This Thread is for those that love haiku
A traditional Japanese haiku is a
three-line poem with seventeen
syllables, written in a 5/7/5
syllable count. Often focusing on
images from nature, haiku
emphasizes simplicity, intensity,
and directness of expression.
Discover more poetic terms.
History of the Haiku Form
Haiku began in thirteenth-century
Japan as the opening phrase of
renga, an oral poem, generally a
hundred stanzas long, which was
also composed syllabically. The
much shorter haiku broke away
from renga in the sixteenth
century and was mastered a
century later by Matsuo Basho,
who wrote this classic haiku:
An old pond!
A frog jumps in—
the sound of water.
As the form has evolved, many of
its regular traits—including its
famous syllabic pattern—have
been routinely broken. However,
the philosophy of haiku has been
preserved: the focus on a brief
moment in time; a use of
provocative, colorful images; an
ability to be read in one breath;
and a sense of sudden
enlightenment.
This philosophy influenced the
American poet Ezra Pound, who
noted the power of haiku's brevity
and juxtaposed images. He wrote,
"The image itself is speech. The
image is the word beyond
formulated language." The
influence of haiku on Pound is
most evident in his poem "In a
Station of the Metro," which began
as a thirty-line poem, but was
eventually pared down to two:
The apparition of these faces in
the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
Other examples of haiku include
" The light of a candle" by Yosa
Buson; "Haiku Ambulance" by
Richard Brautigan; and "5 & 7 & 5"
by Anselm Hollo. Also read the
essay " The Haiga: Haiku,
Calligraphy, and Painting" to learn
more about the history of haiku
and how it has impacted visual art.

'Hokku'... That's one type of poetry that's yet to gain popularity amongst Nigerians.

I am something of a fan by the way. So...

Following...

mansakhalifa:
'Hokku'... That's one type of poetry that's yet to gain popularity amongst Nigerians.

I am something of a fan by the way. So...

Following...

Thanks
Do you write?