Saturday, February 14, 2009
Haiku is a very important form of traditional Japanese poetry. It is based on a Zen Buddhist philosophy of brevity and simplicty and is believed to have originated in the 17th century. Haikus are designed to convey the essence of an experience in a short format.
Traditional haikus frequently mention natural themes or images and are often yearning or wistful in tone.
The name haiku arose in response to confusion surrounding related Japanese poetry terms. Hokku, meaning "starting verse" was usually the basis of a longer string of verses, called haika. Because it was considered a privileged art form, poets would often compose a hokku and stop there. The term haiku was coined in the 1890s to denote this new and self-contained type of poetry.
Japanese haikus follow strict rules. Those written in other languages have more flexibility but all follow a similar pattern.
Traditional haikus frequently mention natural themes or images and are often yearning or wistful in tone.
The name haiku arose in response to confusion surrounding related Japanese poetry terms. Hokku, meaning "starting verse" was usually the basis of a longer string of verses, called haika. Because it was considered a privileged art form, poets would often compose a hokku and stop there. The term haiku was coined in the 1890s to denote this new and self-contained type of poetry.
Japanese haikus follow strict rules. Those written in other languages have more flexibility but all follow a similar pattern.
what we could have been, 7:09 PM.
