![]() I feel as soon as Shiki developed haiku it was always going to move away from other haikai verses such as hokku, written by Basho, Buson, Issa, and Chiyo-ni etc… Oh and by the way… “haiku” is not actually subversive like “senryu”, or is it? It’s certainly still as clean a blade of poetry, and a watchword as you might get in six seconds, or less, flat! Traditionally haiku are rooted in natural history and the seasons, and make us conspirators with wildlife, as nature half-writes the haiku before we’ve even put pen to paper. They can be therapeutic and they exercise both the right and the left side of the brain. Haiku are ideal for non-fiction observations as a kind of short-hand for remembering events or incidents. Haiku don’t tell, or merely describe, they allow the reader to enter the poem in their own way. It’s good to include one or more senses such as sound, smell, taste or touch, and not just what we can see. They’re written in the present tense, in ordinary language, and work well as two different images that rub off each other. “There are as many descriptions of haiku as there are stars in the night sky: this is mine.”Īlan Summers – Recipient, Japan Times Award for haikuĪn English-language haiku is often written in three short lines and read out loud in about six seconds. Hiroaki Sato: Author Columnist and Editor of “One Hundred Frogs: From Matsuo Basho to Allen Ginsberg” “Today it may be possible to describe haiku but not to define it.” I change my definitions about haiku (and senryu) each time I’m officially approached, as these haikai genres are like the wind, you can’t really contain them! It’s the sort of quote I’d love to appear on my negative space article that does get updated from time to time! “The shape of haiku is in the blank spaces.” I love this from Ellen Compton and it’s close to my heart too. “(A) haiku is an up to a breath-length poem in which two, rarely three, objects in a now-moment of awareness are juxtaposed so that each enhances one’s appreciation of the other and together they evoke a felt depth, insight, or intuition of the suchness of things.” – Robert Spiess, notable haiku poet and editor In his book, Haiku: A Poet’s Guide, poet and author Lee Gurga included these two definitions: Haiku scholars have attempted to define English-language haiku with varying levels of success. There are other facets to haiku that are more important than syllable count. ![]() While this definition does provide a starting point for discussion, it is simplified and far from complete. American children are taught that haiku is a Japanese poetry form written in three lines: 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second, and 5 syllables for the third. ![]() In the United States, most people learn about haiku in grade school. The Haiku Foundation doesn’t endorse an official definition of haiku in English. Ellen Compton, author of Gathering Duskįor such a small poem, you would expect there to be a simple definition for English-language haiku. ![]()
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