There are three things about this poem that will surprise you. First: though written 300 years ago, it contains superb guidance on being an engineer or maker of any kind. Second: you’ll immediately recognise some of its best lines. Third: its author was an indomitable twenty-three year old hunchbacked dwarf, who had educated himself due to religious persecution. I hope you’ll take away some maxims that’ll stick with you and inform your work. And if you’re someone who’s never ‘got’ poetry, this may be the poem that unlocks it for you.

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