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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:
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For the Japanese, and for informed poets writing today in English based on the Japanese model, there are three generally recognized formal elements:
a word or phrase referring to the season
a "cut" or syntactic division in the poem.
seventeen "on" or sounds.
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Lee's introduction to the issues in "Formal Elements" is excellent, and I encourage anyone who hasn't read the essay to check it out. The resources listed in this thread are intended as a supplement for readers who want to go beyond the basics as discussed by Lee to explore the theory and mechanics of haiku in more detail. The 5-7-5 "metrical" form of the haiku has been dealt with above; here we'll concentrate on the question of "season words" and cutting.
The two elements--seasonal reference and cutting--are in fact closely related. To quote Lee's paper again,
Quote:
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The second formal element is the syntactic cut that divides the poem into two parts. The primary poetic technique of the haiku is to place two images (most commonly literal rather than figurative images) side by side without interpretation. At least one of these images, or part of it, comes from nature or the seasons. The second image relates to the first, sometimes closely, sometimes more ambiguously. This juxtaposition of images conveys a sense of significance to the reader by what has been called "internal comparison."
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In other words, a haiku is a two-part poem. Two images are juxtaposed on either side of a "cut" or break in the text (sometimes marked by special "cutting words" in Japanese; by punctuation, or just a shift in syntax/tone in English) and allowed to "react" with one another. From that reaction--when the chemistry/alchemy is right--comes the magic that is a great haiku.
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.
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[This message has been edited by Stephen Collington (edited October 21, 2008).]