俳句
古池や 蛙飛込む 水の音
furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto
old pond,
a frog jumps in:
the sound of water
– Matsuo Basho (1644-94)
The above haiku, written
during the seventeenth century, is perhaps the best known haiku in the world.
Compellingly simple, it invites the reader to perceive its deeper meanings.
Haiku's origins have been traced
to a form of Japanese poetry known as haikai no renga, a kind of linked poetry
that was practiced widely by Matsuo Basho (1644-94) and his contemporaries. Over
time, the first link in a renga, the hokku, evolved into the haiku as we
understand it today. A minimalist form of poetry, haiku has been popular among
modern poets since the 1960s, when a western-world haiku movement generated
increased interest in the form. Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder,
Billy Collins, John Ashbery, and Paul Muldoon have written haiku, and
haiku-like poems are found in the works of such literary greats as Ezra Pound,
Amy Lowell, and Richard Wright. Although something other than
"mainstream" poetry and very much its own genre, haiku is a unique
and demanding form to master.
In traditional Japanese, the haiku
was typically written vertically on the page (from top to bottom). Each
contained seventeen onji (音字) sound symbols. However, early
translators were mistaken when they assumed that an onji was equivalent to a
syllable in the English language and that haiku should be written in three
lines containing 5,7, and 5 syllables respectively. Although incorrect, these “defining”
qualities of haiku are still regarded as "haiku format" by many. A
more acceptable standard for English-language haiku is 10-20 syllables in 3
lines with a longer second line and shorter first and third lines. That said,
the parameters are often stretched depending on content and meaning. Three
lines have become the norm, but haiku of one and two lines are also seen.
Traditional haiku contain a kigo
(season word) to indicate the season or time of year, and two phrases (or
images) that are inherently unrelated but are juxtaposed to show some
commonality within a particular experience. Normally, one idea is presented in
the first two lines and then a switch occurs in the third. Alternatively, a
single idea is presented in the first line and a switch occurs in the second
and third lines. Nearly every haiku has this kind of two-part, juxtapositional
structure. The shift is achieved with what is called a kireji or cutting word,
which “cuts” the poem into two parts. The kireji is a kind of caesura (and
similar in theory to the volta in a sonnet).
Haiku describe things in a vey few
words – they never tell, intellectualize, or state feelings outrightly. They
never use figures of speech (similes, metaphors, etc.) and should not rhyme.
Brevity is key, along with a sense of immediacy (written in the present tense)
and often a sense of relationship between nature and human nature. Some haiku
poets feel that one measure of a haiku’s success is its ability to be read in a
single breath. Most will agree that a successful haiku is characterized by
crystal-cutting clarity and in-the-moment presence.
Haiku are about spiritual
realities, the realities of our every-day lives, and the realities of human and
natural world relationships. Most importantly, haiku honor the inside of an
experience through attention to the outside.
Good haiku inspire detachment as
well as attention to interrelationships. Haiku detachment is without
self-interest or self-absorption but, rather, embraces a sense of inward and
outward direction. The best haiku are life-affirming and eternity-conscious,
spontaneous and unpretentious but entirely focused and either gently or
startlingly profound.
Compact and direct, haiku appear
to be light and spontaneous, but their writing requires profound reflection and
discipline. If you decide to write haiku, it’s a good idea to read a lot
of it. Haiku is based on reflection and may even be considered a kind of
meditation. Accordingly, it’s important to fine-tune your powers of observation
when you write haiku and to look for haiku moments in the world around you.
(Note: the word haiku forms its
own plural – haikus is incorrect.)
If you'd like to try writing a
haiku, some tips follow.
1. Basho said that each haiku
should be "a thousand times on the tongue." Before writing anything,
read many haiku from a range of sources to get a “feel” for the form. Be sure
to read some haiku that have been translated from the Japanese, but spend more
time on good haiku written in English. Read some of the haiku aloud.
2. After you’ve read many haiku
and have a sense of what they’re about, think about an experience you’ve had.
3. Remember the season in which
you had the experience, and then think of a word or phrase that suggests that
season. For example, “peonies” is a season word for spring; snow and ice are
season words for winter. A simple phrase like “autumn leaves” can evoke
feelings of loneliness and the coming of darkness (shorted days, longer nights)
in winter. While many haiku appear to have a nature focus, they are
more-specifically based on a seasonal reference that is not necessarily about
nature. Click here for a great list of season words: Season Words.
4. Organize your thoughts into
approximately three lines. First, set the scene, then suggest a feeling and,
finally, make an observation or record an action. Write in the present
tense, don’t use figures of speech, and keep things simple.
5. Be sure to include a contrast
or a comparison. Remember that haiku often present one idea in the first two
lines and then switch quickly to something else in the third. One of your goals
is to create a “leap” between the two parts of your haiku without making too
obvious a connection between the parts or leaping to a distance that’s unclear
or obscure. At the same time, you must reveal the emotions (not ideas) that you
want to communicate.
Try to think of haiku in terms of
your five senses – things you experience directly, not ideas or your
interpretation or analysis of “things.” Think in terms of sensory description
and avoid subjective terms.
In a nutshell: forget about 5,7,5
structure, and learn to know the difference between pseudo-haiku (5-7-5
syllable patterns that are padded to meet the 5,7,5 requirement) and literary
haiku that adhere to the use of season words, two-part juxtapositions, and
objective sensory imagery. And ... FYI ... single haiku do not have titles
(titles are seen in haiku sequences)
When you’ve written a haiku, it’s
a good idea to put it aside for a few days and then come back to it to begin a
more intense process of editing and revising.
