Euclid was a Greek mathematician who came up with the first axiomatization of mathematics. Euclid's Elements, were the first books where axioms and mathematical proofs were used widely in order to find other mathematical concepts.
Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem talks about how Euclid's work is the epitome of beauty, and that it's unmatched by any other endeavor to capture beauty, such as those who "who prate of Beauty". The anatomization of light is a metaphor of his axioms, but I am unsure what she's referring to about the "sandal set on stone."
The second poem compares (rather rudely) mathematics with poets, and implies mathematics has more beauty than poetry as the poets have only seen her with clothes on.
Charming commentary, Marius! I think the Millay reference to hearing Beauty's sandal stepping on stone from afar implies that everyone but Euclid has a very partial and distanced experience of the beauty of mathematics.
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