Nov 9 - Euclidean Poetry

 

By Charles Thomas-Stanford - Early editions of Euclid’s Elements, by Charles Thomas-Stanford. Plate X., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=144950

Based on his Wikipedia page, we don’t know a lot about Euclid’s life. He is best known for his written work, The Elements, which is 13 books that build upon each other’s mathematical ideas. The Elements is largely considered a compilation of mathematical ideas of Euclid’s time, with its influence lying in its detailed structure and rigorous proofs.

My interpretation of the first poem is that the author holds Euclid in very high esteem, largely due to his creation of what we know as geometry, technically referred to as Euclidean geometry. This line in particular, “To ponder on themselves, the while they stare At nothing, intricately drawn nowhere In shapes of shifting lineage” implies to me that she is remarking on his contributions to geometry.

I interpret the second poem as irreverent and satirical in nature. It begins by calling into question that only Euclid has seen “Beauty bare”, and invokes the modern marvel of the telephone. The second and third verses chastises other poets who have claimed to see beauty bare for not being honest that beauty was clothed, or did not exist. I’m not entirely clear on why the author takes this tone, perhaps they don’t like the near deification of ancient mathematicians. It’s certainly fair to assume that if Euclid had not laid the foundations of geometry someone else would have.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclid

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclid%27s_Elements