雖然符號學的學術研究在最近幾乎是一個新興領域，但其研究可以追溯到數百年甚至是千年以前。符號學主要研究符號本身視覺上（例如藝術上）的媒介功能，或者是其做為文章與詩歌表達的作用模式。符號作為一種撰寫的語言本身常被認為是一種視覺藝術，但是符號學同時也包含了聽覺意涵：字彙與句子本身，（或者是那些具有抑揚頓挫與物理性質的聲音訊號）可以同時被人們看見或聽見。詩歌在符號學中十分特別─因為它同時包含了說話的符號與寓言，其中寓言所代表的是濃縮的想法，就如同繪畫一般。寓言在詩歌中的表達方式與繪畫中最大的不同點在於，在詩歌中的傳達乃是經由撰寫或拼字來溝通，這十分類似於口語的功效，但是拼字相較於以口說為主的語言則是一種視覺現象。基於羅曼‧雅各布森（Roman Jakobson）的六因素－六功能溝通模型，此篇論文探討並且強調了符號學與詩學之間的連結。此文章亦專注闡述了歌德（Goethe）的愛情詩─〈五月節〉在符號與寓言間的相互作用。

Although the field of semiotics is fairly new in academia, the ideas that are discussed and researched date back centuries, if not millennia. The field itself seeks to study symbols that are either visual, such as art in various media or, as this essay demonstrates, poetry, which is written language and often considered visual art in-and-of-itself. It also includes auditory signs, which are spoken words and sentences, or musical notes and acoustic signals of objects which can be seen and heard simultaneously. The field of poetry in semiotics, however, is very unique because it contains both spoken symbols and allegories at the same time: allegory refers to concentrated ideas that can also be depicted in paintings. The way that allegory in poetry differs from that in paintings lies in the fact that the message in poetry is conveyed through written or orthographic communication, very similar in effect to spoken language, save for the fact that orthography is a visual sign as opposed to an acoustic one which is poken language per se. Basing upon Roman Jakobson’s six-factor six-function communication model, this paper discusses and enhances the links between semiotics and poetics. It also demonstrates the interplay between symbol and allegory in Goethe’s love poem, “Maifest” (Mayfest).