Most people understand what haiku is. And most will tell you that a true haiku poem must have a certain pattern of syllables and lines. For example, the first line will get 5 syllables, the second 7, and the third 5 again. This is all well and good but it's not necessary at all! In fact, most modern haiku in the western world no longer adhere to this structure. I for one think that's a good thing! Let's look at some haiku examples to see why.
Haiku Example #1:
steady spring rain -- a tree takes shape at dawn
The above haiku poem is from one of my favorite poets, Bruce Ross. Notice that the 5-7-5 rule does not apply here. Also notice that the poem is still a haiku. Why? Because it uses something called phrase and fragment theory. The first line is a fragment and creates the overall ambiance of the poem. The next two lines contain a specific phrase about something occurring in a present moment. Read as a whole this tiny poem accomplishes the haiku sensibility, which is basically an observation or snapshot look at what is happening in the present. Plus, it's subject is nature - another common haiku attribute. Let's look at another example.
Haiku Example #2
a swallow pond bathes... summer woods
This haiku by the author completely abandons the 5-7-5 rule and still works as a haiku poem. This is because it uses fragment and phrase theory to create a micro-macro view. Also, we have the phrase first this time followed by the fragment. Notice the image that is created by the juxtaposition between the phrase and the fragment. This is what creates the poetics of haiku! To write haiku in the modern style, you don't have to worry about fitting your poem in old forms. This frees you up to creating something you may not have thought of if you had to follow the 5-7-5 rule.
Edward Weiss is a poet, author, and publisher of Wisteria Press. He has been helping students learn how to write haiku for many years and has just released his first book "Seashore Haiku!" Sign up for free daily haiku and get beautiful haiku poems in your inbox each morning! Visit http://www.wisteriapress.com for haiku books, lessons, articles, and more! |
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You can find the full essay here:
http://www.wonderhaikuworlds.com/haikuandgenres-hrr.php
"ambience" (sp).
http://www.wonderhaikuworlds.com/haikuandgenres-hrr.php
SYLLABLE COUNT ~ NO! Not Necessarily Seventeen!
Many people tend to say, "17 syllables [5/7/5]" and say "Ah! Haiku" ~ But onji[kana] and syllable are very different ~ When Haiku was adapted into English after world-war two, the seventeen syllables came in as an artifice. Most serious ones felt that it is too long and some went in for various options ~ a 11 syllables [3/5/3 partition] count or 10 syllables [3/4/3 partition]. But many felt that it is too constraining and went in for various syllable counts in different partitions into lines. Some extremists even went in for 7 syllable style in a 2/3/2 partition ~ I prefer the freedom that the rhythm dictates. I have written mostly between 11 and 17 syllables, rarely less [even as less as seven syllables ], very rarely even more than 17 syllables [ eighteen or nineteen ] out of some poetic necessity. Following examples perhaps illustrate ~
embracing
the ocean, the sun
vanishes ~
mossy rocks
radiant abloom on
a cloudy sky ~
incense moonlight
blooms tender lotus-silences ~
starry-sky incants air ~
I close my palm
hold tight a breeze, open it,
let out an emptiness ~
spring full-bloom on
car-rear-glass begins
a long pilgrimage ~
incense spring melts on
lucid river ~ country-boat dreams
floral path of light ~
spring breeze blazes
landscape in sunlight ~ sparrows
stream in, in melody ~
rhythm of Fire ~
articulate horizon brews
the first drizzle ~
the sacred drizzle ~
the birds have abandoned
the smell of earth ~
inverted mountain
dazzles on dawn-waters ~
breeze hum erases ~
verdant breeze envelope
spasms ~ solitary autumn
leaf gently falls ~
twilight village ~
temple bell blazes ~ sparrows
tingle silences in mist ~
The following conclusion in a brilliant essay on the topic by Keiko Imaoka is relevant in this context.
“Thus we are in a blind, a catch twenty-two. If one wishes to have the brevity and the fragmented quality of Japanese haiku in English haiku, 17 syllables are too long. On the other hand, if a rigid structure is desired, 11 syllables are too short. One must choose between the two. The choice depends on which of the two factors a poet considers more important to haiku. The majority of contemporary English-haiku poets have let go of the tight forms in favor of brevity to develop the mainstream North American haiku.”
THE FLEXIBILITY OF JAPANESE GRAMMAR
“There are two major linguistic factors that make the Japanese language more flexible, and thus easier to fit into a rigid form such as 5-7-5. Both of these factors derive from the fact that the grammatical units in Japanese are largely independent, and are relatively free to move about within a sentence.
1. RELATIVE FREEDOM OF WORD ORDER
2. RELATIVE EASE IN SEGMENTATION
Please refer to this remarkable essay for a clear statement of the situation. I was little sceptical about the seventeen syllable Haiku but learning with Imaoka’s essay I now consider it as a legitimate alternative to mere brevity.
From
FORMS IN ENGLISH HAIKU
KEIKO IMAOKA
http://www.ahapoetry.com/keirule.htm