# Exploraform: Haiku



## Ariel (Apr 12, 2016)

_I’m a little late this time because of a few medical issues.  Those are mostly sorted._

*Haiku*

The haiku is a Japanese form.  The term haiku derives from hokku which is the opening verse of a traditional collaborative form renga and its later derivative form renku.  The hokku became a stand-alone form through the work of Matsuo Basho (1644-1694).  His school emphasized stand-alone hokku by publishing many in its anthologies.  His work elevated the hokku from a game of wit to a poetic form.  Masaoka Shiki renamed the hokku to haiku in the late 19[SUP]th[/SUP] century.  The use of the term hokku to describe a stand-alone poem is now considered obsolete.


The haiku is characterized by three qualities:

1. A haiku generally utilizes two images or ideas that are juxtaposed with a _kireji _(cutting word) between them, which acts as a sort of punctuation mark that colors the manner in which the two ideas are related.  In English we usually consider this a “turn.”

2. Haiku (in English) consists of seventeen syllables separated in three lines of 5, 7, 5 syllables.

3. Haiku utilizes a “kigo” or seasonal reference and is usually about a natural image.


In English there are further constraints on the form.  They are as follows: 

1. A wistful or contemplative tone and an impressionistic brevity.

2. elliptical “telegram style” syntax and no superfluous words.

3. Imagery predominates over ideas and statements.

4. Avoidance of metaphor and similes.

5. Non-rhyming lines.

Richard Wright composed some 4000 haiku in English. http://terebess.hu/english/haiku/wright.html


A common variant of the Haiku that focuses on humanity is called the Senryu.


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## -xXx- (Apr 13, 2016)

i r do.dit.
comment would be warranted
where "amnesiac" is concerned.


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## Aquilo (Apr 16, 2016)

Is it right that Haiku have no title, am?


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## Ariel (Apr 16, 2016)

Traditionally, that's true.  If there is a title it's usually the date and place the haiku was written.  Haiku are so short that adding a title could almost be like adding a fourth line.


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## PrinzeCharming (Apr 17, 2016)

*NATIONAL HAIKU POETRY DAY!*






​
"Observed annually on April 17, National Haiku Poetry Day encourages all to try their hand in creativity.  Haiku poetry is a form of Japanese poetry that is non-rhyming and normally consists of 3 lines with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5.  Haiku poems are usually inspired by an element of nature, a season, a moment of beauty or an individual experience or event.  Sensory language is used to capture a feeling or image." - NationalDayCalendar.com 


From Haiku: This Other World
Richard Wright (1908-1960)


Whitecaps on the bay:
A broken signboard banging
In the April wind.


According to NDC, "English haiku does not always follow the strict syllable count found in Japanese haiku. The typical length of haiku found in English language journals is 10-14 syllables, versus the 5-7-5 syllables used in the Japanese language." 

*HOW TO OBSERVE*
Celebrate National Haiku Poetry Day by creating a haiku poem of your own!  Post your Haiku poem on Social Media using #NationalHaikuPoetryDay.

*HISTORY*
National Haiku Poetry Day is an unofficial national holiday.  The day was registered by Sari Grandstaff in 2007 and implemented as a project of The Haiku Foundation in 2012.









International Haiku Poetry Day 2016: It’s Nearly Here!


*Educational Resources: *
- The Education Wall 
- Exploraform: Haiku 

*Submit Your Own! *
Writing Forum: Poetry 
NaPoWriMo


Do you enjoy Haiku? 
What makes it special or unique? 
Share your poems in any of the 
*Submit Your Own* links. 


Discuss Haiku in this thread! ​


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## PiP (Apr 17, 2016)

Thanks, Prinze. I was looking for inspiration for today's NaPo Challenge  I like the idea of posting to Twitter #NationalHaikuPoetryDay

Next year we could organise a TWitter Challenge as part of NPS.

I struggle with Haiku so it will be a good challenge. It's interesting in the example you offer
Whitecaps on the bay:
A broken signboard banging
In the April wind.

My understanding is that you do not include the month in the actual poem.


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## PrinzeCharming (Apr 17, 2016)

PiP said:


> Thanks, Prinze. I was looking for inspiration for today's NaPo Challenge  I like the idea of posting to Twitter #NationalHaikuPoetryDay
> 
> Next year we could organise a TWitter Challenge as part of NPS.



NaTwiPoMo! 


That sounds a bit exotic.  I can just imagine saying, "Na-tweh-poh-moh," in a public setting. Yes, that sounds like a great idea. We can also use the #WritingForums hashtag next to #NaPoWriMo. It may attract even more new members!


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## PiP (Apr 17, 2016)

> 2. Haiku (in English) consists of seventeen syllables separated in three lines of 5, 7, 5 syllables.



Ams, I'm a little confused. I've read quite a few Haiku poems recently (as it is a new form to me) and few actually conform to the 5-7-5 rule.

For example Haiku by Barbara MacKay does not conform to the 5-7-5 rule



> Barbara MacKay began studying haiku in 1972. Since then her haiku has been published in various haiku journals and some have earned awards. She is a member of the Writers of the Mendocino Coast Writers club and meets weekly with a writing group. Some of the publications in which her work has appeared iclude: _Woodpecker Journal for Sharing Haiku (all issues, 1999 through September 2002); Mariposa (issues 5,9, 21); Haiku Poets of Northern California Anthology for Members; Crinkled Sunshine, Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology 2000; Lotos Magazine, The Road Between Mountains (2002); Daily Yomiuri, Go-Shichi-Go-Haiku in English (Jan. 26, 2004); A Travel-Worn-Satchel, Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology, 2009._



Her poems can be viewed <<here>>

So how much importance should we place on 5-7-5?


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## aj47 (Apr 17, 2016)

PiP said:


> My understanding is that you do not include the month in the actual poem.



I think these ideas evolve over time.  Since Wright died in 1960, it may be that in his era, it was accepted practice.

lotuses stretching
at ease in their vernal spa
letting long hair down

fixed.


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## PrinzeCharming (Apr 17, 2016)

astroannie said:


> I think these ideas evolve over time.  Since Wright died in 1960, it may be that in his era, it was accepted practice.
> 
> lotuses stretching
> at ease in their vernal spa
> ...



Change the second '*their*' as a _description _rather than a _possession_.


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## PrinzeCharming (Apr 17, 2016)

PiP said:


> Her poems can be viewed <<here>>
> 
> So how much importance should we place on 5-7-5?



I have read recently that we shouldn't focus too much on the 5-7-5 rule. In Japanese haiku, you will find irregular haiku. 

This *Japanese haiku *follows a *5-6-5 *pattern*. 
*
[Source: here] 









> Some haiku do not strictly follow the 5-7-5 pattern. Irregular haiku with one more or less morae than usual are called 字余り or 字足らず, respectively. Some haiku even ignore the 5-7-5 rule completely (See 自由律俳句).


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## Bloggsworth (Apr 17, 2016)

Spindrift is flying
samphire on the sea's margin
ripples in the sun​


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## Aquilo (Apr 17, 2016)

Pebble upon beach
edges smoothed by rougher seas
Nature's hardcore touch


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## Nellie (Apr 17, 2016)

these darling flowers
daffodils, tulips, pansies,
spring snow hampered.​


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## Ariel (Apr 17, 2016)

Strict observance of the 5-7-5 is not necessary.  In Japanese the unit is "on" and while it is roughly translated to mean syllable I think it's a little more complicated.


ETA:
A closer translation would be a lingual term "morae". Morae are a unit of measurement that determines syllable weight (long syllables vs short). This syllable weight can influence stress or timing of a word.  For example "u" (in English) is almost always a longer sound than "t."

Japanese is a tonal language so for them the _tone_ holds much more meaning than it does for English.  For the purposes of haiku syllable is probably best used.


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