Haiku

by Basho (1644-1694) and Issa (1762-1826) , Haiku for People, http://www.toyomasu.com/haiku/

Selected poems

Summary

Haiku is a highly structured form of poetry that is, however, extremely powerful and evocative.  The structure and constraints of the form impose strict limitations but also allow a good deal of creativity and freedom.  Haiku typically captures a unique moment that is conveyed through sensory images.  It does not attempt to explain or provide commentary on these moments.

Haiku originated in Japan in the Edo period and was formalized as a poetic form in the late nineteenth century.  Japanese haiku has a metrical pattern consisting of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables each.  In Japanese, this convention is a requirement but translations and original poems written in other languages sometimes deviate from this scheme.  Typically, the poems consist of two independent sections separated thematically by a certain degree of imaginative distance, although each part also enriches the understanding of the other.  In addition, many haiku have a seasonal theme and take the natural world or ordinary events from daily life as their subject.

Because of its brevity, haiku cannot paint a detailed picture.  Rather, it evokes an image that lingers with us and can take on different significance as we change and as the world around us changes.  What is unsaid is at least as important as what is said.  This exhibit looks at some of the works in translation of Basho (1644-1694) and Issa (1762-1826), two of the great Japanese masters of haiku.

Haiku


Art, not algorithm

While haiku may appear simple, it is extremely difficult to write a good one.  And just following the rules is not enough.  Click here for the Genuine Haiku Generator - a computer program that can create over 100 trillion grammatically and metrically correct haiku - most of which are very bad.

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230 words

  • Structure can help us open our minds to allow us to think more freely and creatively
  • What is unsaid can be as important as what is said
  • Strategy is often not a detailed plan, but a merely a guide or reference point through changing circumstances

    • Keywords:
    Poem, language, structure, constraint, inspiration, image, brevity, freedom, creativity, detail, impact