俳句. A short form of Japanese poetry, consisting of three lines 5-7-5 morae long.
Questions tagged [haiku]
16 questions
13
votes
2 answers
What constitutes a syllable?
For the sake of Haiku or in general, how are syllables counted in Japanese?
Specifically, in the following cases, how are syllables counted?
かあ, long vowels - two syllables?
きゅ, addition of yō-on - still one syllable?
ポッキー, addition sokuon - small…
Mingwei Samuel
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7
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1 answer
A lost haiku from the Heian period about the death of a child
I remember reading a haiku which I thought was by Sei Shonagon (I think I read it in Will and Ariel Durant's "Our Oriental Heritage" volume, in Greek, a long time ago.
It was about losing a child, and it went something like
How far the young hunter…
Yannis Kevrekidis
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5
votes
1 answer
5
votes
1 answer
What does the へさうな mean in "逢へさうな"
I've come across this phrase (逢へさうな) and don't really understand what's going on grammatically. It's in the context of haiku poetry, I'm assuming the kanji reading is just "a" as in "逢う", but I can't find this form elsewhere online to know if it's…
Clayton Beach
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4
votes
2 answers
Strange usage of を-Particle inside a 俳句 (haiku)
There is a company which sells tea in teabags that have a haiku printed on one of the sides (of the teabag).
Recently I came upon the following haiku:
昼寝{ひるね}して
鳥獣{ちょうじゅう}戯画{ぎが}の
中{なか}にをり
What does をり in the last line mean? I have a…
Quit007
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4
votes
1 answer
Word in haiku - sugara
This is a well known haiku:
Meigetsu ya
Ike wo megurite
Yo mo sugara
I cannot understand the meaning and grammatical form of "sugara". Is it from "sugaru" (to finish)? Why does it end in "a"?
Ned
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4
votes
2 answers
Why does this haiku have a 5-6-5 pattern?
I was amazed to read the following haiku in "小林 一茶" (a book written by 宗左近/Sō Sakon about the famous poet) :
我と来てあそぶ親のない雀
At first sight, the text given by 宗左近 doesn't seem regular : 5+6+5 morae ?.
I knew the following version with a 'や' after…
suizokukan
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3
votes
2 answers
Understanding Basho haikus in difficult calligraphy
I'm struggling here to read these two haikus on my teacups. One horizontal row is one cup. All others I have are reading right to left, guess these ones go same way. All others have also been Matsuo Basho poems. Any tips would be welcome!
A little…
Tõnis Kimmel
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2
votes
2 answers
What are the meaning and the usage of 夏に入{い}る and 立夏?
According to weblio.jp, 夏に入る is a synonym of 立夏. I have two questions regarding these words.
Do these 夏に入る and 立夏 refer to a specific day, or they just mean the beginning of summer in a broader sense?
I could only find examples of 夏に入る used within…
jarmanso7
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2
votes
2 answers
Meaning of 春うらら
I was reading this Haiku behind a tea bag:
恋愛の
方程式解く
春うらら
I actually have to questions:
Why is it considered a haiku although the second verse has actually
8 syllables? In my understanding, except in some cases.
What is a good way to explain in…
Tommy
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2
votes
1 answer
What type of clause is 「蛙飛び込む」 in the famous haiku by Basho?
Usually, Basho's famous haiku, when written with a translation, is presented thus:
古池や
蛙飛び込む
水の音
And translated roughly (similar to three out of five translations available in Wikisource):
An old pond
A frog leaps
The sound of…
muru
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2
votes
1 answer
looking for a haiku maybe written by Sasaki Sadako
I'm looking for the Japanese text of the following haiku, maybe written by Sasaki Sadako :
Statute of A-bomb child
she seems as if walking
after a butterfly
I found the English text here. The author may be Sasaki Sadako (see the mention "Sadoka…
suizokukan
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1
vote
0 answers
の / が equivalence in this haiku from Bashō
I am aware of the equivalence of the particules の and が in the case of a relative clause (cf. for instance How does the の work in 「日本人の知らない日本語」?).
However, the following haiku does not seem to fall into this category:
枯枝に 烏のとまりけり 秋の暮
Does the use…
Zampra
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vote
1 answer
Advice and critics on a Haiku
I am trying my hand on writing some Haiku in Japanese. As I am by far an expert, I wanted to have your opinion on this one.
七の雪
立つ竹も鷺
冬の時
A few questions I have : Can you understand the image in it, and it's metaphore?
In terms of sounds and rhymes,…
m3.b
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1
vote
1 answer
Classical form of 落{お}ちる
I read in a haiku written by Bashō/芭蕉 (source - see my addendum at the end of the post) :
をちこちに
瀧{たき}の音{おと}聞く{きく}
落{おち}葉{ば}かな
My translation :
From far and near, hearing the sounds of the waterfall(s), ah, the fallen leaves...
My question deals…
suizokukan
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