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Haiku is a short poem that originated in Japan. It began as the hokku or first link of a renga. (see below). Haiku is attentive to time and place and uses plain language. The resonance in haiku comes from the juxtaposition of ideas to bring about an "Aha" moment in the mind of the reader. The format in Japanese is 5-7-5 syllables on three lines and has a seasonal word. The foreign language writer usually strives for the essence of haiku without strict adherence to the 17 syllable count. Haiku has been defined by Sir George Sansom as "little drops of poetic essence." Classic Haiku Basho
A crow old pond-- summer grass--
Yosa Buson (1716-1783) evening wind-- calligraphy of geese escaped the nets, Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827) her row veering off, a bath when you're born, Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) I bite into a persimmon this lone iris the tree cut,
Kigo Season words or kigo are used to use the season to set the tone of haiku. In renku seasonal words are included at designated verses.Traditional
Shorter
Renkuare Japanese linked verses that originated in the 12th century. It can be written singularly or by groups of poets. Each verse is interconnected and poems have been as long as 10,000 verses. The most common renku had 36 verses. The verses are usually connected by alternate verses of (5-7-5) and (7-7). The modern haiku developed by Shiki originated from the starting verse of the renka. Below are modern adaptations.Classical Renga Excerpt from Three Poets at Yuyama (1491) under thin snow pampas grass at the rock's base by the pine cricket so, night has deepened the dew is cold thoughts have been turning--
Modern Linked Forms Rengay A short linked poemSMOOTH STONE authors A=Susan Bond; B=Neca Stoller; C=Laura Younggray smooth stone in the palm of my hand - a heron glides A lacing the beach a fringe of broken shells B leftover bait - the swift paw of a jetty cat C current at low tide ripples the fine seaweed A from marsh to sandbar- the crescent moon B just a silhouette beyond the breakers C
FIRST FROST authors A=Neca Stoller; B=Laura Young first frost- on the garden spade traces of dawn A dropping from the pink cloud a rainbow fragment B sand ripples left by the low tide- autumn sky A their fingertips along the tree rings thin and wide B fading in the new coolness her white band of skin A firelight - thawing out the top layer of their wedding cake B Hand Made Haiku Journal Haiku and other oriental forms are well suited for hand made books. Below are links with instructions for folded books and hand sewn books. The size of the folded books is determined only by the paper size. Hand-made paper is quite lovely with this project.
Haiku Links
Aha Poetry Shiki Ukiyo-E Women's Early Music, Art and Poetry Zane Parks' Haiku Page
Haiku Talk Mailing List HaikuForum Haiku Inn Haiku List Haiku Live Mothra
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