Japanese Poets
PDF File of Japanese Poets for Class

Tanka

• "Short Poem" of 5 lines
  • 1st and 3rd line = five syllables
  • Lines 2, 4 & 5 = seven syllables
• Four examples
  • Old Pine Tree
  • To Sit Silent
  • Meeting in Dreams
  • My Love
    

Haiku

• 3 line poem (effectively eliminates the last 2 lines of a Tanka)
• 5-7-5 syllables respectively
• Structural elements
  • Principle of Internal Comparison - 2 separate elements being compared and contrasted
  • Kigo - Words that trigger a seasonal reference
  • Onomatopoeias
• Basho (1644 - 1694)
  • Most famous master of haiku reflecting Zen refinement
  • Mystical and gentle
  • Four examples
    • On a Withered Branch
    • Many, Many Things
    • Old Pond
    • Summer Grasses Grow
• Buson (1715 - 1783)
  • Earthly and concrete imagery
  • Crisp and vivid
  • Three examples
    • Spring Rain!
    • No Poem You Send
    • Blossoms on a Pear
      

Humanities Resource of Mark Hunter