Hanshan

Hanshan generates pseudo-haiku poetry in the style of the Tang Dynasty Buddhist hermit poet Hanshan (Cold Mountain), combining randomly selected single words and short phrases from built-in DATA statements. The program uses three distinct print patterns, each with varying TAB indentation, to create staggered verse layouts that mimic the visual structure of translated Chinese poetry. Sound effects are triggered probabilistically using RND comparisons, producing three different BEEP sequences at random intervals between verses. Two string arrays, W$(20,12) for single words and S$(20,26) for short phrases, are dimensioned and populated from DATA at initialization. The main loop runs indefinitely via GO TO 40, calculating the subroutine address as R*50+40 to dispatch to one of three pattern routines.

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Program Structure

The program is organized into clearly delineated sections separated by REM comments. Execution begins at line 15 with display setup, then calls the initialization subroutine at line 250 before entering an infinite loop at line 40. The loop picks a random pattern number and dispatches to one of three poetry-formatting subroutines, optionally triggers sound, then repeats.

Lines	Purpose
10–15	Title REMs and display attribute setup
20–80	Main control loop
100–130	Pattern One subroutine
150–180	Pattern Two subroutine
200–230	Pattern Three subroutine
250–350	Initialization: arrays and DATA loading
360–620	DATA: 20 single words, 20 short phrases

Subroutine Dispatch via Arithmetic

Line 50 uses the expression GO SUB R*50+40 where R is 1, 2, or 3, yielding target lines 90, 140, or 190 respectively. Since those line numbers do not actually exist, the interpreter jumps to the next available line in each case: 100, 150, and 200. This is a well-known technique for computed subroutine dispatch without requiring an explicit IF chain.

Array Design

Two fixed-length string arrays are declared at line 280: W$(20,12) holds 20 single words each up to 12 characters, and S$(20,26) holds 20 short phrases each up to 26 characters. Both are filled sequentially from DATA at lines 290–340. Random selection from either array uses the idiom INT(RND*20)+1 to produce a uniform integer in the range 1–20.

Poetry Output Patterns

Each of the three subroutines applies a distinct TAB indentation scheme to simulate the staggered visual layout of translated classical verse:

• Pattern One (lines 100–130): Two words joined by "..." on the first line, a tabbed word with leading dots on the second, and a tabbed phrase on the third.
• Pattern Two (lines 150–180): A phrase at column 0, a phrase with trailing "..." at column 3, and a phrase at column 6 — a simple stepped indent.
• Pattern Three (lines 200–230): A word at column 3, a phrase at column 0, then a combined word and phrase joined by ", " at column 3.

Sound Generation

Lines 60–68 implement three independent probabilistic BEEP sequences, each governed by a separate RND threshold:

• Line 60: Triggered when KK > 0.65 (35% probability); plays a four-note ascending motif with a randomly offset pitch range using DD=RND*20-5.
• Line 65: Triggered when KK < 0.4 (40% probability); plays a five-iteration descending/ascending pattern. Note that when 0.4 ≤ KK ≤ 0.65, neither of these fires.
• Line 68: An independent check (RND < 0.7, 70% probability) plays a simple chromatic run from −5 to 5 semitones.

The variable KK is sampled once at line 60 and reused at line 65, meaning lines 60 and 65 are mutually exclusive only within the 0.4–0.65 band; below 0.4, both could fire (KK < 0.4 also satisfies the complement of KK > 0.65). In practice, when KK < 0.4, line 60’s condition is false, so only line 65 fires.

Display Initialization

Line 15 sets up the display using BRIGHT 1, FLASH 0, INK 7, PAPER 1, and BORDER 1 — a white-on-blue color scheme. BRIGHT is set to 1 then immediately reset to 0, which has no lasting visual effect. CLS and CLEAR prepare the screen and memory before initialization.

Notable Anomalies

• The DATA at line 400 contains "WINDING" twice, so that word has a doubled probability of selection — likely a copy-paste oversight.
• Line 70 uses PRINT '' (two apostrophes) to emit two blank lines between stanzas, creating visual breathing room.
• The RANDOMIZE call at line 270 seeds the random number generator without an argument, using the system clock for a fresh seed each run.