In regards to Basho and his haiku from yesterday's post, I decided to try my hand at composing a brief verse or two. The 'rules' of haiku: each poem is made up of three lines with five, seven, and five syllables, respectively. The subject is usually an image in nature and captures a moment in time.
The English translations of yesterday don't exactly follow the meter 5/7/5/ meter, but I am sure the syllable count in the original Japanese does.
I poked around and found a website that helps the budding haiku-ist build a poem. Begin typing in the box at the top of the web page and the syllables are counted for you - you won't have to use your fingers to keep track! Below are five little gems I came up with this morning. Go to write a haiku and see what you can do. Please share your efforts with me in the comments. Have fun!
Autumn colors blaze
on hillsides and park lanes - time
to light the home fires
**
Last rose of summer
Glowing pink on trellis in yard -
Hand me my clippers
**
Farmers market jewels
Still ripe with reds and yellows -
Where's the olive oil?
**
Bacon sizzling in pan,
Fresh eggs wanting to be cracked -
Pour the coffee please
**
Bookshelves groan with the
Weight of a million words, ideas -
Time to purge perhaps
Golden leaves descend
ReplyDeletefloating, waving, saluting
an earthen blanket.
That is a fun website, Belle. I've enjoyed catching up on posts I've missed of late, and especially enjoyed this.
Excellent! Penny, you have captured the spirit of the haiku. Thanks for sharing your efforts with me. It is fun, isn't it? I like playing with this form.
DeleteGreat fun!
ReplyDeleteBelle...should you ever come across "An Introduction to Haiku: An Anthology of Poems and Poets from Basho to Shiki" by Prof Harold Henderson (grab it, I think its out of print) it is short but so informative especially the challenge in translating from Japanese into English. His scholarly opinion encapsulated the idea that the strength of the Haiku (Hokku) lies primarily in "suggestion(s)".
In keeping with my non-harming Buddhist nature!!
Fruit fly in the wine
"Back again at happy hour?"
Lord Buddha cries "HELP!"
Nice one, Tullik. Made me laugh. I love these little moments in time!
DeleteI started writing haiku a couple of times a week recently in an effort to be more present in my own life--that whole "capturing a moment in time" thing. Here are my favorites:
ReplyDeleteLike drums, thunder booms,
Waking the dozing storm clouds--
They spill tears like wine.
Hot blueberry bursts,
Purple sweetness in my mouth,
Scones and tea for one.
Great work, Kathy. I can taste that scone! Since this post I decided to write one haiku a day just for fun. Who knows...maybe a little book in the making!
Delete