| HAIKU
The history of the modern haiku dates from Masaoka Shiki's reform, begun in 1892, which established haiku as a new independent poetic form. Shiki's reform did not change two traditional elements of haiku: the division of 17 syllables into three groups of 5, 7, and 5 syllables and the inclusion of a seasonal theme.
Kawahigashi Hekigoto carried Shiki's reform further with two proposals:
Haiku would be truer to reality if there were no center of interest in it.
The importance of the poet's first impression, just as it was, of subjects taken from daily life, and of local colour to create freshness.
How to write Haiku
In Japanese, the rules for how to write Haiku are clear, and will not be discussed here. In foreign languages, there exist NO consensus in how to write Haiku-poems. Anyway, let's take a look at the basic knowledge:
What to write about?
Haiku poems can describe almost anything, but you seldom find themes which are too complicated for normal people's recognition and understanding. Some of the most thrilling Haiku poems describe daily situations in a way that gives the reader a brand new experience of a well-known situation.
The metrical pattern of Haiku
Haiku poems consist of respectively 5, 7 and 5 syllables (onji) in three units (lines). In Japanese, this convention is a must, but in English, which has variation in the length of syllables, this can sometimes be difficult.
The shift
There is a separation, break, turn or shift from the middle to the last line, often resulting in the last line being a summary of what you've noted or a wise thought of some sort regarding nature. Each line must be able to stand alone, there is no line wrapping from one line to another as we sometimes see in other forms of poetry.
The seasonal theme.
Each Haiku must contain a kigo, a season word, which indicate in which season the Haiku is set. For example, cherry blossoms indicate spring, snow indicate winter, and mosquitoes indicate summer, but the season word isn't always that obvious.
Please notice that Haiku-poems are written under different rules and in many languages. For translated Haiku-poems, the translator must decide whether he should obey the rules strictly, or if he should present the exact essence of the Haiku. For Haiku-poems originally written in English, the poet should be more careful. These are the difficulties, and the pleasure of Haiku.
Extra Note
More recently, some writers of Haiku, are utilizing a format of 3-5-3, as this form, closely represents the Japanese form of 5-7-5.
|
