I haven't seen any discussions of haiku in these forums. Is it worth taking a look at?

Haiku is traditionally 17 syllables, 5 - 7 - 5 in three lines:

Sitting in my car
Bird goes poop on my windshield
Total bummer, man.....

It's poetry, so the sentence structure can be kind of weird, but as long as you're aware of that & you like haiku, it can't hurt to try. Also, you might want to look at senryuu (川柳) too. They are like haiku, but about people instead of nature, and are often humorous, while haiku are serious.

As your poem lacks a 季語 ("kigo"; "season word"), it wouldn't qualify as haiku. According to the two sources to support the article on senryuu on Wiki, senryuu apparently don't usually use kigo, and don't use (切れ字; "kireji"; "cutting word").

[Zgarbas]

Fixed form poetry tends to keep to archaic Japanese grammar, poetry-specific terms and vocabulary, and highly abstract concepts (which aren't actually that abstract once you get familiar with japanese poetry motifs, but they can be a bit overwhelming at first). You'd have to practice poetry language in particular in order to get most haikus and tankas.

Which is totes worth it, by the way. Few things in this world as beautiful as 和歌 imho. However, i wouldn't recommend delving into 和歌 before you're at the level where you can read the explanations. Yudanteiki wrote one of the few English-language resources available online, but it didn't really catch on.

Much easier and equally beautiful are 詩、free verse modern poetry. 中原中也 is my favourite modern poet. He uses pretty simple language, and his works have been translated into English.

Exarkun Wrote:As your poem lacks a 季語 ("kigo"; "season word"), it wouldn't qualify as haiku. According to the two sources to support the article on senryuu on Wiki, senryuu apparently don't usually use kigo, and don't use (切れ字; "kireji"; "cutting word").

You could argue that bird poop [on the windshield] tends to happen more often in the spring and summer. That makes it a 季 compound, right ?

Well, OK.

Zgarbas Wrote:Fixed form poetry tends to keep to archaic Japanese grammar, poetry-specific terms and vocabulary, and highly abstract concepts (which aren't actually that abstract once you get familiar with japanese poetry motifs, but they can be a bit overwhelming at first). You'd have to practice poetry language in particular in order to get most haikus and tankas.

Which is totes worth it, by the way. Few things in this world as beautiful as 和歌 imho. However, i wouldn't recommend delving into 和歌 before you're at the level where you can read the explanations. Yudanteiki wrote one of the few English-language resources available online, but it didn't really catch on.

Much easier and equally beautiful are 詩、free verse modern poetry. 中原中也 is my favourite modern poet. He uses pretty simple language, and his works have been translated into English.

Thanks for the links!

Linval Wrote:

Exarkun Wrote:As your poem lacks a 季語 ("kigo"; "season word"), it wouldn't qualify as haiku. According to the two sources to support the article on senryuu on Wiki, senryuu apparently don't usually use kigo, and don't use (切れ字; "kireji"; "cutting word").

You could argue that bird poop [on the windshield] tends to happen more often in the spring and summer. That makes it a 季 compound, right ?

Linval,

Sorry. New to Koohii Forum and tried unsuccessfully to respond to your reply on my AU Android Aquos Not-so-smart phone. The "Well, OK" was meant for you. Nice come back on your part.

Apparently, you can use season in Senryuu, but it isn't required. And since they are humorous and can deal with human nature, I'm still working on one with 'wabbit season' and 'duck season'. Pronoun trouble, which a student of mine over here is having in English.

There's a tanka poet by the name Tawara Machi who released a book of poems called "Salad Anniversary" (サラダ記念日) in 1987. They're all very modern and don't follow traditional rules. I don't actually have the collection, but have read a few of them in another book I have about translation. They seem easy and cute, so it might be a good place to start for people without advanced Japanese.

Examples
「寒いね」と
話しかければ
「寒いね」と
答える人の
いるあたたかさ


親は子を
育ててきたと
言うけれど
勝手に赤い
畑のトマト

Real川柳