Today I want to take a brief look at the history and development of “Haiku.”

“Haiku” is a form of Japanese poetry in which each verse consists of 17 syllables arranged in 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables, respectively. Haiku is not meant to rhyme or to have rhythmic cadences.

This format derives from a type of Japanese court poetry called tanka that was popularized and refined during the 9th through 12 centuries.

Tanka was often written to explore religious or courtly themes and had a structure of five lines with 5-7-5-7-7 syllable structure.

While “Haiku” today consists of three or fewer lines of about 17 syllables this was not always the case. During it’s early history long strings of linked verse were popular.

One person would often contribute the first three lines (5-7-5) of the poetic chain and a different author would complete the chain by composing a 7-7 section. Then another author would build on the previous 7-7, with another 5-7-5 passage.

This chaining of verses called renga, could sometimes add up to hundreds of linked tanka.

However, anything which has remained popular since the 9the century is bound to under go change, while origionally Haiku would have been written in Japanese today they are written in many languages, but most poets are still concentrated in Japan and in the English-speaking countries..

While traditional hokku/haiku focused on nature and the place of humans in nature, modern haiku poets often consider any subject matter suitable, whether related to nature, an urban setting, or even a technological context.

Traditional hokku/haiku required a long period of learning and maturing, but contemporary haiku is often regarded as an “instant” form of brief verse that can be written by anyone, from schoolchildren to professionals.

It is impossible to single out any current style or format or subject matter as definitive “haiku.” Some of the more common practices in English are:

* Use of three (or fewer) lines of about 17 or fewer syllables
* Use of words or phrases that are associated with a particular season. (kigo)
* Use of a cut or caesura (sometimes indicated by a punctuation mark) to contrast and compare, implicitly, two events, images, or situations

This gradual loosening of traditional standards, encouraged by such poet-critics as Bob Grumman, has resulted in the word “haiku” being applied to brief, mathematical “poems,”

HAIKU EXAMPLES

As the wind does blow

Across the trees, I see the

Buds blooming in May

……

I walk across sand

And find myself blistering

In the hot, hot heat

…

Falling to the ground,

I watch a leaf settle down

In a bed of brown.

…

It’s cold—and I wait

For someone to shelter me

And take me from here.

…

I hear crackling

Crunch, of today’s new found day
And know it won’t last

…

So I will leave it

At bay; and hope for the best

This bitter new day

…

HAVE YOU A HAKIU YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?