A haiku is a very important form of traditional Japanese poetry. It is a short poem that uses imagistic language to convey the essence of an experience of nature of the season intuitively linked to the human condition. It is also believed to be originated in the 17th century. Haiku comes in a wide variety of form including one line, visual , three line, two line, four line, free-form and syllabic form. A good haiku capture human perception- movement of being alive conveyed through sensory images. They do not explain nor describe nor provide philosophical or political commentary. Haiku are gifts of the here and now, deliberately incomplete so that the reader can enter into the haiku moment to open the gifts and experience the feelings and insights 0f that moment for his or her self.
Features of haiku
Line length and syllables ( Japanese haiku have seventeen syllables, in groups of five, seven and five. There are experiment evidence showing that the seven syllables line are a little quicker and are exactly equivalent in time-value to the five syllable lines. Therefore, in one sense, of equal length, the middle one have a greater density)
Shortness of Haiku ( A haiku is the smallest language construct that can generate enough complexity to create tension and resonance between its part and take on symbolic power. Filling seventeen syllables with rhythmic ornament or verbal elaboration is a mistake. The haiku should be as short as it can .)
Specific concrete images ( Haiku capture the world as it is: concretely, vividly, and immediately. As with all good descriptive writing, haiku find imagery in the five senses)
Natural/ seasonal references ( There is a clear seasonal reference in haiku, using seasonal words. haiku relate to the natural world concretely, without the use of figurative language. It is based on human experience of the natural world. Haiku helps us understand the world around us, ourselves,and our place in the world more fully.)
Theme ( Theme is at the heart of the poem and characterizes the author's mood or attitude toward his or her subject. The theme is usually not directly stated. Rather, the reader must infer what the author is suggesting.)
Juxtaposition of images/ internal comparisons ( Almost every haiku, there are two images, one on each side of a break in the poem. Without stating it explicitly, the 'starry night poem" beautifully draws a parallel between a melon full of seeds and a night sky replete with stars.)
Samples of Haiku - By Pual McCann
Wild Flowers
Lost in the forest .
So wild yet so beautiful .
So beautifully wild
Freshly Fallen
Snow lay on the street .
It crunched underneath my feet .
Footprints in the snow.
BY Other Author
Rain like emotion
Expressive, cleansing the air
Now I need not cry
The clouds sing softly
Of division and limits
I do not listen
