The Art of the Haiku
It was Robert Browning who first coined the phrase “Less is more” in his 1855 poem, “Andrea del Sarto.” In retrospect, were Browning more in touch with the Japanese arts, he probably would’ve included his most famous line as part of a Haiku to further illustrate its meaning. A haiku is a form of poetry defined by its basic syllable structure. In order for a poem to qualify as a haiku (of course who really knows what qualifies as a poem), the passage must be exactly three lines long. The top line should contain 5 syllables, the second line expands to 7 syllables, while the final line reverts to 5 syllables, giving the collective work a sense of symmetry. Aside from those basic rules, almost anything goes in the haiku world. Take for example,”Breakfast, lunch, dinner,Jackpot hippopotamus,Once upon a time.”-Anonymous, 2010This is a perfectly acceptable haiku, though far from an intelligent collection of words. Notice how “Breakfast, lunch, dinner” contains 5 syllables, “Jackpot hippopotamus” has 7 and “Once upon a time” is back to 5. Obviously, word choice and/or prevailing theme have little to no bearing on the poem’s classification. Despite concern among some writers that the haiku’s brief form is not enough space to convey deep thought, many writers find the short structure to be a refreshing challenge or merely admire the simplicity. Of course, unlike the example above, most writers do choose to make sensible sentences, often using haikus to describe something beautiful in nature. Strict Japanese haiku traditionalists may abide by a few additional requirements in their writing. Such poems would contain a “kigo,” or a word that symbolizes the season of the poem (i.e. snow for winter, flower for spring), though westernized haiku poets generally contend that further restriction beyond structure isn’t necessary. Thanks to their inherent brevity, Haiku writing is a great exercise for novice poets to get started. Try writing one yourself