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JAPANESE POETRY
A very
short poem (17 syllables) with a
traditional,
classic form (three lines of 5 - 7 - 5
syllables)
intended to express and evoke
emotion.
Most true haiku contain a
word
("kigo")
suggesting a
particular season of the
year
and they usually are
made up of the
following
two elements:
(1) a general condition (permanence)
(2) a momentary perception (change)
It is the meeting of these two
elements that creates
the "spark" of
haiku,
without which, the verse is not
haiku but
merely
a brief 17 syllable statement.
The
poet does
not comment on the connection
between the
two
elements but leaves the
synthesis of the
two
images up to the reader
to perceive
through
his own experience.
TIME and PLACE and a
FLEETING OBSERVATION
work together as a
STARTING POINT for the
reader's own
train
of
thought, emotions and
experience and
he
must
fill in all the rest.
Haiku begin in
the
middle of a scene or thought
and then end
immediately after the thought
has been
suggested or indicated.
A haiku poet is a
"Zen man" in that the
unfinished nature
of
his poem corresponds
to the positive use
of
"what is not
there!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Natsu-gussa
ya tsuwa mono domo ga yume no
ato. Summer grasses of brave
warrior's dreams all that
remains. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Furu
ike ya kawazu tobi komu mizu no
oto. Old pond and a frog jump
in water sound. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Koi ni mina naki shimaute
ya semi no kara. Did it yell til it became
all voice? cicada shell!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To yama
no me dama ni utsuru tombo
kana. In its eye are mirrored far
off mountains the dragonfly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tombo no kao wa okata medama
kana. The dragonfly his face is
very nearly only eye. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tsuki mi kana. Clouds come
from time to time and bring to men a chance
to rest. from looking at the
moon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kago no
tori cho wo urayamu me tsuki kana
kana. At the
butterflies the caged bird gazes
envying just watch its eyes! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yagate
shinu keshiki wa mie zu semi no
koe. So soon to
die, and no sign of it is showing locust
cry. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Utsukushi ya shoji no ana no ama no gawa.
A lovely thing to see, through the paper window's hole the Milky Way. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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