As previously stated, Haiku is form of Japanese poetry consisted of three lines in a 5-7-5 rhythmic pattern. Each of its syllables have similar Japanese counterparts called Mora, which count by using "on" or onji. For 17 "on" there are 15 English syllable counterparts. Haiku in general presents simple imagery, free of similes, metaphors, and eloquent adjectives and adverbs. They also convey words used that present an observation in a way that appeals to the senses such as sight, touch, sound, smell, taste, or sensations like pain or movement. The essence of haiku is exemplified by the word kiru which means “cutting” and uses devices such as kireji (cutting word) to help add to the juxtaposition of phrases and enhance the experience. Every haiku must also contain a “seasonal” word or Kigo, which helps to identify the season the poem is taking place in such as snow, grass, mosquitoes, etc. Along with these basic terms that make up a haiku there are some other terms to explore as well. This includes, hokku, haikai, and renga which were the basic building blocks of haiku but separate entities themselves. |
http://onlynativejapan.com/2013/01/26/%E3%80%90japanese-famous-haiku-vol-1%E3%80%91/354
Similar Poems to Haiku |
Haiku was developed from a collaborative form of poetry called renga. In one renga session, the poets might produce as many as 100 linked stanzas, which mutate over time to take the renga through different movements. The first verse of the renga, called a hokku, is identical to a modern haiku. Hokku which means “starting verse” is the start of a longer set of verses known as Haikai. In the Spring, the renga masters and various others would engage at temples in large group sessions. Until Matsuo Basho, the smaller verse of hokku had never appeared. Renga poetry faded in popularity during the Meiji period in Japan, in part because the idea of collaborative poetry gave way to a more Western conception of how poetry ought to be composed.
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How does Hokku and Haiku differ? |
Although these forms of poetry had many similarities, they also differ. Hokku and haiku are similar and can often be misunderstood for one another but differ in the fact that Hokku is written in the same renga setting whereas haiku is written alone. We also can analyze how haiku “ was to be written, read and understood as an independent poem, complete in itself, rather than part of a longer chain” unlike Hokku which means "starting verse," was a part of a longer chain. Typically hokku is also considered a more classical form of the poetry, whereas haiku is more recent and only started to emerge as a change in grammar and culture.
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