For those who came in late, Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. It is made up of 17 syllables in three lines. 5 in the first, then 7, followed by 5 again. It generally refers to a season of the year, and haiku is valued for its simplicity, depth, and lightness. Basho, who lived in the 17th century, is one of the better-known haiku poets. Buson and Shiki are some more well-known poets. Here’s a sample of Shiki’s writing:
The summer river.
Although there is a bridge, my horse
goes through the water.
2)
A lightning flash.
Between the forest trees
I have seen water.
3) By Soseki:
The lamp once out
Cool stars enter
the window frame.
The philosophy of haiku? The focus on a brief moment in time; the use of provocative, colorful images; the ability to be read in one breath; and a sense of sudden enlightenment.
Modern haiku, frowned upon by many, uses modern imagery and often breaks the 5-7-5 rule.
Of course, I have copied and pasted all of the above just to ensure I wouldn’t misinform. More info can be had on the net.
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Below, some haiku I have attempted to write:
- White heat trapped in the earthexplodes… Gulmoharbursts into flames.
- Through sun and fire,through vast dry skies it arrives,
the first brave rain cloud.
- Spy cloud peeps over hill.It’s here to check if we are
ready for the rains.
- Tall mountain standingproud, piercing clouds, tossing rivers…
You too will vanish someday.
- Kingdoms rise and fall,love death deceit wars…Mute mountain,
you have seen it all…
- Talking, laughing withher I became careless, slipped,
fell into her eyes.
- At last one-pointedawareness. Day and night
he thinks of her.
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Hope you enjoyed reading those. Look forward to reading interesting posts from the others here. Also, hope this inspires others to give haiku a shot.
Cheers,
Mahesh
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