When Poetry Meets Geometry
Hello and welcome back!
Today we have a topic for those that say that mathematics are not their thing. For those that prefer language over mathematics. Well I am afraid to see that you are not able to scape for them, no matter how much you try.
And that is because we can find them, and more specifically in this case, geometry even in poems.
If poetry is the art of bending words, then geometry is the poetry of bending lines. At first glance, they might seem like distant cousins who only meet at family reunions, but let’s dig deeper and change that view of them.
Sonnets: A 14-Line Polygon
First, let’s take a look at this poem written by Francisco de Quevedo that was recopilated in ‘El Parnaso español’ in 1648 (p. 435):
Es hielo abrasador, es fuego helado,
es herida que duele y no se siente,
es un soñado bien, un mal presente,
es un breve descanso muy cansado.
Es un descuido que nos da cuidado,
un cobarde, con nombre de valiente,
un andar solitario entre la gente,
un amar solamente ser amado.
Es una libertad encarcelada,
que dura hasta el postrero parasismo,
enfermedad que crece si es curada.
Este es el niño Amor, este es su abismo.
¡Mirad cuál amistad tendrá con nada
el que en todo es contrario de sí mismo!
A sonnet is basically a geometric shape made of words. Fourteen lines, carefully measured. Each line of Quevedo’s sonnet is like a side of a polygon. Individually, they might seem disconnected, but together, they create a cohesive shape: the closed circuit of a sonnet. According to Jakobson (1960), poetic form relies heavily on pattern, parallelism, and symmetry—features shared with geometric constructions. To keep it simple, in terms of form we can observe the following:
- 14 lines
- 11 syllables per line (hello, hendecasyllabic symmetry!)
- Rhyme scheme: ABBA ABBA CDC DCD (a little mirror pattern)
Haiku: triangle
For you to understand what that means, i will provide you with the translation in Spanish but at the time of linking it to geometry, pay attention to the original one! This translation was done by Hernández (2017)
En un viejo estanque,
La rana salta:
El sonido del agua.
Three lines, 5-7-5 syllables: the haiku is the isosceles triangle of poetry. Elegant, balanced, and deceptively simple. One moment it’s about a frog jumping into a pond, the next—BAM!—existential crisis. While, the like geometry, maintains the perfect balance and symmetry what calm us and tha is what us, even without us knowing we search around us.
The Shared Pursuit of Beauty
Believe it or not, poetry and geometry have more in common than meets the eye. According to Ruiz and López (2021), both geometry and poetry are driven by a quest for beauty and truth. The article emphasizes that, despite their different methodologies, both disciplines seek to understand and express the world in profound ways. This shared pursuit underscores the deep connection between mathematical elegance and poetic expression.
Let’s wrap it up: Geometry is not just about cold calculations, and poetry is not just emotional fluff. They meet in the middle—in rhythm, balance, structure, and symmetry. A perfectly crafted poem might feel as satisfying as a flawless geometric proof. And maybe, just maybe, when you see a hexagon or a haiku, you’ll hear the echo of the other.
To end up with, I will attach a video about a poem about geometry. Because as any other topic, we can create art with our words based on geometry. That is why I wanted to show you an expample of that! For those who love both poetry and mathematics.
See you!S33 Y0U 1N 7H3 N3X7 3N7RY!
Referencias:
Hernández-Esquivel, C. E. (2017). Haiku: tradición poética de Japón. La colmena, (73), 75-79.
Quevedo, F. (1869). El Parnaso español o Las nueve musas castellanas (J. A. González de Salas, Ed.). Librería de Ramón Pujal. https://books.google.es/books?id=9v3w5fcWQCAC
Comentarios
Publicar un comentario