April is National Poetry Month and today’s Classroom Extra page wants to bring out the poet in you. Read on to learn how to write one of the world’s simplest and oldest forms of poetry – haiku.
Haiku is a traditional Japanese style of poetry that is one of the world’s oldest art forms. To understand haiku, you must understand syllables. A syllable is the smallest pronounced unit of a word. For example, the work haiku is pronounced hi-koo, two distinct units making up the one word. The word haiku contains two syllables.
The haiku verse follows strict rules: three lines totaling 17 syllables, the first containing five syllables; the second containing seven syllables and the third containing five, totaling 17 syllables in all. In many cases, however, a syllable or two is lost in the translation from Japanese to English.
The verse must contain a kigo – a word indicating the season in which the poem is set. It sounds easy, but it can be tricky. You must convey an idea in just 17 syllables. Here’s an example:
In the sun I write
A verse for the flower’s bloom
A challenge indeed.
Now this might not be the greatest haiku you’ll ever read, but it gives you an idea of how the lines and syllables work and it contains words like sun and flowers that hint of spring. You can choose as many single or multi-syllabic words as you like, as long as they fit the format.
The modern haiku was created from the traditional hokku. While the format is the same, hokku is a starter verse of a much longer work whereas the modern haiku stands alone.
Hokku dates back to the 1600s. The famous verses of masters Basho, Yosa Buson and Kobayashi Issa are classified as hokku.
Matsuo Basho is considered the finest writer of haiku during the genre’s formative years.
He was born into a prominent samurai family, but rejected that life and became a happy wanderer, studying Zen Buddhism and classic Chinese poetry. He began writing a new style of poetry – hokku, which would later evolve into haiku.
Basho traveled and used the images he saw on his journeys as subjects for his poetry. Basho even used haiku to sign a letter. Check out the following verse and note that it contains 16 syllables:
Among these summer trees,
A pasania
Something to count on
The modern haiku became popular and was formally established in the 1890s, thanks to Masaoka Shiki. The two main themes of the hokku also pertain to its modern-day cousin. The haiku must stick to the syllable format Shiki started a haiku revolution. Here are a few of his verses. Note the syllables lost in translation:
How cool it is!
A small crab, in the rain,
Climbs on a pine.
Lotus leaves in the pond
Ride on water.
Rain in June.
Even Harry Potter got into the haiku spirit. Here are a few phrases from your favorite Hogwarts students, in haiku form. Since these were not translated, they follow the syllable rule.
I hope you’re pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed – or worse, expelled. -Hermione Granger
How many times will we be able to witness a dragon hatching? -Ron Weasley
Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it’s gone, he can’t use it. Have a Choc’late Frog -Harry Potter
Now it’s your turn. Remember, when reciting your haiku, pause at the end of each phrase. It makes the verse sound more thoughtful. Good luck and have fun writing.
Source:www.factmonster.com and haiku for people
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Today’s lesson fulfills the following New York standards: E1c, E2d, E3b, E3c, E3d, E4a, E4b, E5a, E5b
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New York Post activities
Break into groups of four. Each student select a season and write a haiku with a kigo that tells the season in which the poem is set.
Look through today’s Post and find a story or picture. Write a haiku about it.
Write a three-verse hokku. Remember that all the verses must relate to each other.