[Return to Haiku Entry Page] [Ray Rasmussen's Homepage] Haiku - A Definition Many gifted English haiku poets have written definitions of the English form of haiku. The definition below is derived directly from the definitions that I have read and from my own limited experience in writing and reading haiku. Haiku is a minimalist form of poetry. The writer has 17 or fewer syllables through which to convey an experience. Here's an example of a translation of one of the Japanese Master Issa's haiku. In English, it has 9 syllables.
Since the early 1900s, there has been a great increase in the number of English language haiku poets [or haijin, to use the Japanese term]. Because English is so different than the Japanese language, and because so few people now live in 'pure nature' the English form has evolved in its own way. When you read about haiku elsewhere, you will learn that there is a good deal of controversy about what an English haiku is -- what it’s content may be and how it is formed. Haiku Content: The content of a haiku is typically, but not always, focused on what a person witnesses in everyday life that is more outstanding or important than normal, something deemed worth reaching for in written expression. The something can be auditory--a bird call, or visual--light glistening on water, or a human sentiment--a fleeting infatuation, or a memory associated with something seen, heard, felt. Some argue that a haiku must contain an obvious reference to a season and must be nature focused, but at least half the English language haijin do not have a nature focus. After all, for the most part we live in cities, not the rural Japan of several centuries ago when the haiku form was invented by a monk named Basho. The content of a haiku might be about a everyday, but noticable event, or about an awe-inspiring experience, or about a transformational experience--an epiphany or special insight. Part of writing haiku is finding the 'awe' that is usually passed by without notice--the act of creating a haiku is the act of a focusing our attention more closely than we might otherwise do. Haiku Form: English-Language haiku is incorrectly said to have a prescribed form, three lines of 5-7-5 syllables and a seasonal reference. However, there is a great deal of debate about the form of English haiku and few agree that the 5-7-5 season reference form is the only acceptable form. What then is the form of a haiku? Some of the critical aspects of haiku form that have been mentioned are:
Besides brevity, I have come to believe that the juxtapositional element of a haiku is one of its most important aspects. For example, Issa's haiku above might seem to simply be about birds singing and a river scene. However, rivers don't stand sill. So, what's going on? Of course, Issa can no longer speak for himself, and that leaves us to speculate. I think he meant that a bird song can make the world stand still--completely capturing our senses. I might be wrong, but that speaks to a critical aspect of a good haiku. They encourage you to see the world differently, to think about what has been written. Haiku Purpose: Why Bother Writing Haiku? Haiku also has purpose: communication and awareness. Along with other forms of writing and poetry, it is a vehicle for conveying feelings, sentiments, impressions, perceptions to other persons. Haiku writing is a form of meditiation, starting with an intensification of 'noticing' what is going on in the everyday world, followed by the practice of mental writing--creating haiku in the mind and playing with the form and rhythm until it feels right--and finally putting the haiku to pen and paper - writing and rewriting the haiku. I wrote the following haiku after a walk in river valley near my home. the stream was flowing slowly and noiselessly, the birds were quiet, the breeze was too slight to make a sound in the leaves, and suddenly a mallard called to his mate with that sound that is so unique to mallards.
A key point if you are interested in starting to write haiku poetry is to make a decision about the form you will practice, how often you will practice and whether you will seek instruction or companionship in your haiku journey. These are the subjects of the links “getting started” and “haiku clubs”. If you would like to learn more about the definition of English Language haiku, simply search the internet with the key terms: Haiku, definition, and you will find numerous references. If you don't find them, add the names George Swede or Jane Reichhold to your search terms. In addition, visit the pages of the World Haiku Club which has excellent resources on haiku and haiku related poetry. ~ Ray Rasmussen [Return to Haiku Entry Page] [Ray Rasmussen's Homepage]
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