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I attended a memorial service for Rudolph Langer on Thursday, so I've been
remembering vignettes from the 32 years I knew him.
A long time ago Rudolph explained to me what iambic pentameter is. He said
"it's 'Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.'" Then he told me about a
bet he had made with a friend.
Rudolph had bet that he could translate any piece of prose into iambic
pentameter. The friend had given him a page from an IBM "principles of
operation" manual, and sure enough, Rudolph had produced an iambic
pentameter version. I saw it, but I no longer remember it. I wish I had a
copy. ...RM
