HAIKU – “starting-verse” – a set poetic form that originated in Japan ca. 15th c.
It is a very short poem consisting mainly of imagery
suggesting a special insight or a flash of understanding.
A haiku in Japanese is unrhymed and consists of seventeen syllables, usually arranged in three lines, in a pattern of five, seven, and five syllables.
A haiku written in English may be rhymed or unrhymed, and it follows the pattern of three short lines but is not as strict in the syllabic count as its Japanese model.
Characteristics of haiku:
vivid image (usually visual, but can be also auditory or tactile) – evocation of
something that can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched;
indication of a season or specific moment in time that sets a general mood;
the season/ time is often implied by some telling detail (rather than named), and
so a blossom indicates spring; snow, winter; a reference to a deer or a crow on a branch, autumn; ringing of the bells, evening);
concern with human emotions (rather than actions);
suggestion – in the highly compressed way – of a specific experience or insight.
Enclosed you’ll find some examples of haikus. You’ll hear more about two famous poets: Matsuo Basho and Taniguchi Buson during presentations by Cindy and Susan, Chong-si and Johnson.
And here, a few specific tips on writing haikus:
Don’ts: avoid easy rhymes;
pretty sketches of nature;
abstract thoughts (“Our love is gone”);
general observations (“Life is beautiful,” “Oh, how jealousy hurts!”);
inward looking or explicit statements of feelings (“How I suffer!” “My heart calls
out for you!” “Oh, I’m so excited!”);
metaphors or similes;
complicated words.
Do: aim for vivid, direct image and
try to make the reader feel something (through suggestive power of this image);
set the poem in the present tense;
use few adjectives;
make every word count.
Examples:
Dewdrops, limpid, small –
and such a lack of judgment shown
in where they fall!
Soin
On the one-ton temple bell
a moonmoth, folded into sleep,
sits still.
Buson