Ada Lovelace…A Story in Short Lines
The day she slipped out from her mother’s loins
Her father sighed
Augusta Ada Byron was a girl and not a glorious boy !
…soon he abandoned her and leaving England…roamed
…and then he died .
Her numerate mother fretted that
she might be born of his ‘ bad blood ‘….
Of those Byronic ways……
She lured Ada from all the sins of artistry
and educated her
In Maths ….not Poetry !
The Arts !…Heaven forbid !…the ‘Furies’ cried…
They kept an eye on her !
But Ada , sound of mind…survived
….altho in youth her body let her down …
….for months on end…
….away from life and friends…
….and languishing in sickbeds
She brought a logic to her thoughts
to projects mathematical and aviation skills
Inventing types of wings which is the art of flying …
…amongst other things.
…recorded in her ‘ Notes ‘…
…she called herself an Analyst….
…in years to come
And meeting Babbage.
Inspired by his ‘Difference Machine’..
His mechanical computer…
..she shared ideas with him.
The focused Ada wrote a program
For Bernoulli numbers…just like that !
A plan that’s now regarded as the first….
Computer program…. on this earth !!
And written by a woman
Truly a Polymath..
who died in 1852
a prophetic genius… of maths !
BRAVO Ada Lovelace
…. an Inspiration are you not !!
But lo your name’s no longer on our lips…
You are alas…largely forgot…!
We can’t have that !
Kristine Byrne
12th/13th OCT. 2014
(14th …is Ada Lovelace Day…does anybody know ?)