HAIKU vs. SENRYU

HAIKU  vs. SENRYU
I went back to Writers Café , an old writing site I use to frequent six years ago. One of the writers, “Rock and Roll Cowboy”  is now writing haiku. When I complimented his work he told me it’s a Senryu. He and another writer share the differences with me. I also went to Wikipedia and picked out what I found relevant to me. So here is what I discovered.
HAIKU is a major form of Japanese verse. It contains 3 main qualities.
1. On (Japanese_prosody) It is written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.
2. Kigo  It employs highly evocative illusions and comparisons, often on the subject of nature or one of its seasons.
3.  Kireji (切れ字 lit. “cutting word”) is a special category of words used in haiku and other types of Japanese traditional poetry. It is regarded as a requirement in traditional haiku. There is no exact equivalent of kireji in English, and its function can be difficult to define. However it is said to supply structural support to the verse.
Kireji
a. When placed at the end of a verse, it provides a dignified ending, concluding the verse with a heightened sense of closure.
b. Used in the middle of a verse, it briefly cuts the stream of thought, indicating that the verse consists of two thoughts half independent of each other. In such a position, it indicates a pause, both

rhythmically and grammatically, and may lend an emotional flavor to the phrase preceding it.

SENRYU  is a three-line un-rhymed Japanese poem structurally similar to a haiku. Differing by treating human nature usually in an ironic or satiric vein. It is also unlike haiku in that it usually does not have any references to the seasons. Senryu was developed from haiku and became especially popular among the common people about the 18th century. It was named for Karai Hachiemon (pen name Senryu), one of the most popular practitioners of the form. Senryu are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious.  Unlike haiku, senryu do not include a kireji (cutting word), and do not generally include a kigo, or season word.

Okay now that I share the difference between Haiku and Senryu will you take the challenge and give me a sample of each?

My samples are:

Haiku

The sweet scent of spring
Hides beneath the cold winter
The place some like it

Senryu

Cheering the Ravens
Hope the forty-niners’ lose
Totally destroyed

About these ads