#poetry #art
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A real physical tessellation is a tiling made of materials such as [cemented](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cement "Cement") [ceramic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramic "Ceramic") squares or hexagons. Such tilings may be decorative [patterns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterns "Patterns"), or may have functions such as providing durable and water-resistant [pavement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavement_(architecture) "Pavement (architecture)"), floor or wall coverings. Historically, tessellations were used in [Ancient Rome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome "Ancient Rome") and in [Islamic art](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_art "Islamic art") such as in the [Moroccan architecture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_architecture "Moroccan architecture") and [decorative geometric tiling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_geometric_patterns "Islamic geometric patterns") of the [Alhambra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra "Alhambra") palace. In the twentieth century, the work of [M. C. Escher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._C._Escher "M. C. Escher") often made use of tessellations, both in ordinary [Euclidean geometry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclidean_geometry "Euclidean geometry") and in [hyperbolic geometry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbolic_geometry "Hyperbolic geometry"), for artistic effect. Tessellations are sometimes employed for decorative effect in [quilting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilting "Quilting"). Tessellations form a class of [patterns in nature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterns_in_nature "Patterns in nature"), for example in the arrays of [hexagonal cells](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexagonal_tiling "Hexagonal tiling") found in [honeycombs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeycomb "Honeycomb").
A poem from [[en.wikipedia.org - Saadi Shirazi - Wikipedia|Saadi Shirazi - Wikipedia]] evoking in an abstract fashion tessellation:
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Your garden is a tessellation of bright flowers,
A flow of petals in a kaleidoscopic shower;
The hues of dawn, the colors of the sky,
The rainbow’s light, the sun’s majestic ray
All form a pattern of delight and power,
A beautiful mosaic that will never decay.
In its midst, a songbird is taking flight,
The music of its wings, a sweet delight;
The fragrance of the blooms, a heavenly scent,
The softness of the breeze, a gentle caress.
The beauty of the scene, so pure and bright,
A perfect tessellation, an unending bliss.
At night, when the stars come out to play,
The pattern of the garden, a wondrous display;
The moonlight glistening through the trees,
The twinkling of the stars, a magical sight.
The glimmer of the fireflies, a sight to behold,
A perfect tessellation, a dreamy night.
