| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Contents | ||
Haiku (俳句) is one of the most important forms of traditional Japanese poetry.
Haiku is a very short poetic form. Traditional Japanese haiku consisted of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 units each, which are generally applied as syllables, and contained a special word—the kigo—that indicated the season in which the haiku was set. Some consider that a haiku must also combine two different images, be written in present tense, have a focus on description and have a pause (the kireji or "cutting word") at the end of either the first or second line. All such rules are based in the Japanese language and literary tradition and are habitually broken by most poets, especially when adapted for languages other than Japanese (where they can seem arbitrary).
Few modern English haiku poets use the 5-7-5 syllables rule, which is often taught in schools. The 5-7-5 practice produces a haiku much longer than a traditionally composed haiku in Japanese, as the Japanese do not count syllables as they are defined in English, but instead count morae (singular mora), units of time. Morae are generally shorter than the average of English syllables which are highly variable in length. Today's English-language poets produce haiku in one of three ways:
The haiku poet (haijin) writes about a moment in time, a brief experience that stands out. The traditional haiku poet usually focused on nature, although modern poets may have the urban setting as their venue. Often, at least in translation, the subject matter of many Japanese haiku may seem banal, but the subtle linkage or juxtaposition between the two sets of images within a haiku will be found to contain an interesting insight or spiritual message.
Haiku is not written only by professionals. Anyone can learn to use the form, although like other genres of poetry it is difficult to master. An online search will lead to many forums where new and experienced poets share and critique their haiku.
The term Haiku was created by the modern critic and haiku-maker Masaoka Shiki. Before then this style was called Hokku (発句). Hokku is the first phrase of Renga, another traditional form of Japanese poetry. Already since the early Edo period Hokku was appreciated as an individual work, not just as a part of Renga. Masaoka Shiki discarded the Renga concept and established Haiku as self-sufficient artistic poetry. Hence today we see classic Hokku as Haiku.
The four great Japanese masters of the haiku form are generally thought to be Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson , Kobayashi IssaKobayashi Issa ( Kobayashi Issa ( June 15, 1763 January 5, 1828) was a Japanese haiku poet. He was born with the name Kobayashi Nobuyuki (and also known as Yataro) in Kashiwabara, Shinano province (present-day Shinanomachi, Nagano prefecture). Leaving beh, and Masaoka Shiki.
An example of classic haiku (by Basho):
Another Basho classic reads:
(N.B. that, at that time, Japanese rain-gear consisted of a large, round hatHAT is also the abbreviation for histone acetyltransferase. A hat is an item of clothing which is worn on the head a kind of headgear. Hats often have a brim, and may be either placed on the head, or in the case of some women's hats, secured with hat-pins and a shaggy straw cloakA cloak is a type of loose garment which is worn over indoor clothing and serves the same purpose as an overcoat it protects the wearer from the cold, rain or wind for example, or it may form part of a fashionable outfit (e. opera cloak) or uniform. Cloak.)
In early 19981998 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of the Ocean''. Events January January 1998 A massive ice storm, caused by El Nino, strikes New England, southern Ontario and Quebec, resulting, Salon magazine published the results of a haiku contest on the topic of computertower of a personal computer. A computer is a device for making calculations or controlling operations that are expressible in numerical or logical terms. While factually accurate, this definition and those found in other dictionaries are so broad that th error messages. The winning haiku, written by David Dixon, was:
However, this does not follow the traditional rules of haiku, let alone its spirit. This is more similar to the Japanese form senryuSenryu is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 or fewer syllables in total. However, senryu tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature. Senryu do not need to include a kigo or season, as is much modern haiku. Haiku is often taught in Western schools, but without the strict rules, only the syllable format.
More recent well-known authors and poets who have written haiku include Jorge Luis Borges, Octavio Paz, Dag Hammarskjöld, Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder, Allen Ginsberg, and Richard Wright.