Carmen figuratum

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Carmen figuratum (plural: carmina figurata "shaped poems") is a poem that has a certain shape or pattern formed either by some or all the words it contains. As a form of visual poetry, carmina figurata are similar to the calligram, notably the Calligrammes by Guillaume Apollinaire. Like calligraphy and typography, carmina figurata occupy a liminal space between graphic design and visual art. An example is France Prešeren's "Zdravljica", where the shape of each stanza resembles a wine goblet.

Origin of the term

The term derives from the carmina figurata of Renaissance texts^{[citation needed]} – works in which a sacred image was picked out in red letters against a field of black type so that a holy figure could be seen and meditated on during the process of reading.^{[citation needed]} Carmina figurata spread in the Carolingian period to spread the use and study of Latin.^{[citation needed]}

Examples

Latin poetry

• Rabanus Maurus' De laudibus sanctae crucis ("On the Praises of the Holy Cross") or In honorem sanctae crucis ("In the Honor of the Holy Cross), a medieval collection of metrical Latin poetry from the Carolingian period that use a crossword puzzle-like grid in manuscripts to visually represent Cruciform imagery in a variety of colorful compositions that range in complexity from poems shaped into basic visual patterns, such as numbers and single words with Christian symbolism, to full-figure representations, including a Crucifix, a portrait of Louis the Pious, and Rabanus' own self-portrait.

Selected carmina figurata by Rabanus Maurus

Portrait of patron	Self-portrait of artist	Carolingian Cross

See also

• Altar poem – A poem in which the lines are arranged to look like the form of an altar
• Calligram – Written work arranged in a way that creates a visual image
• Concrete poetry – Genre of poetry with lines arranged as a shape
• Haptic poetry – A liminal art form combining characteristics of typography and sculpture to create objects not only to be seen, but to be touched and manipulated
• Visual poetry – Poetry style that incorporates graphic and visual design elements

References

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