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Haiku (俳句, Haiku) - A kind of Japanese
poetry. It was given this name in the late 19th century by a
man named Masaoka Shiki by a combination of the older hokku
(発句, hokku) and the haikai (or verses) in haikai no renga.
Haiku, when known as hokku were the opening verses of a
linked verse form, haikai no renga. In Japanese, hokku and
haiku are traditionally printed in one vertical line (though
in handwritten form they may be in any reasonable number of
lines). In English, haiku are written in three lines to
equate to the three parts of a haiku in Japanese that
traditionally consist of five, seven, and then five on (the
Japanese count sounds, not syllables; for example, the word
"haiku" itself counts as three sounds in Japanese, but two
syllables in English, and writing seventeen syllables in
English produces a poem that is actually quite a bit longer,
with more content, than a haiku in Japanese). The kireji
(cutting word or pause) usually comes at the end of either
the first or second line. A haiku traditionally contains a
kigo (season word) representative of the season in which the
poem is set, or a reference to the natural world.
Because Japanese nouns do not have different singular and
plural forms, "haiku" is usually used as both a singular and
plural noun in English as well. Practicing haiku poets and
translators refer to "many haiku" rather than "haikus."
Senryu is a similar poetry form that emphasizes irony,
satire, humor, and human foibles instead of seasons, and may
or may not have kigo or kireji.
Information source: “Haiku.” wikipedia.org. Article date: 8
Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 8 Feb. 2008 <Haiku>. |
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