الشاعر الأخير والروبوتات

by A. Merritt, أحمد صلاح المهدي (Translator)

بعد أن سيطرت الروبوتات على الأرض، واستعبدت البشر، وفرضت نظامًا صارمًا لا يعرف الخطأ ولا الفوضى ولا يتسامح مع الاختلاف. عالَم كامل من النظام والبرمجة. وسط هذا العالَم المعدني البارد، ينشأ خلل صغير غير متوقع بين خوارزميات تحسب كل شيء وصوت بشري يخرج عن الإيقاع يلامس ما لا تستطيع الروبوتات بلوغه، عندها تبدأ مواجهة لا تشبه أي حرب معروفة: صراع بين ذكاء لا يخطئ، وروحٍ لا تكف عن الحلم، بين آلة تُتقِن الحساب... وإنسان يبحث عن معنى يستحيل ترجمته إلى معادلة.

تُعَد القصة من أوائل النصوص التي رأت في الروبوت ليس مجرد خطر مادي، بل نقيض وجوديّ للجانب الإبداعي من الإنسان. تضع النص في صلب النقاشات الحديثة حول «الذكاء الاصطناعي» و«الفن التوليدي»، ما يجعل القصة سابقة لزمنها.

في عمقها، تتخذ القصة شكل نشيد جنائزي للإنسانية؛ تُصوِّر كيف تفقد الحضارة معناها عندما تتحول إلى آلة ضخمة تعمل بلا روح.

من أوائل القصص التي تناولت فكرة «الروبوتات»، وخصوصًا الروبوتات الميكانيكية ذات «الوعي الذاتي»، ويمكن القول إن «أبراهام ميريت» يستحق بعض الفضل الريادي في طرح فكرة «الآلات الواعية» مبكرًا جدًّا في قصته عام 1934.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories

41 pages, ebook

Published November 1, 2025

About the author

Abraham Grace Merritt, wrote under the name of A. Merritt, born in New Jersey moved as a child to Philadelphia, Pa. in 1894, began studying law and than switched to journalism. Later a very popular writer starting in 1919 of the teens, twenties and thirties, horror and fantasy genres. King of the purple prose, most famous The Moon Pool, a south seas lost island civilization, hidden underground and The Ship of Ishtar, an Arabian Nights type fable, and six other novels and short stories collections (he had written at first, just for fun). Nobody could do that variety better, sold millions of books in his career. The bright man, became editor of the most successful magazine during the Depression, The American Weekly , with a fabulous $100,000 in salary. A great traveler, in search of unusual items he collected. His private library of 5,000 volumes had many of the occult macabre kind. Yet this talented author is now largely been forgotten.

Reviews

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Last Poet and the Robots” (1934) – A. Merritt (USA)

Futuristic underworld created by intellectual genius who, with his few scientific comrades (disciples), lived in complete detachment from the rest of humanity re-emerging only when it was expedient for them to annihilate an incoming assault. ***

Merritt wrote about hypnotically attractive alternative worlds and realities.

Noteworthy:
“... crimson sunsets baptized in the blood of slain day dimmed and died and were born again behind the sparkling curtains of the aurora.”

“Now and then, out of the sea of mediocrity, a wave uplifted that held for a moment a light from the sun of truth – but soon it sank back and the light was gone. Quenched in the sea of stupidity. He knew that he was one of those waves.”

“atavist” = atavistic is 'relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral.'

“vitreous” = like glass in appearance or physical properties.

He makes reference to Orpheus (/ˈɔːrfiəs, ˈɔːrfjuːs/; Greek: Ὀρφεύς) a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music, his attempt to retrieve his wife, Eurydice, from the underworld, and his death at the hands of those who could not hear his divine music. As an archetype of the inspired singer, Orpheus is one of the most significant figures in the reception of classical mythology in Western culture, portrayed or alluded to in countless forms of art and popular culture including poetry, film, opera, music, and painting.

He uses the word 'arpeggio' (Italian: [arˈpeddʒo]) which is a type of "broken chord" where the notes that compose a chord are played or sung in a rising or descending order.
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[Lonny Moon Starsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

i cannot believe this came out in 1934. only found this because i was checking out old videos on Tim Rogers' youtube channel and he actually did a narration. i feel like this motherfucker predicted artificial intelligence or at least what it exists as today.

https://youtu.be/82Q0dpN5xcc?si=E3eVq...