Number and rose

Author: Cai Tianxin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: When I open a Korean book, I have such a feeling: almost, almost, I recognize every character, yet I don’t recognize a single one. It’s another language; I am incapable of stepping into its winding paths and thoroughfares, or reaching the scenic wonders it points to. The language of mathematics is also another language: I recognize those numbers and letters, symbols, but when they come together, they form a world I am not part of. In this sense, the mathematical professor and poet Cai Tianxin is a person who enjoys more freedom and more pleasure than I do. A world I cannot enter freely, yet he is able to enjoy its grandeur there. Tianxin’s new work, Numbers and Roses, makes me think that being a mathematician and being a poet may both be the hardest things in the world (those who don’t understand poetry might think writing poetry is the simplest thing in the world; what they know is merely the addition of one plus one equals two). Yet Tianxin is both a mathematician and a poet. He has done what only a very few people in the world can do. Most people might think that writing poetry and conducting mathematical research are at odds, but in his essay A Mathematician and a Poet, Tianxin tells us, "Mathematics and poetry are both products of imagination." This makes me think of a sentence E.T. Bell said in his book Men of Mathematics: "A mathematician without poetic insight is not a complete mathematician." And when a mathematician reaches the depths of mathematics, perhaps he becomes a poet even if he wasn’t one before. Can we metaphorically say that poetry is the mathematics of literature, and mathematics is the poetry of science? I know a Brazilian mathematician named Ricardo Cubrulsy, who once served as the president of the Brazilian Mathematical Society, but he is also a poet. He told me that mathematics is as beautiful and as useless as poetry: mathematicians, like poets, only need a piece of paper and a pencil to work. He also said that the difference between a mathematician and a physicist lies in that physicists explain the truth of the world, while mathematicians build models for the world. I think, in a metaphorical sense, this is almost like the difference between a poet and a novelist. I don’t know whether it is because Tianxin is so adept in both worlds (mathematics and poetry) that he can also move freely in the third world (the Earth). He is a true wanderer. In his essay The Wanderer Speaks, he distinguishes between "traveling" and "tourism," and between "travelers" and "tourists." He argues that a traveler "bears another purpose beyond ordinary sightseeing and gaining knowledge, or carries a certain mission, at least follows the ancient saying 'read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles.'" Therefore, Tianxin is a person who possesses three worlds, and Numbers and Roses is essentially a convergence of these three worlds. He is different from most Chinese poets: he carries a longing for the distant. His distant destinations include India, the Mediterranean, Africa, and Latin America—not to mention Western Europe and North America. In my view, the distant defines a writer’s taste, style, and writing ethics. To put it more clearly, a writer’s faraway places determine the kind of writing he has. Numbers and Roses is written with ease, elegance, clarity, and warmth, possessing a subtlety belonging to the south. The power of its writing does not depend on the importance of its subject matter, but on the way it speaks. He is sensitive, but not in an aggressive way; his interest in anecdotes and trivia has shaped his erudition, but this erudition is not the kind that comes from textual research; his three worlds are vast and rich, yet this vastness and richness begin with the smallest details. He won’t reach out with a rough hand to grab you, but if he does grab you, you won’t be able to escape. Those who don’t understand poets and mathematicians and hold prejudices against them should especially read the interview with Cai Tianxin, "From Havana to Buenos Aires," at the end of this book. After reading this interview, you might be able to approach the question of how you view poets and mathematicians with an invulnerable perspective. You will also realize how superficial people’s views on poets and mathematicians are! Numbers and Roses, from its content to its layout and even the paper used, reflects the author’s taste. Tianxin is a meticulous person; he not only took so many photos but also collected so many images. He almost possesses a fourth world: the world of images. But I don’t want to praise him too highly. On April 14, 2003, Beijing “Whenever I travel to a new country, I feel as if I have been reborn. And for me, writing is like returning to familiar ground.” The author was once a child prodigy in university, meeting trains for the first time on his way to college, yet today his footsteps have spanned five continents and over 60 countries. “If mathematics is a sturdy fortress, then poetry is the home I can carry with me.” As an inclusive explorer, he embodies the ancient saying "read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles," gaining unique experiences, broad perspectives, and the necessary confidence, tranquility, composure, and boundless freedom of will. The twenty essays and one interview collected in this volume touch on mathematics, physics, poetry, painting, maps, and travel, most of which have been published in periodicals such as Shūchéng (Book City), Dúshū (Reading), Wànxiàng (Myriad Sights), Tiānyá (Far Horizons), and Nánfāng Zhōuwěi (Southern Weekly). The author’s style is light, elegant, witty, and enduring, and the book is accompanied by over 200 images, most of which were taken during his travels.