Star Gauge: The 4th century Chinese poem that can be read in every direction
3 days ago
- #Chinese poetry
- #Su Hui
- #palindrome
- Su Hui's 'Star Gauge' is a 4th-century Chinese palindrome poem that can be read in any direction, including diagonally, forward, and backward.
- The poem consists of an 841-character grid with a central character meaning 'heart/mind' and can potentially be read in up to 12,000 ways.
- Legend says Su Hui wrote the poem to win back her husband after he took a concubine, and it succeeded in reuniting them.
- The poem's structure allows for multiple readings, with color-coded sections guiding the reader through different patterns and rhymes.
- Translations of sections of the poem show how meaning changes when read in reverse, demonstrating its complexity and depth.
- Su Hui's reputation has evolved over centuries, from a melancholy wife to a jealous woman, but her poetic genius remains undisputed.
- The poem's open-ended structure creates a sense of 'vertigo' for readers, facing its infinitely unfurling meanings.