Joined: 20 Apr 2005
Posts: 339
Location: East Coast
Rules for Haiku??
CONFUSED......Someone please tell me what are the rules for Haiku poetry....lol Because I am clueless! Is there a limit to the amount of lines to use? _________________ Even the most fragile energy can create THUNDER!
Fri May 20, 2005 3:07 pm
melons Site Admin
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 2371
hi femmevirgo
it can only ever be 3 lines, if you have a different number of lines then it is not called a haiku
Here is some other info for you, because many people seem to have a misunderstanding about true haiku, although modern forms are changing!
A haiku should deal with nature: though even Basho (a famous haiku poet) occasionally wrote haiku that mentioned people. Later in his career he admitted that they were basically 'sucking up' poems that he had to write to avoid offending the powerful...and that mention of Man, or of specific people, or even "I" is not truly in keeping with the ideal of the form. It's awkward at best. ....so a true haiku should never reference yourself, your feelings or anothers feelings (I, she, they, he, my, felt, thought etc).
Ideally, a haiku should present to the reader, through that view of a moment in nature, an awareness of the contrast between the ongoing and the ephemeral. In doing so, the truly successful haiku will induce in the reader what the Asians called 'rensho'...best described in English as an epiphany or an "ah-HA" moment of awareness.
The subject of a haiku will be of your choosing, although haiku are usually about nature and maintain a light-hearted approach. Sit in a park and observe the scene around you, work in the garden; wait for a poem to turn up and don't let it go. Capture it in it’s moment of genesis and record it without conveying your feelings.
Example:
"old pond...
a frog leaps in
water's sound."
- Matsuo Basho.
Or one of my own poems that actually got quite high in a competition:
pale mist swirls
above furrowed ground
- hidden fields.
To keep it simple ........ a haiku is a three line form that historically utilizes the following syllabic formula (onji), first line syllables (5), second line syllables (7) and third is (5). They historically never exceed 17 syllables in total and the middle line is normally longer than the first and third lines;however, with modern writing the haiku has taken other forms, still with three lines but with syllable lines of of 1,3,1 or 3, 5, 3.
Around 150 years ago, the opening to a renga was called a hokku. A renga being where many poets would get together and play the renga poetry game. Several hundred lines would be written in only one night of fun. The hokku was the introduction, which actually dated the renga meeting by referring to the season and its location. Now it is known as haiku and refers to a moment in time.
The moment of time represents a scene that generally states or references a season (roses equates to spring etc) and an OBSERVATION OF A MOMENT. It's an IMAGE in WORDS...... WORDS make an IMAGE. The poet takes an image and tries to obtain a succinct haiku that expresses the image through words. A reader should be able to read the haiku and see the image from the words....and feel.....ahhhhhhh, a sense of wellbeing, knowledge, understanding...peace...
"Compressed" haiku use less than 5, 7, 5 if you want, so 3,5,3 or 1,3,1.
Some RULES revisited :
Avoid using similies (e.g. saying something is like something) and metaphors.
Limit the use of conjunctions; such as 'the' or 'and.'
Avoid using words that end with '-ing.'
Don't use repeat words: 'the,' 'an,' 'a,' 'this,' etc. if you can help it, and if you need to then use only once in your haiku.
17 syllables or less
3 lines only
no Capital letters if possible...not even at the beginning of a line...
no reference to oneself or others.
no reference to feelings
Hope that makes it clearer
luv'n'stuff,
Mel
Fri May 20, 2005 3:55 pm
femmevirgo
Joined: 20 Apr 2005
Posts: 339
Location: East Coast
Thanks Mellllllllsssss! Wow, glad you informed me of that....I had no idea what I was getting myself into over on those boreds...lol...posted and had to go back and delete... Oh, well at least I asked and know enough now.....So that I know what Im doing...lol _________________ Even the most fragile energy can create THUNDER!
Fri May 20, 2005 6:19 pm
melons Site Admin
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 2371
LOL its ok. Most people tend to stick to the line and syllable rules but they do introduce haiku about their thougts, feelings and desires....so maybe there is no right and wrong these days.
Welcome to the site by the way
Mel
Fri May 20, 2005 9:02 pm
Mairi bheag
Joined: 04 Mar 2005
Posts: 5094
Location: Scotland
I am gratified to see the above example quoted. You will notice that I broke several rules in my verse (mainly repetition); that was for deliberate effect.
Mb
xx _________________ all posted material (c) Marie Marshall, unless otherwise stated.
Sun May 22, 2005 8:13 am
femmevirgo
Joined: 20 Apr 2005
Posts: 339
Location: East Coast
Im thinking I like fucking you senseless Haiku too!!!! _________________ Even the most fragile energy can create THUNDER!
Wed May 25, 2005 4:51 am
wyldhart
Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 1216
mmmnn...since we all agree that fucking you senseless is such a pleasure~slow smile~...i was hoping that you lovely ladies would come play with me~wink, wink~...on the next pleasure ride....so, ladies...c'mon and jump on ...i mean..jump in with me~wicked grin~
Joined: 20 Apr 2005
Posts: 339
Location: East Coast
Uh huh, Im sure you meant ON you...I mean in you ...Oh hell Now I forgot which it was and they just both sound Good...I mean BAD!!!..... _________________ Even the most fragile energy can create THUNDER!
Thu May 26, 2005 2:20 am
Mairi bheag
Joined: 04 Mar 2005
Posts: 5094
Location: Scotland
Wyld, Femme, can I remind you that the subject under discussion is haiku form and technique, and not......
...oh what the hell, count me in!
Mb
xx _________________ all posted material (c) Marie Marshall, unless otherwise stated.
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CONFUSED......Someone please tell me what are the rules for Haiku poetry....lol Because I am clueless! Is there a limit to the amount of lines to use? 
Uh huh, Im sure you meant ON you...I mean in you ...Oh hell Now I forgot which it was and they just both sound Good...I mean BAD!!!.....
