Symmetry in Literature, the Perspective of a Mathematician

Abstract

Mathematics and poetry are emanations of the human intellect to be valued in it and for itself. As the mathematician Hardy says, a mathematician, like a poet, is a maker of patterns. Their patterns should be beautiful, and symmetry is a source of beauty. The subjects here focused aim to emphasise interesting relationships between pattern makers from different areas of creativity, like poetry and mathematics. We live in a universe of patterns, where symmetry plays a central role. Symmetry is not only beauty to be admired, but it is also a useful instrument to discover the clues and rules of natural phenomena. In human creations, like science, arts and literature, symmetry may be easily recognized or not, so it deserves our special attention. This paper has two main goals: first, the public understanding of the wonderful world of fertile imagination of mathemati- cians and poets, second, the importance of symmetry in a deeper vision of life and of the universe.