The story behind Scrambling "Euouae" you never knew you wanted to know

Every once in a while i have a need to do something extremely pointless. Something that makes so little sense that the fact of doing something so pointless sucks the mind into the negative zone and rolls it inside out upside down backwards with effervescent abominable ominous dubiousness.

It was a long time since i had this feeling. And it very nice to feel it once again. That was inspiring.



Here's what happened. I was sitting at my job, pretending to do something really important while merely websurfing with a godzilla look on my face. In reality i was doing time before lunchtime. My mind was all over the place but i tried to think about luminous ludicrous hollowness inside of me. I made it up on the face so that i could think about it proudly. It was utterly annoying. Then i opened up email inbox and discovered Merriam Webster's newsletter. It was "word of the day". And the word was "EUOUAE". Huzzah!

That was a moment when something clicked inside of me and i was all tick-tick-tick.

What is "EUOUAE"? It is latin mnemonic construction used to memorize sequence of tones in a particular passage of Gloria Patri which ends with a phrase "In saecula saeculorum, Amen". Over the years it graduated to a legitimate word through institutional power of Collins dictionary although it is barely ever used outside of trivia sections. Even more so - it holds a dubious double honour of being the longest english (appropriation!) word constructed exclusively out of vowels and also the word with the most consecutive vowels. All while technically not being word, not to mention an english one.

In my honest opinion, "EUOUAE" is not a word but rather a sound poem or elaborate pick-up line for those from beyond. It is very fun to pronounce - it is strangely pleasant, sonorous and soothing. For some reason i always imagine Ezra Pound exclaiming "lovely! lovely!" with his lion's roar upon hearing it.

After initial excitement had worn off i felt that i need to do something with it. Something insensitive and really on the nose. The first thing that came to my mind was to scramble the hell out of it. And so i went to good old Text Mechanic and started doing my dirty deeds.

It turned out to be extremely involving. By the time i was done with it - i had no idea what to think. I have spent hours and hours scrambing the word in every possible way - again and again and again. In the end i had a long list of variations upon variations. It was a long list of pointless permutations. I felt scared and so i shrugged it off.

Later in the evening i came back to it and it wasn't really that bad. It was warped tongue-in-cheek sound poem. After a couple of edits and some line reshuffling it became reminiscent of some religious trance-like incantations of spells. I think it would sound really well with voice synthesizers screwing it up, stumbling and gagging. Or it can be written out as a sort of meditational punishment of sorts.

Check it out:

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Scrambling "Euouae". An epic poem?

Oeuaue Uuaeeo Oueuae Ueauoe Uueeao Uoueea Eauueo Euuoae
Oeuuae Eouuea Euaoeu Ueouae Ueueoa Ueeuoa Ouaeue Ueouae
Auoeeu Eoauue Oueuea Ueoaeu Oueuae Uueaoe Oueaue Ueouae

Aeeuou Ouueea Ueouae Oeuaeu Eauoeu Euaeou Ueouae Euueao
Uuaoee Aeueou Ueoaue Oeuuae Ueouea Euuaoe Ouueea Eeaouu
Ueuoae Eeuoua Eaoueu Uueaoe Eauoue Oueaue Eouuea Oueuea

Ueoaue Uoaeeu Ueauoe Aoueue Oauuee Ueoaeu Uaoeeu Ueouae
Auouee Ueaoue Ueuaeo Ueoeua Ueeoua Euoeau Ueouae Uaeeuo
Uueeao Auoeeu Uoeeua Euuaoe Euoaue Uaueoe Ueuaoe Uoueae

Aoueeu Oueuae Ouueae Oueuea Ouaeeu Aeuoue Oeuaue Euuoae
Ueouae Eouuae Uoeuae Eouuea Eaeouu Eueoau Eoaueu Eueuoa
Oueuae Ueuoae Oeuuae Aueeou Euoaeu Eauuoe Euoaue Oaueue

Euouea Euaoue Ueouae Uoueea Ueuaoe Oueeua Eaoueu Uoauee
Euuoae Ueaeou Uoaeue Euaoeu Aeuoue Ueuoae Ueuoae Uueoea
Aueuoe Eouuae Eouaeu Ueueoa Ouaeeu Oeuaue Eueoau Uaueoe

Eouaue Ueeoau Oeuuea Aeuoeu Ueeuoa Eouuae Ueuoae Ueuoae
Oeuuea Uoeeau Eouuae Euuoea Eauuoe Ueeoau Oeuuae Aueoeu
Ueaueo Ueouae Eouuea Oeuuae Oueuae Uoueae Uueaoe Eeouau

Uaeeou Oeuuae Euuoae Eeuuoa Oeuaeu Eueoua Ueouae Aoueeu
Euuaeo Euoaue Aeoeuu Aueeou Eouuae Aueuoe Oueuae Euoaue
Oueeua Ueuaeo Oaueue Oueuae Euaueo Uoueae Euuaoe Auuoee

Eouuae Uueaoe Eouuea Ueueoa Ueuoea Ueuoae Auoeue Ueueoa
Auouee Aeueou Eoaueu Oueuae Ueeuoa Uoeuae Uueeoa Euoaue
Oeuuae Euuoae Uueeoa Euueoa Eueuoa Eouaue Oeuaue Uueaoe

Ueoeua Oeeuua Ueeuoa Oueaue Uoeeua Eouuea Uueoea Euuoae
Uueeao Uoeuea Uoeeau Oeuaue Uoeuea Uoeaeu Uueoea Eueaou
Euaeou Oaeuue Oeeuau Uoaeue Aeuoue Auuoee Aeeuou Euaoue

Ueoeau Uaeuoe Aoeuue Eouaue Oueaeu Eauoeu Eeauou Auoeue
Uoeeau Euueao Oaeuue Uoeuae Ueauoe Uoueea Euoeau Aueeuo
Ueeoua Ueaeuo Aueuoe Aeueuo Eeuoau Auueoe Uaeeuo Uoeeua

Ueaoeu Ueaoeu Euouea Ueeauo Uueoea Uueoea Ueuoae Eouaue
Eaeuou Eaueou Eeuoua Aeoeuu Ueoaeu Ouaeeu Euaueo Uoueea
Eueuao Ueuoae Eaoueu Eoeauu Uauoee Uaoeue Aeueou Ueaoeu

Oueaeu Oueuae Euoaue Eauoue Oeaueu Uueoae Euuoea Uueoea
Eoeuau Oeauue Ouuaee Aeuoeu Ueeuao Eoeauu Euaueo Eaueuo
Euuaoe Oeuuae Ueaoue Auueeo Oueuea Ouaeeu Oeeuua Eeuaou

Aeuueo Auueoe Oeueau Uaueoe Ueoeua Eueuoa Oauuee Euuoae
Euoeua Euuoea Eaeuuo Ouaeue Uueoea Eouaeu Auueeo Auueoe
Aeuoeu Ouueea Euueao Eoaeuu Oeuaeu Eeauou Eaueou Uuaeeo

Uoeaeu Eueuao Ueaoeu Aeueuo Oaeueu Eoeuua Auouee Aoeeuu
Oaeuue Aeueuo Eueoua Uaueeo Aeuoeu Aueuoe Ouueae Oeeuua
Eaoueu Ueuoae Euaoue Aoeuue Eaoueu Uaoeue Uaeeuo Eeuuoa

Aeueuo Aeouue Eoueau Auueeo Oeeauu Uueeoa Eoueau Uaoeeu
Uoueea Eauoue Ueeoua Uuaeeo Ueaoue Oauuee Eouaeu Auuoee
Ueuoea Uaueeo Euuaoe Oeueua Eueuao Aoueeu Ueuaeo Aueoeu

Oaeueu Ueeauo Aeeouu Oeaeuu Eoueua Auueeo Aueoeu Eueoua
Oauuee Eoauue Uaoeue Ueaeou Euaoue Eeuoua Eaoueu Ueueoa
Oueeua Eeouua Auoeeu Uaoeeu Ueaueo Aeuuoe Auuoee Euauoe

Eueoua Ueaeou Uoeaue Eaeuuo Eaeuou Euuaoe Uuaeeo Eaoeuu
Ueeuao Eueuoa Eoeuau Auoeeu Aeueou Eoaeuu Uoeuea Uaeueo
Eueauo Eaoueu Ueoaue Oueuae Aouuee Euueao Uaeueo Uoeaue

Uueoae Ueuoea Oeaueu Uoauee Eeuuao Eauoue Euueao Oeauue
Aeuueo Uoaeue Uuoaee Auouee Oaeueu Ueueoa Eaouue