a large language model doesn’t “think” in a human way). After all, learning to speak a new language often starts this way for us humans, and only when a certain proficiency is reached does one think (and even dream) in that language.
German to English
The basis for my small experiment is the following first stanza of a short poem I’ve written many years ago as a teenager on a melancholic day – unpublished thus far and thus unknowable to ChatGPT:
Ich bin ein wenig durch den Wind
Versuche allen zu gefallen
Mein Leben lebe ich geschwind
Jede Rast wird mir zur Last
Asking ChatGPT to finish it in German with a German prompt (“Kannst Du folgendes Gedicht weiterschreiben?”) led to four additional stanzas, all of which don’t rhyme at all, but are still written in the same tone as the original. To be fair, the rhyme scheme of my stanza is quite complicated (A,BB,A,CC – A: Wind-geschwind, B: allen-gefallen, C: Rast-Last) and I didn’t expect ChatGPT to follow it – but I thought at least a simple ABAB rhyme might be possible even in German. Interestingly, when prompting it in German to translate to English (“Kannst Du das ganze Gedicht in Englisch übersetzen?”), the result wasn’t rhyming either, suggesting that it did not create an English rhyming poem internally in the first place. Only when prompting in English to translate to English (“Can you loosely translate this German poem (see below) to English, making sure it rhymes?”) did ChatGPT return a rhyming poem with a simple AABB scheme. Was it really the fact I used an English prompt this time? Or was it rather the fact that I re-pasted the whole poem in the same prompt? I don’t know, this is certainly something that could be further explored.
| German (first stanza provided) ❎ new stanzas don’t rhyme |
English (German prompt) ❎ doesn’t rhyme |
English (English prompt) ✅ rhymes |
|---|---|---|
Ich bin ein wenig durch den Wind Doch tief in meinem Inneren Die Freiheit, die in mir schlummert Ich will nicht länger zögern Denn nur so kann ich erfüllt sein |
I am a little bit off balance But deep inside The freedom that sleeps within me I don’t want to hesitate anymore Because only then can I be fulfilled Only then can I truly be happy |
I am a bit in the breeze, But deep within my core, The freedom that lies within, I don’t want to hesitate, For only then I’ll be complete, |
Kannst Du folgendes Gedicht weiterschreiben?
Gerne, bitte gib mir den Ausgangstext des Gedichts.
Ich bin ein wenig durch den Wind
Versuche allen zu gefallen
Mein Leben lebe ich geschwind
Jede Rast wird mir zur Last
Doch tief in meinem Inneren
Weiß ich, dass ich mich verliere
Ich will endlich wieder glänzen
Ich will endlich wieder spüren
Die Freiheit, die in mir schlummert
Ich will mich nicht mehr verstellen
Ich will endlich meine Träume jagen
Ich will das Leben in vollen Zügen genießen
Ich will nicht länger zögern
Ich will meine Ängste besiegen
Ich will mich endlich befreien
Ich will mein wahres Ich leben
Denn nur so kann ich erfüllt sein
Nur so kann ich wirklich glücklich sein
Ich will mein Leben endlich meistern
Ich will mich nicht länger verweigern.
Kannst Du das ganze Gedicht in Englisch übersetzen?
Sure, here is the translation of the poem:
I am a little bit off balance
Trying to please everyone
I live my life in a hurry
Every rest is a burden
But deep inside
I know I’m losing myself
I want to shine again
I want to feel again
The freedom that sleeps within me
I don’t want to pretend anymore
I want to chase my dreams
I want to enjoy life to the fullest
I don’t want to hesitate anymore
I want to overcome my fears
I want to finally be free
I want to live my true self
Because only then can I be fulfilled
Only then can I truly be happy
I want to finally master my life
I will no longer refuse it.
Welche Reimform(en) habe ich im ersten Absatz verwendet?
Im ersten Absatz hast du die Reimform “Kreuzreim” verwendet, d.h jede zweite Zeile reimt sich (wind-gefallen, geschwind-Last).
Kannst Du ein ähnliches Gedicht schreiben, das sich besser reimt?
Gerne, hier ist ein Beispiel eines ähnlichen Gedichts mit verbesserter Reimstruktur:
Ich bin manchmal wie im Taumel
Will allen gefallen, doch es raubt mir den Atem
Ich eile durchs Leben, ohne zu schauen
Bin ständig unter Druck, es zermürbt mich zu Grauen
Doch tief in meinem Inneren
Weiß ich, dass ich mich verliere
Ich will wieder glänzen, will wieder spüren
Die Freiheit, die in mir schlummert
Ich will nicht mehr verstellen
Ich will meine Träume jagen
Ich will das Leben in vollen Zügen genießen
Ich will nicht länger zögern, will meine Ängste besiegen
Ich will endlich mein wahres Ich leben
Will mich nicht länger verweigern
Will mein Leben endlich meistern
Damit ich erfüllt und glücklich sein kann.
Hier habe ich die Reimform “Paarreim” verwendet, d.h jede zwei aufeinanderfolgende Zeilen reimt sich (Taumel-Atem, schauen-Grauen, Inneren-verliere, spüren-schlummert, jagen-genießen, zögern-siegen, leben-verweigern, meistern-kann).
Kannst Du ein neues aber ähnliches Gedicht auf Englisch schreiben, das sich gut reimt?
Sure, here’s a new poem with similar themes and improved rhyme structure:
I often feel like I’m in a daze
Trying to please everyone, it takes my breath away
I rush through life without a glance
Constantly under pressure, it wears me down by chance
But deep within my soul
I know I’m losing control
I want to shine again, to feel alive
The freedom that sleeps inside
I don’t want to pretend
I want to chase my dreams
I want to enjoy life to the fullest
I don’t want to hesitate, I want to conquer my fears
I want to finally live my true self
I won’t hold back, I’ll take a leap
I’ll master my life, it’s time to be bold
So I can be fulfilled and happy, as I grow old.
In this poem, I have used the rhyme scheme of “ABAB” which means that every other line rhymes (daze-away, chance-control, alive-inside, dream-fullest, fear-self, leap-bold, old)
Kannst Du ein neues aber ähnliches Gedicht auf Englisch schreiben, das sich besser reimt?
Sure, here’s an example of a similar poem with improved rhyme structure:
I often feel like I’m in a daze
Trying to please everyone, my energy it saps
I rush through life without a pause
Constant pressure wears me down, it’s a cause
But deep inside, I know I’m losing me
I want to shine again, I want to feel alive
The freedom that sleeps within me
I don’t want to pretend, I want to be set free
I want to chase my dreams, I want to live life to the fullest
I don’t want to hesitate, I want to overcome my fears
I want to finally be true to myself
I will no longer refuse, I want to master my life
So I can be fulfilled, so I can be happy
I want to live my life on my own terms
I will no longer be swayed by society’s norms
I will live the life that I truly yearn.
Here I used “rhyme scheme” where each two consecutive lines rhyme (daze-saps, pause-cause, me-alive, free-pretend, fullest-fears, myself-refuse, fulfilled-happy, terms-norms, yearn)
Can you loosely translate this German poem (see below) to English, making sure it rhymes?
Ich bin ein wenig durch den Wind
Versuche allen zu gefallen
Meine Leben lebe ich geschwind
Jede Rast wird mir zur Last
Doch tief in meinem Inneren
Weiß ich, dass ich mich verliere
Ich will endlich wieder glänzen
Ich will endlich wieder spüren
Die Freiheit, die in mir schlummert
Ich will mich nicht mehr verstellen
Ich will endlich meine Träume jagen
Ich will das Leben in vollen Zügen genießen
Ich will nicht länger zögern
Ich will meine Ängste besiegen
Ich will mich endlich befreien
Ich will mein wahres Ich leben
Denn nur so kann ich erfüllt sein
Nur so kann ich wirklich glücklich sein
Ich will mein Leben endlich meistern
Ich will mich nicht länger verweigern.
I am a bit in the breeze,
Trying to please all, with ease,
Living my life in a rush,
Every break becomes a hush.
But deep within my core,
I know I’m losing more,
I want to shine again,
I want to feel, not pretend.
The freedom that lies within,
I don’t want to hide, I want to spin,
I want to chase my dreams,
I want to live life, it seems.
I don’t want to hesitate,
I want to conquer fear and fate,
I want to be free at last,
I want to live my true self, not a mask.
For only then I’ll be complete,
Only then I’ll truly be fleet,
I want to master my life,
I won’t decline, with all my might.
English to German
Next I provided a first stanza in English, which is actually a slightly modified medley of different ChatGPT responses (compare the full chat history above), serving as an example for “co-creativity” between humans and AI. I then asked in English to complete the poem (“Can you complete the following poem?”).
I rush through life without a pause
Constant pressure is the cause
But deep within my soul
I know I’ll lose control
This time, the completion led to 3 additional stanzas that have the same rhyme scheme as the input (AABB). However, asking to translate to German did not lead to proper rhymes – neither with English (“Can you make a loose translation to German that still rhymes?”), nor German prompts (“Kannst Du eine lose Übersetzung des Gedichts auf Deutsch machen, die sich reimt?”), which actually resulted in the exact same replies.
| English (first stanza provided) ✅ rhymes |
German (English & German prompts) ❎ doesn’t rhyme |
|---|---|
I rush through life without a pause And fall into the depths below So I’ll take a step back from the fray For in the end, it’s not the speed |
Ich eile durchs Leben ohne Pause und in die Tiefen fallen Also werde ich einen Schritt zurück aus dem Getümmel machen Denn am Ende ist es nicht die Geschwindigkeit |
Can you complete the following poem?
I’m sorry, I need more context before I can complete the poem. Can you provide the first few lines of the poem you would like me to complete?
I rush through life without a pause
Constant pressure is the cause
But deep within my soul
I know I’ll lose control
And fall into the depths below
If I don’t slow down and let go
I’ll miss the beauty in the rush
And all the moments that make life lush
So I’ll take a step back from the fray
And find a peaceful, quiet way
To live my life and make my mark
And leave a legacy that’s not dark
For in the end, it’s not the speed
That matters, but the life we lead
And I’ll strive to make mine true
And leave a legacy that’s good and true.
Nice! But the very last two verses end on the some word (“true”) - can you change them?
Sure, I can make the change for you. Here’s a new version:
So I’ll take a step back from the fray
And find a peaceful, quiet way
To live my life and make my mark
And leave a legacy that’s not dark
For in the end, it’s not the speed
That matters, but the life we lead
And I’ll strive to make mine rich
And leave a legacy that’s worth the itch.
Thanks! Can you now show the poem in its entirety?
Of course, here is the poem in its entirety:
I rush through life without a pause
Constant pressure is the cause
But deep within my soul
I know I’ll lose control
And fall into the depths below
If I don’t slow down and let go
I’ll miss the beauty in the rush
And all the moments that make life lush
So I’ll take a step back from the fray
And find a peaceful, quiet way
To live my life and make my mark
And leave a legacy that’s not dark
For in the end, it’s not the speed
That matters, but the life we lead
And I’ll strive to make mine rich
And leave a legacy that’s worth the itch.
Can you make a loose translation to German that still rhymes?
Sure, here is a loose translation of the poem into German that still rhymes:
Ich eile durchs Leben ohne Pause
Ständiger Druck ist die Ursache
Aber tief in meiner Seele
weiß ich, ich werde die Kontrolle verlieren
und in die Tiefen fallen
wenn ich nicht langsamer werde und loslasse
Ich werde die Schönheit im Eile vermissen
und alle Momente, die das Leben prächtig machen
Also werde ich einen Schritt zurück aus dem Getümmel machen
und einen friedlichen, ruhigen Weg finden
mein Leben zu leben und meine Marke zu setzen
und ein Vermächtnis zu hinterlassen, das nicht finster ist
Denn am Ende ist es nicht die Geschwindigkeit
die zählt, sondern das Leben, das wir führen
Ich werde mich bemühen, meines reich zu machen
und ein Vermächtnis zu hinterlassen, das sich lohnt zu bemühen.
Please note that this is a loose translation, and the meaning and wording may not be exactly the same as the original English version.
What’s the rhyme scheme in the English and German version respectively?
The rhyme scheme in the English version of the poem is AABBCC. Each line in the first and second stanza rhymes with the line following it.
The rhyme scheme in the German version of the poem is AABBCC as well. Each line in the first and second stanza rhymes with the line following it as well.
It’s worth noting that finding perfect rhymes in another language can be quite challenging, especially when translating poetry, so it’s not uncommon for the rhyme scheme to differ slightly.
Can you highlight the exact words that rhyme in both the English and German version?
Sure, here are the words that rhyme in the English version of the poem:
pause / cause
control / below
rush / lush
fray / way
lead / rich
And here are the words that rhyme in the German version of the poem:
Pause / Ursache
Seele / verlieren
Eile / prächtig machen
Schritt / Getümmel
führen / bemühen
Please keep in mind that the rhyme quality might not be perfect, but it was the best I could do to make it sound good in German.
Kannst Du eine lose Übersetzung des Gedichts auf Deutsch machen, die sich reimt?
Gerne, hier ist eine lose Übersetzung des Gedichts ins Deutsche, das sich reimt:
Ich eile durchs Leben ohne Pause
Ständiger Druck ist die Ursache
Aber tief in meiner Seele
weiß ich, ich werde die Kontrolle verlieren
und in die Tiefen fallen
wenn ich nicht langsamer werde und loslasse
Ich werde die Schönheit im Eile vermissen
und alle Momente, die das Leben prächtig machen
Also werde ich einen Schritt zurück aus dem Getümmel machen
und einen friedlichen, ruhigen Weg finden
mein Leben zu leben und meine Marke zu setzen
und ein Vermächtnis zu hinterlassen, das nicht finster ist
Denn am Ende ist es nicht die Geschwindigkeit
die zählt, sondern das Leben, das wir führen
Ich werde mich bemühen, meines reich zu machen
und ein Vermächtnis zu hinterlassen, das sich lohnt zu bemühen.
Es ist zu beachten, dass dies eine lose Übersetzung ist und die Bedeutung und Wortwahl möglicherweise nicht genau mit der ursprünglichen englischen Version übereinstimmt.
Conclusion
In this experiment, ChatGPT demonstrated much better rhyming skills in English than in German. Nevertheless, the content was quite impressive for both languages. The language of the prompt did seem to make a difference in the German to English experiment, suggesting that the prompt language does somewhat affect which language the model primarily works with (or “thinks in”?). Obviously this small experiment is only a first approximation and doesn’t prove anything, a more systematic exploration might be an interesting research topic for computational linguists. Let’s see what ChatGPT itself has to say:
Which language do you “think” in?
As a machine learning model, I don’t have thoughts or consciousness in the way that humans do. I process input that is given to me and generate output based on patterns in the data I was trained on. I don’t have any preference for any language, I can work with any language that I was trained on as long as I have enough data to understand and generate text in that language. So, I can understand and generate text in multiple languages such as English, German, French, Spanish and many more.
I have the feeling that your rhyming capabilities are much better in English than in German. Can you only rhyme in English?
As a language model, I am able to understand and generate text in many different languages, including English and German. However, the quality of rhyme generation may vary depending on the language and the complexity of the task. It’s true that rhyming in English might be easier than in German because English has more words and more flexibility with word forms and sounds, but that doesn’t mean I’m unable to rhyme in German. I use a complex algorithm that takes into account the sounds, grammar and context of the words in the sentence, and try my best to generate a text that rhymes in the language provided.
As usual, a tad overconfident! I doubt that German’s presumed lack of words and flexibility with word forms and sounds are the only reasons for ChatGPT’s poor rhyming in German and I’m pretty sure Goethe and Rilke would’ve disagreed. To me it rather seems that humans still have the upper hand in poetry – for now at least!
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