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TRY reading haiku. It's a very concise form of
Japanese lyrical verse, the modern equivalent of an older style which in the
15th and 16th centuries was used extensively by Zen Buddhist monks. But that
really shouldn't stand in the way of anyone wanting to enjoy it Especially
since either everything is connected to ZEN or ZEN is not connected to
anything. Instead, it's easier to understand that haiku only tries to stress
the essential interconnectedness of the human and natural worlds and
releases that understanding in an "aha!" moment. This moment constitutes the
reason why every individual haiku comes into being, and the basis for the
existence of the genre.
Typically a single haiku--- at least in its
English avatar--- is a tercet, or a group of three lines, which may or may
not be rhymed but are usually of five, seven and five syllables each.
Marking a total of 17. Thus a famous haiku by the 17th century poet Basho,
who wrote some of the most perfect examples of the form, goes: Now the
swinging bridge/ Is quieted with creepers---/ Like our tendrilled life.
Also, ideally, a haiku presents a pair of contrasting images, one suggestive
of time and place, the other a vivid but fleeting observation. The two
images are only comparative when illuminated by the third one, as in: Road
from Banbury,/ a man spilled from his crushed car./ Dead eyes full of rain
Haikus are great stress busters too. Just by being able to
completely grasp the meaning of even one, can make a person realise what a
lot of stress it must have busted for the writer when he or she was
composing it. An indescribable thought or emotion arising from a sudden
observation results in an instant not to be sustained in order to write long
lyrical poems as in other tradition of poesy, but an instant to be
dissipated like a firecracker and be done with. However, to simultaneously
involve the instant in other forms of expression, some haiku writers---
following a Japanese tradition of combining words with art, as in
calligraphy--also embed art, as in calligraphy---also embed it in painting.
Modern haiku often uses other media.
It's the shortest literary form, shorter than even the limerick,
and all that's needed is a sense of minimalism, immediacy and insight. It's
also a good way to try one's own hand at it. Modern styles involve all kinds
of new age subjects---even PCs. here's one by David Dixon: Three things are
certain:/ Death, Taxes, and lost data./ Guess which has occurred. Try
writing haiku. |
