Thread: Haiku!
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Old 10-20-2010, 10:37 PM   #5
SamIam
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Join Date: Jun 2007
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Posts: 2,655
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brianna View Post
like!
Thank you, Brianna! Its always nice to get a stamp of approval from a professional!

Quote:
Originally Posted by monster
I'm interested by your four line format. I thought that Haikus were in a 5 7 5 format, but your 4 line idea allows you other variations on this theme, as the two "orphan" syllables can attach to any of the three 5s, allowing 7 5 5 and 5 5 7 as well as variations on the (5 5 5 2) theme. Or am I just reading them incorrectly?
You are reading them correctly. I have been reading The Essential Haiku by Robert Hass, and following the examples he gives.

The poet Basho wrote in syntax of 5-4-3-5 or else 5-3-4-5. About 30 years after Basho's death, the poet Buson introduced the 5-5-2-5 or the 5-2-5-5 styles which are pretty cool. The 3 line haiku is the most traditional. The ones I have posted here were influenced by the rengu form of Japanese poetry.

Here's a three liner by Basho that I like:

Don't worry spiders,
I keep house
casually.

(I guess a syllable was lost in translation - still nice though)
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