A villanelle has a rather complex structure -- stated somewhat simply, it is a nineteen-line poem with two rhymes in its five stanzas and two lines that each are repeated (precisely or approximately) four times. These repetitions can lead to an interesting back-and-forth in the development of images and ideas. Although not about mathematics, this villanelle may, it seems to me, say a bit about mathematicians.
Running
Response (by JoAnne Growney) to “The Waking” by Theodore Roethke
My sleep is brief. I rise to run again,
to flee the doubts that catch me when I'm still.
I live by going faster than I can.
I feel by doing. What's to understand?
I eat and drink and never have my fill.
My sleep is brief. I rise to run again.
I'm useful and adored. Supporters throw grand
parties in my honor, courting my good will.
I live by stepping higher than I can.
Restless at night, I reach and find a hand
to hold and squeeze, to drop with guilt —
after brief bothered sleep, I rise and run again.
I lack companions. Friendship’s madly bland,
and no one keeps my pace in search of thrill.
I live by going faster than I can.
Motion holds me sane and so I run,
but the pace that keeps me lucid also kills.
My sleep is brief. I rise to run again.
I live by going faster than I can.
This previous posting (from 2014) also mentions Roger Bannister and his record-breaking mile.
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