The Art of the Haiku
Monday, August 30th, 2010
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, 2010 (more…)