[lbo-talk] Re: Lbo-talk digest, Vol 1 #1833 - 12 msgs

Jon Johanning jjohanning at igc.org
Fri Nov 28 12:45:55 PST 2003


On Friday, November 28, 2003, at 12:13 PM, Eubulides wrote:


> http://www.empirezine.com/haiku/1.htm
> Seventeen . . . seventeen . . . seventeen: the words echo in the halls
> striking fear in the hearts of haiku students and sensei alike. Poets
> are
> assailed by well meaning fans and critics chanting the haiku mantra:
> "five-seven-five". With every poem, haiku poets are presented with the
> opportunity (or cursed with the responsibility) to explain their art
> form.
> Of the many conceptions and misconceptions about haiku, the one most
> often
> discussed is the syllable count.

The 5-7-5 thing is of course valid for Japanese haiku (actually they're technically not syllables, but...), but "haiku" in languages other than Japanese by definition are not *real* haiku, so I guess that any poems with 3 short lines will do.

Glad to see the subject has changed to poetry; it's a nice change.

Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________________ Had I been present at the Creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe. -- Attr. to Alfonso the Wise, King of Castile



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