Haikus
Definition
A verse form consisting of three lines: five, seven, and five syllables in length. Traditionally, each poem also contains an image or reference associated with one of the seasons in the year. Originally conceived as a form of amusement verse, the haikai utilized colloquialisms and words derived from Chinese, terms expressly forbidden in the more formal, high form of verse called waka. Only in the early 16th cent. did haikai come to be viewed as a legitimate poetic genre in its own right.
Examples of Haikus
Richard Wright (1908-1960)
Whitecaps on the bay:
A broken signboard banging
In the April wind.
Wright wrote in the popular 5-7-5 syllable style.
Robert Yehling (1959- )
A little boy sings
on a terrace, eyes aglow.
Ridge spills upward.
Jack Kerouac (1922-1969)
Snow in my shoe
Abandoned
Sparrow’s nest
Kerouac’s poem closely followed the Japanese measure (when translated into Japanese, the haiku has a precise 5-7-5 count)
Bashō (1644 - 1694)
at the ancient pond
a frog plunges into
the sound of water
Kijo Murakami (1865-1938)
First autumn morning:
the mirror I stare into
shows my father's face.