This paper comments on a recent article “Revolutionary poetry and liquid crystal chemistry: Herman Gorter, Ada Prins and the interface between literature and science” by Hub Zwart (Foundations of Chemistry, published online: 10 July 2020), in which the author explores the influence of the liquid crystal research of Ada Prins on the epic poem Pan written by her long-time lover Herman Gorter. The present paper reviews the basic science of liquid crystals and explains the connections between the work of Prins and its influence on the poem. Other examples of the use of “liquid crystal” as a literary device are identified from renaissance poetry, and the uses of the metaphor in these poems are analysed from a scientific perspective. From these examples it is suggested that creative concepts from poetry may contain elements of substance that appear in hitherto unrecognised scientific realities.

中文翻译：

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液晶化学与诗歌

本文评论了 Hub Zwart（化学基础，在线发表：2020 年 7 月 10 日）最近发表的一篇文章“革命诗歌和液晶化学：Herman Gorter、Ada Prins 和文学与科学之间的界面”，其中作者探讨了艾达·普林斯的液晶研究对她的老情人赫尔曼·戈特 (Herman Gorter) 所写的史诗《潘》的影响。本论文回顾了液晶的基础科学，并解释了普林斯的作品与其对诗歌的影响之间的联系。从文艺复兴诗歌中找出了使用“液晶”作为文学工具的其他例子，并从科学的角度分析了这些诗歌中隐喻的使用。