Traditional Japanese Poetry Forms: Haiku, Tanka, & Renga
Haiku, as you probably know, is a short, closed form of poetry originating in Japan. It is traditionally a poem about nature (and our relationship to nature), as opposed to senryu which is a poem form specifically about human nature. In American translation of the poem form should be fewer than 17 syllables (often 10 words or fewer), and haiku avoids metaphor, personification, or other such poetic devices. Instead two ideas are balanced in harmony through juxtaposition.
Haiku uses a seasonal or key word called kigo. Each season has its own kigo.
Winter imagery, for example, often depicts grief, death, distance, and serenity. Take a look at some kigo and see if you can use it as a central image in your own haiku:
Spring kigo:
balmy night, departing spring, tranquility, vernal equinox, lengthening days, muddy road, melting snow, lingering snow, slush, thin mist, haze, moon, flood, Memorial Day, Easter, Passover, kite, balloon, wild geese returning, any baby animal, nightingale, hawthorn, pussy willow, tulip, snow drop, plum blossom, cherry blossom, violet, Mother's Day, April Fool's Day
Summer kigo:
Summer solstice, summer evening, summer morning, slow day, short night, summer fog, lightning, sudden shower, summer dew, cloud peaks, scorching/blazing sun, bare feet, awning, sunburn, sunglasses, ice tea, sweat, cactus flower, summer grove, lake, fly, swatter, carnation, marigold, gardenia, moth, cicada, perfume, waterfall, fan, independence day, weeding, blue cornflower, honeysuckle, cherry, strawberries, blackberries, sunflower, snapdragon, potato, carrots, melons, lotus
Winter kigo:
Freezing rain or freezing drizzle, sleigh rides, snowfall, blizzard, snow or ice sculptures (snowmen, etc.), football playoffs: "The Super Bowl", ice fishing, ice hockey, ice skating, polar plunges, sledding, tobaggoning, snowboarding, skiing, snow shoeing, snow shoveling, candles, firewood, fireplaces, etc., Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Earth Day, The Epiphany (Episcopal, Catholic), Groundhog Day, Hanukkah, Martin Luther King Jr., Day, Lincoln's Birthday (12th February), President's Day, Pearl Harbor Day, St. Valentine's Day, Washington's Birthday (22nd February), midterms, blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, juncos, mockingbirds, owl, sparrows, crows (Rochester), tufted titmouse, woodpeckers, poinsettia, Norway pines
Activity: Write a page of haiku. Then learn about the Tanka and Renga and work on those forms as well. Feel free to try these forms as often as you'd like.
Tanka is an older form of Japanese poetry, often written by members of the court, it has become a traditional poetry form for anyone looking to celebrate or honor something. It has more feeling supposedly than haiku, although it, too, focuses on nature. It centers on a vivid image that is related to an emotion. The tanka traditionally has 31 syllables or fewer in 5 lines. Traditionally that would be 5,7,5,7,7 but contemporary tanka, like haiku, suggests fewer syllables when possible. Here are some examples. And here are some tips and pointers.
Renga is often a collaborative effort, using two poets who create the poem at the same time. It was a popular court game in ancient Japan. The idea is that one poet writes a verse, then the second poet adds his/her own ideas to the first verse, and continues to alternate between the two poets. Unlike haiku (a one-breath poem), the renga can extend to over 100 verses. Like the tanka, each verse is comprised of 31 syllables or fewer. The first poet writes the first two lines (a line no more than 5 syllables, then 7 syllables), then the second poet finishes the verse (the last three lines) with a third line of no more than 5 syllables, the fourth and fifth with no more than 7 syllables each. When starting the second verse, the roles reverse. Here are some examples.
Finally, here is a website devoted to classical Japanese poetry and poets. Enjoy!
Haiku uses a seasonal or key word called kigo. Each season has its own kigo.
Winter imagery, for example, often depicts grief, death, distance, and serenity. Take a look at some kigo and see if you can use it as a central image in your own haiku:
Spring kigo:
balmy night, departing spring, tranquility, vernal equinox, lengthening days, muddy road, melting snow, lingering snow, slush, thin mist, haze, moon, flood, Memorial Day, Easter, Passover, kite, balloon, wild geese returning, any baby animal, nightingale, hawthorn, pussy willow, tulip, snow drop, plum blossom, cherry blossom, violet, Mother's Day, April Fool's Day
Summer kigo:
Summer solstice, summer evening, summer morning, slow day, short night, summer fog, lightning, sudden shower, summer dew, cloud peaks, scorching/blazing sun, bare feet, awning, sunburn, sunglasses, ice tea, sweat, cactus flower, summer grove, lake, fly, swatter, carnation, marigold, gardenia, moth, cicada, perfume, waterfall, fan, independence day, weeding, blue cornflower, honeysuckle, cherry, strawberries, blackberries, sunflower, snapdragon, potato, carrots, melons, lotus
Winter kigo:
Freezing rain or freezing drizzle, sleigh rides, snowfall, blizzard, snow or ice sculptures (snowmen, etc.), football playoffs: "The Super Bowl", ice fishing, ice hockey, ice skating, polar plunges, sledding, tobaggoning, snowboarding, skiing, snow shoeing, snow shoveling, candles, firewood, fireplaces, etc., Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Earth Day, The Epiphany (Episcopal, Catholic), Groundhog Day, Hanukkah, Martin Luther King Jr., Day, Lincoln's Birthday (12th February), President's Day, Pearl Harbor Day, St. Valentine's Day, Washington's Birthday (22nd February), midterms, blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, juncos, mockingbirds, owl, sparrows, crows (Rochester), tufted titmouse, woodpeckers, poinsettia, Norway pines
Activity: Write a page of haiku. Then learn about the Tanka and Renga and work on those forms as well. Feel free to try these forms as often as you'd like.
Tanka is an older form of Japanese poetry, often written by members of the court, it has become a traditional poetry form for anyone looking to celebrate or honor something. It has more feeling supposedly than haiku, although it, too, focuses on nature. It centers on a vivid image that is related to an emotion. The tanka traditionally has 31 syllables or fewer in 5 lines. Traditionally that would be 5,7,5,7,7 but contemporary tanka, like haiku, suggests fewer syllables when possible. Here are some examples. And here are some tips and pointers.
Renga is often a collaborative effort, using two poets who create the poem at the same time. It was a popular court game in ancient Japan. The idea is that one poet writes a verse, then the second poet adds his/her own ideas to the first verse, and continues to alternate between the two poets. Unlike haiku (a one-breath poem), the renga can extend to over 100 verses. Like the tanka, each verse is comprised of 31 syllables or fewer. The first poet writes the first two lines (a line no more than 5 syllables, then 7 syllables), then the second poet finishes the verse (the last three lines) with a third line of no more than 5 syllables, the fourth and fifth with no more than 7 syllables each. When starting the second verse, the roles reverse. Here are some examples.
Finally, here is a website devoted to classical Japanese poetry and poets. Enjoy!
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