Blogging on Euclid Poems

 Background on Euclid of Alexandria 

Euclid is a Greek mathematicican who lived in Alexandria in Egypt around 300 BCE. 

He is also known as the Fathter of Geometry. 

He wrote "Stoicheion" or "Elements", which is the most important and successful mathematical textbook of all times. His work also include division of geometrical figures into into parts in given ratios, catoptrics (the mathematical theory of mirrors and reflection), and spherical astronomy (the determination of the location of objects on the “celestial sphere”), as well as important texts on optics and music.

information retrived from https://www.storyofmathematics.com/hellenistic_euclid.html

Euclid Alone Has Looked on Beauty Bare

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare.

Let all who prate of Beauty hold their peace,

And lay them prone upon the earth and cease

To ponder on themselves, the while they stare

At nothing, intricately drawn nowhere

In shapes of shifting lineage; let geese

Gabble and hiss, but heroes seek release

From dusty bondage into luminous air.

O blinding hour, O holy, terrible day,

When first the shaft into his vision shone

Of light anatomized! Euclid alone

Has looked on Beauty bare. Fortunate they

Who, though once only and then but far away,

Have heard her massive sandal set on stone

The Euclidean Domain

by David Kramer

…Euclid alone

Has looked on beauty bare. Fortunate they

Who, though once only and then but far away,

Have heard her massive sandal set on stone.

—Edna St. Vincent Millay, Sonnet

Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare?

Has no one else of her seen hide or hair?

Nor heard her massive sandal set on stone?

Nor spoken with her on the telephone?

Proud poets, as you penned your paeans to Beauty,

Did you not think it was your bounden duty

(Though it were one that any might have loathed)

To tell that you have only seen her clothed?

And as you sang praise, Orpheus, of Eurydice,

Your mouth became the orifice of your idiocy!

For Beauty bare you never yet had seen,

’Twixt Hades’ depths and lofty Hippocrene.

O Beauty! Would you, for this mathematician,

Remove (if it would cause to give permission

To look on Beauty bare too great a scandal),

Once only, and then but far away, your sandal?

It appears that Millay has portrayed Euclid as the mathematical god who is above all mankind. Through this poem, Millay has applauded Euclid for his work and findings in mathematics.

In Millay' poem, Euclid is able to see the Beauty Bare in mathematics.

 Now, what exactly is Beauty Bare? 

Since Euclid has looked on Beauty Bare alone, it must be something or someone that could be observed and examined by. In relation to Euclid's work on mathematics, Beauty Bare could possibly be some mathematical related concepts or objects that might have given inspirations to Euclid while he looked on it alone. It is possible that Millay is trying to convey the message that Euclid was able to figure something out from looking at the Beauty Bare alone. 

The parody poem written by Kramer has challenged Millay's illustration on Euclid looking at Beauty bare alone. Kramer began by questioning the fact that Euclid was viewing the Beauty bare alone, and no one else has seen or heard about it. I begin to wonder if Kramer was questioning whether Euclid has done all the findings himself? Or he was just criticitizing the fact that Millay has blindly praised Euclid for doing the findings alone without knowing the legitimacy of his work. 

Anyhow, Euclid has contributed remarkbly to mathematics without doubts.