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Hello All,
It's Haiku Month here on the Distinguished Guest. Lee Gurga, one of the masters of the modern English haiku, has kindly agreed to join us once more to share his insights into this fascinating but often misunderstood form. Those of you who were around for Lee's previous visits to the Distinguished Guest in 2004 and 2005 know just what a treat we're in for. Not only is Lee an excellent poet, he is a sharp-eyed editor and a patient and generous teacher. We can look forward to a lively and instructive workshop together. Lee will be joining us on or around the fifteenth of this month. In anticipation, I hope everyone will be getting some haiku ready to share with him. In a few days, we'll open a "peer review" thread here on DG for those people who want to try out their poems on fellow Sphereans before bringing them to Lee next week. Needless to say, though, that step is optional: we're not having "auditions," just a chance for some extra feedback. It may, however, prove useful to iron out some of the simpler problems in our work so that Lee can concentrate on higher-order concerns. In the meantime, this thread will be devoted to Haiku Resources. The World Wide Web is full of fascinating and useful material on all aspects of haiku culture: publications, archived collections, essays on craft and theory, and samples of haiga, haibun, renku, senryu, tanka and other kindred arts. I'm going to post something new here every day or so, bringing links to the most interesting sites I can find on various haiku-related topics. I trust that people won't be shy in letting me know what I've missed, and of course, discussion is most welcome. So by all means, pile on after me. At the end of the process, we should have a nice little library of resources developed. This morning, for starters, let me recommend to you . . . Three Essential Essays by Lee Gurga • Writing and Revising Haiku • (an excerpt from Lee's book Haiku: A Poet's Guide ) • Toward an Aesthetic for English-Language Haiku • (an overview of the "aesthetic problem" in English haiku, reprinted from Modern Haiku, Fall 2000) And the next one comes with a real recommendation . . . Quote:
• Haiku: Formal Elements • (an introduction to the formal properties of haiku, as written in English; an essay first shared with us here on Eratosphere in May 2004) Required reading folks! And don't miss these other threads from Lee's previous visits to the Sphere as Distinguished Guest. The two "Open Mic" threads in particular are worth looking at: they contain all sorts of interesting discussion, and some pretty nifty poetry too. Previous Distinguished Guest Threads • Welcome to Lee (April 2004) • Contemporary Haiku and Tanka (April 2004) • Open Mic (May 2004) • Haiku Open Mic, 2005 (July 2005) Important note: Please don't post new poems to the Open Mic threads listed here. We'll be having a new forum soon enough! Of course, there's no reason we can't bump the old threads, but it might get confusing if we do; your posting may get lost in the shuffle as we open new threads for this year's event. Best to keep 'em separate. [This message has been edited by Stephen Collington (edited October 21, 2008).] |
Please re-read Lee's essays from a few years back. For the ambitious, senryu are also welcome! Lee's appearances at Distinguished Guest have been among our most popular. I am delighted that he is returning, and just as delighted that Stephen, a real expert in Japanese verse, agreed to take over as host.
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Okay, so you want to know what haiku are all about, but you don't know where to start. The best thing to do, of course, is to go ahead and read some. But the World Wide Web is such a huge place--where to look? Well, this is just a taster--and I do hope people will pepper me with links to their own favourites--but here are five wonderful sites full of English-language haiku. I don't necessarily endorse every single poem, or style, but I'm confident that there's enough here to dispel any lingering doubts about the vitality and richness of international haiku today. Enjoy! • The Green Leaf's Haiga Pages • A magnificent resource. Start with the Japanese Masters page, especially the "Great Four": Basho, Buson, Kobayashi Issa, and Shiki. But don't miss out on the other archives, including the fine collection of Japanese Women poets and Contemporary Poets. All beautifully illustrated. • Terebess Asia Online • A vast archive of haiku (scroll down!), including translations from the Japanese, a rich selection of English haiku (including three by Auden!) and many more in other European languages. A superb resource for anyone looking to get a sense of haiku in the world today. • HSA Online Haiku Collections • An archive of various contest winners throughout the years from the Haiku Society of America. A good place to check out the state of the art in North America today. • Temps Libres/Free Times Key Word Haiku Database • Fascinating site with a huge archive of contemporary haiku, in English and French, arranged by keyword. A great way to get a sense of the variety and scope of what haiku can encompass. (For those who don't know French: don't be put off by the strange words in the Key Word list. Pretty much every category has entries in both English and French--most poems, in fact, appear in both--so if you click on, say "arbre," you'll still get lots of stuff about "trees.") • Brooks Books Online Haiku Collections • Free online collections from Brooks Books, with attractive photography and artwork. Number four on the page is Long Walk Alone by our Distinguished Guest, Lee Gurga. Return to Top [This message has been edited by Stephen Collington (edited October 21, 2008).] |
I dunno about the rest of you, but I am impressed with this virtual library Stephen is linking us to, and I suspect Lee will be too.
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Thanks Tim! Im hoping that it will be useful. And now, for todays installment . . . Haiku Form I: How Many Syllables? Okay, so you've always read that haiku are short poems of seventeen syllables, written in lines of five, seven and five syllables each. But many of the English haiku you see don't seem to follow this rule: they're often much shorter, and sometimes they're written as a single line, or in two lines instead of three. Or perhaps you've heard that Japanese "syllables" aren't really syllables at all, and that it's actually wrong to write haiku in English with seventeen syllables . . . What's up? What is the "correct" form for a haiku? Perhaps the simplest answer comes from the Haiku Society of America, who state as part of their definition of Haiku: "Most haiku in English consist of three unrhymed lines of seventeen or fewer syllables, with the middle line longest, though today's poets use a variety of line lengths and arrangements." In other words, free verse! (Note: I think they mean that the total should be "seventeen or fewer syllables," not that each line should be that long!) Nothing wrong with such a definition, of course--the bottom line should always be what works as poetry. But as the many formalist poets who gather here at Eratosphere know, form itself has significant virtues, whether as a spur to creativity or as an aesthetic element in its own right. Haiku most certainly are a fixed, "metrical" form in Japanese. So what would be the equivalent form in English? Complete consensus on anything to do with poetry no doubt will forever elude us. But perhaps the majority of haiku poets writing in English today work towards an ideal first articulated by R. H. Blyth more than forty years ago in his landmark study A History of Haiku: Quote:
The "Traditional Form" for Haiku in English A "Traditional Form" for Haiku in English An excerpt from William Higginson's book The Haiku Handbook which outlines the basic structure of haiku as a formal poem in English. (Note to Netscape users: Google Books may crash your browser; best opened using Internet Explorer.) William Higginson "Haiku by the Numbers" A longer, theoretical essay which outlines the rationale behind the "Traditional Form" in detail, using examples of what works and what doesn't in various translations of Matsuo Basho's famous "old pond" haiku. Forms in English Haiku by Keiko Imaoka An interesting article discussing the structural differences between Japanese and English that affect the question of line length and form in the two languages. Haiku Definition Full text of the Haiku Society of America's definition of "Haiku," quoted from above. And for an alternate view: From One-Line Poems to One-Line Haiku A history of experiments with one-line haiku in English, by William Higginson. Return to Top [This message has been edited by Stephen Collington (edited October 21, 2008).] |
Steve C., I've read the haiku guy's thread at least five times, and I do believe I have a haiku sequence. I'd like to post it. When, man, where? I like to jump in first, then read all the resources.
Heavily inspired, Mary |
Hi Mary,
Soon! I promise! Tonight! That said, you should know, it's just going to be a "Warm Up" Open Mic for now. Our Distinguished Guest may join us if he wants to (he's always welcome!), but officially he's going to start looking in on the fifteenth. So, we're going to open up a thread for everyone to strut their stuff and get some feedback from fellow 'Sphereans. Hopefully, that way we can get a body of really polished work together for Lee to discuss with us. Tell you what--I did say today, after all--I'll go do it right now. Hold onto your hat. I'll be right back. Steve C. |
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Okay, so you've written some haiku, and you want to submit them somewhere for publication. Or perhaps you just want to read what other poets are doing in the form today. What are the options? Haiku Magazines Modern Haiku Along with Frogpond below, one of the two "major" journals in North America. And folks, it pays! Formerly edited by our Distinguished Guest, Lee Gurga. Frogpond Journal of the Haiku Society of America. Thrice yearly. Submissions for Winter 2008 issue close November 15! Mayfly Published by the elegant Brooks Books, a kind of "14 by 14" for haiku. The Heron's Nest Hybrid print/online. Acorn: A Journal of Contemporary Haiku Twice yearly. No online archive. Bottle Rockets No online archive, but it sure has nifty covers! Simply Haiku Truth-in-advertising check: this site has way more than "simply haiku." Tanka, senryu, haibun, renku, you can find just about everything here. And it regularly publishes some very sophisticated criticism and theory too. Online only. A class act. * * * Well, that's probably plenty for now. Needless to say, though, there's bound to be lots more. So if you know of a good publication, don't keep it to yourself! Let us all know . . . that's what the thread's for. Return to Top [This message has been edited by Stephen Collington (edited October 21, 2008).] |
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Okay, the Internet is all very well, but you can't read it in the bathtub, and you can't take it to the beach. So here are some actual books you might like to check out: Introduction, Handbook, Guide, Anthology An Introduction to Haiku by Harold G. Henderson Still in print after half a century, an excellent introduction to haiku, concentrating on the four great "masters" of the Japanese tradition: Basho, Buson, Issa and Shiki. Not a how-to per se . . . but these are the classic poems that every haiku poet should know. The Haiku Handbook by William J. Higginson and Penny Harter A wide-ranging and always-helpful resource. Arguably the most comprehensive introduction in English, for both readers and poets. Haiku, A Poet's Guide by Lee Gurga Haiku from the practicing poet's point of view; a nuts-and-bolts guide to both the art and the craft. The Haiku Anthology by Cor van den Heuvel The "standard" anthology of English-language haiku for more than twenty years now, updated in 2000. Frankly (personal opinion) it reveals as much about the weaknesses of the form in English as its strengths. The happy part is that readers aren't likely ever to agree completely on which are which! At any rate, an indispensable resource for anyone who wants to know what's been done in the form. * * * Yes, of course, that's just the tip of the iceberg. And needless to say, the books of R. H. Blyth, for all their flaws, would head the list here if they were still in print and selling at reasonable prices. The four-volume Haiku, the two-volume History of Haiku . . . if you ever see a beat-up old copy at a garage sale or your local thrift shop, pounce! In the meantime, don't hesitate to let me know if you think there's something that simply has to be added to the list. Return to Top [This message has been edited by Stephen Collington (edited October 21, 2008).] |
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Haiku Form II: Season Words and Cutting In his essay Haiku: Formal Elements , Lee Gurga notes three distinct properties that define a traditional haiku: Quote:
The two elements--seasonal reference and cutting--are in fact closely related. To quote Lee's paper again, Quote:
But will any two images do? As Lee points out, at least one of the images usually "comes from nature or the seasons." Indeed, in traditional Japanese practice the images that can be used are quite carefully defined, and categorized according to season--sometimes right down to the day of the month! And thus emerge the so-called season words, or kigo, and the season-word almanacs (saijiki) that are part of every Japanese poet's library. Is this just a mania for classification . . . or do the "season words" really serve an important function in haiku that other words can't perform? And if they do matter, to what extent should non-Japanese poets worry about developing similar resources for haiku in English and other languages? And just why is that "cut" so important anyway? All vexed (though fascinating) questions, the subject of much debate in both Japanese and English. Opinions abound . . . and consensus is not likely any time soon. But whatever position one ultimately adopts in one's own writing, an understanding of the underlying issues arguably is essential to any mature appreciation of what haiku are all about. Of course, in developing such an appreciation there's no substitute for reading lots of good haiku--whether translations from Japanese or original works in English. It never hurts, however, to have things pointed out sometimes, and that's where theory and criticism can help. Some resources. Season Words, Cutting and Saijiki Kigo Wikipedia to the rescue with an excellent introductory article, including explanations of kigo (as used in Japanese and English), saijiki and more. The Importance of Seasons by Charles Trumbull A defense of the use of "season words" in English by the current editor of Modern Haiku. Of particular interest are Trumbull's observations on the importance of season words as links to the greater tradition of haiku as a whole. Kigo and Seasonal Reference by Richard Gilbert An examination of "season words" (kigo, a specifically Japanese literary device) and "seasonal reference," and why the two are not equivalent. Gilbert argues that a fully developed "kigo culture" of the kind known in Japan may not prove possible in English, but defends the larger principle of "seasonal reference" as a valuable component of English haiku composition. A little diffuse in places, a little muddled in others, but valuable reading all the same. (Mirrored, in a slightly different revision HERE .) Plausible deniability: Nature as hypothesis in English-language haiku by Richard Gilbert A long, difficult, fascinating exploration of haiku mechanics, with specific focus on both nature/season and cutting. It verges in places on academic bafflegab, though in tackling the hard problem of how haiku really work their magic, a little abstraction may be necessary. A tough climb, but the view from the top is worth it. (Mirrored HERE .) Thoughts on Juxtaposition by Carmen Sterba A clear, nonacademic exploration of the importance of "juxtaposition" as the central technique of haiku poetry, with illustrative examples. Good read. The Disjunctive Dragonfly by Richard Gilbert A challenging (long!) but extremely valuable article on the technical question of "disjuncture" (or "cutting") in haiku. Worth making the effort to get through. Contains a useful capsule summary of Kawamoto Koji's theory of dynamic and base segments and "superposition." Online Bilingual Saijiki by the University of Virginia Library Japanese Text Initiative Perhaps the best online resource for seeing what a Japanese saijiki looks like and how it functions. Clicking on any of the underlined words on the start page will take you to a reference page which includes a list of related and equivalent season words, a description of the season topic and its traditional "mood," and a number of sample poems by famous poets which use the words in question. Depending on your browser settings, the Japanese characters may not display correctly, but don't worry: all Japanese words and texts are accompanied by an alphabetic transcription. The Five-Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words A bare-bones translation of one of Japan's most popular and respected saijiki. The site merely lists the season words in their traditional order, without explaining their use or giving examples, but it still will serve to give some idea of the scope of the concept of kigo in Japanese haiku practice. The original book, with definitions and examples, is more than 1000 pages of fine print. World Kigo Database A web-based interactive project, coordinated by Gabi Greve, to develop an international "Seasonal Almanac" for haiku writers around the world. The site is not set up to be easily self-explanatory, but if you scroll down on the main page, you will eventually arrive at a long list of season words (highlighted in green) which have been proposed for inclusion. Clicking on a word will then take you to a page with a definition, discussion, and samples of use by contributors. Everything from "Ramadan" to "Tagore Memorial Day" to "Snowdrops" . . . or make that "Schneeglφckchen"! There are also national almanacs in development for different countries (six seasons for India!), and pages discussing various aspects of "seasonal reference" and its importance to haiku. A fascinating site. Return to Top [This message has been edited by Stephen Collington (edited October 21, 2008).] |
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