Post by eiken on Apr 9, 2014 5:12:42 GMT -6
Haiku and Senyru
Haiku is an non rhyming Japanese poem recording the essence of a moment in three lines.
The form of 5-7-5 (17) syllables is traditional haiku, today less than 17 syllable count is used, less is considered more so non-traditional haiku is the most popular format today. The plural of haiku is haiku. Haiku relates to nature all around us. Senryu relates to human nature.
1. No title should be given to a haiku, use a word in your haiku to title it.
2. Haiku consists of two distinctive parts, and one fragment with a cut (---) two lines of the three are related. Usually one line sets the scene, the other two contain subject and action i.e. A cut is not necessary to put into the haiku, it should be evident from the haiku where the cut is but I am putting them into the examples for ease of understanding.
winter sun-
a cyclist pedals
against the wind
or
a cyclist pedals
against the wind-
winter sun
3. Avoid a “so what” moment i.e.
winter noon
walking to the shop
and back again
4. Use verbs only in the present or past continuous tenses.
5. Avoid using capital letters and punctuation marks, unless you really have to.
6. Avoid direct metaphors, use of juxtaposition is used instead of as or like.
7. Use simple everyday language for haiku.
8. Try not to use adverbs, pronouns. Avoid using more than two adjectives with the same noun
9. Avoid using too many ‘ing’ words (usually no more than two!)
10. Vary the articles (‘a’ and ‘the’).
11. Write about what you see, be in the moment, that is what a haiku moment is.
12. Haiku are written from experience, not knowledge, belief or idea
13. Haiku forces you to be aware, use your senses.
14. Use a kigo word, or seasonal word to set the scene, it is not essential but it helps.
Kigo
(Popular season words)
Spring:
Cherry blossom, breeze, hazy moon, buds and fresh leaves, streams, birds, butterflies, apricot and plum flowers, something new, etc.
Summer:
Grasshoppers, cicadas, crickets, wind bells, fireworks, kimono, flee, cat, toad, spider, snake, lotus flowers, roses, green grass, etc.
Autumn:
Dragonflies, harvest, sunset, full moon, orchid, chrysanthemum, autumn leaves, fallen leaves, maple, mushrooms, deer, etc.
Winter:
Snow, bonfire, blizzard, frost, icicles, winter rain, duck, bear, gull, pine, stove, etc.
The World Kigo Database is available here:
worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com
15. haiku are intuitive, not abstract or intellectual
Examples of various ways of writing haiku
Juxtaposition instead of using as or like....
strawberry
another red tongue
on mine
a leaf spirals
in the summer wind
his goodbye letter
rain fills
the deflated basketball
our last goodbye
Viewing your moment through a lens...wide, normal and zoom
the whole sky
in a wide field
one tulip
Metaphor example
on a bare branch
a crow lands
autumn dusk
autumn dusk is a metaphor for the crow landing on a bare branch.
A simple sketch haiku – like drawing a picture
spring evening
waves come into the cove
one at a time
The use of double entendre is very effective in haiku.
hills---
touching one another
at the river
word play – double meaning of words such as leaves on tree/going away or spot/see, sprouts/pushes out, time/thyme ....lots of words with double meanings, great in haiku!
Use of puns or jokes is also a skill in haiku
a sign
at the fork of the road---
fine dining
close linkage is also good in haiku
winter cold--
finding an open knife
on a bench
surrealistic work can be good in haiku but is not popular.
leaping--
a fish opens a door
in the lake
gerund = ing gets rid of the author’s person but allows interaction with humanity and nature. Usually the person, I, you, he, she can be avoided with the ing.
end of winter---
covering the first row
of lettuce seeds
Use of beauty with sadness/loneliness can be effective in haiku
listening ear
petals fall into
the silence
parting fog
on a wind barren meadow
birth of a lamb
Mystery and depth
a swinging gate
on both sides flowers
open-close
Paradox – leave the reader wondering
waiting room
a patch of sunlight
wears out the chairs
Improbable words – something we know is not true but could be distorted science.
evening wind
colours of the day
blown away
Senryu – it relates to human nature and is often with humour
Many combine haiku with senryu. The main difference between haiku and senryu is tone.
dried prune faces
guests realise
we have a privy
Show don’t tell applies to all writing especially haiku. Example of this is........
Example of telling:
the funeral over--
the house is so lonely
without him
Example of showing:
the funeral over--
his aftershave lingers
in our bedroom
Haiga is haiku painting. Hai refers to the poem and ga means painting. It can be a photo with a haiku embedded in the photo.
Note from Brigid: You're invited to post your first attempts at haiku or the other forms eiken's mentioned below or in the Haikuland section.
Haiku is an non rhyming Japanese poem recording the essence of a moment in three lines.
The form of 5-7-5 (17) syllables is traditional haiku, today less than 17 syllable count is used, less is considered more so non-traditional haiku is the most popular format today. The plural of haiku is haiku. Haiku relates to nature all around us. Senryu relates to human nature.
1. No title should be given to a haiku, use a word in your haiku to title it.
2. Haiku consists of two distinctive parts, and one fragment with a cut (---) two lines of the three are related. Usually one line sets the scene, the other two contain subject and action i.e. A cut is not necessary to put into the haiku, it should be evident from the haiku where the cut is but I am putting them into the examples for ease of understanding.
winter sun-
a cyclist pedals
against the wind
or
a cyclist pedals
against the wind-
winter sun
3. Avoid a “so what” moment i.e.
winter noon
walking to the shop
and back again
4. Use verbs only in the present or past continuous tenses.
5. Avoid using capital letters and punctuation marks, unless you really have to.
6. Avoid direct metaphors, use of juxtaposition is used instead of as or like.
7. Use simple everyday language for haiku.
8. Try not to use adverbs, pronouns. Avoid using more than two adjectives with the same noun
9. Avoid using too many ‘ing’ words (usually no more than two!)
10. Vary the articles (‘a’ and ‘the’).
11. Write about what you see, be in the moment, that is what a haiku moment is.
12. Haiku are written from experience, not knowledge, belief or idea
13. Haiku forces you to be aware, use your senses.
14. Use a kigo word, or seasonal word to set the scene, it is not essential but it helps.
Kigo
(Popular season words)
Spring:
Cherry blossom, breeze, hazy moon, buds and fresh leaves, streams, birds, butterflies, apricot and plum flowers, something new, etc.
Summer:
Grasshoppers, cicadas, crickets, wind bells, fireworks, kimono, flee, cat, toad, spider, snake, lotus flowers, roses, green grass, etc.
Autumn:
Dragonflies, harvest, sunset, full moon, orchid, chrysanthemum, autumn leaves, fallen leaves, maple, mushrooms, deer, etc.
Winter:
Snow, bonfire, blizzard, frost, icicles, winter rain, duck, bear, gull, pine, stove, etc.
The World Kigo Database is available here:
worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com
15. haiku are intuitive, not abstract or intellectual
Examples of various ways of writing haiku
Juxtaposition instead of using as or like....
strawberry
another red tongue
on mine
a leaf spirals
in the summer wind
his goodbye letter
rain fills
the deflated basketball
our last goodbye
Viewing your moment through a lens...wide, normal and zoom
the whole sky
in a wide field
one tulip
Metaphor example
on a bare branch
a crow lands
autumn dusk
autumn dusk is a metaphor for the crow landing on a bare branch.
A simple sketch haiku – like drawing a picture
spring evening
waves come into the cove
one at a time
The use of double entendre is very effective in haiku.
hills---
touching one another
at the river
word play – double meaning of words such as leaves on tree/going away or spot/see, sprouts/pushes out, time/thyme ....lots of words with double meanings, great in haiku!
Use of puns or jokes is also a skill in haiku
a sign
at the fork of the road---
fine dining
close linkage is also good in haiku
winter cold--
finding an open knife
on a bench
surrealistic work can be good in haiku but is not popular.
leaping--
a fish opens a door
in the lake
gerund = ing gets rid of the author’s person but allows interaction with humanity and nature. Usually the person, I, you, he, she can be avoided with the ing.
end of winter---
covering the first row
of lettuce seeds
Use of beauty with sadness/loneliness can be effective in haiku
listening ear
petals fall into
the silence
parting fog
on a wind barren meadow
birth of a lamb
Mystery and depth
a swinging gate
on both sides flowers
open-close
Paradox – leave the reader wondering
waiting room
a patch of sunlight
wears out the chairs
Improbable words – something we know is not true but could be distorted science.
evening wind
colours of the day
blown away
Senryu – it relates to human nature and is often with humour
Many combine haiku with senryu. The main difference between haiku and senryu is tone.
dried prune faces
guests realise
we have a privy
Show don’t tell applies to all writing especially haiku. Example of this is........
Example of telling:
the funeral over--
the house is so lonely
without him
Example of showing:
the funeral over--
his aftershave lingers
in our bedroom
Haiga is haiku painting. Hai refers to the poem and ga means painting. It can be a photo with a haiku embedded in the photo.
Note from Brigid: You're invited to post your first attempts at haiku or the other forms eiken's mentioned below or in the Haikuland section.