Haiku Poetry Day

The haiku does not posses any rhyme scheme. The haiku's structure follows one line of five syllables, one line of seven syllables and one line of five syllables again, for a total of 17 syllables. Syllable rules for the haiku are even stricter in Japanese, but in English, writers normally follow the 5/7/5 pattern. The term haiku is derived from the first element of the word haikai (a humorous form of renga, or linked-verse poem) and the second element of the word hokku (the initial stanza of a renga).

Originally, the haiku form was restricted in subject matter to an objective description of nature suggestive of one of the seasons, evoking a definite, though unstated, emotional response. The form gained distinction early in the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) when the great master Bashō elevated the hokku to a highly refined and conscious art. He began writing what was considered this “new style” of poetry in the 1670s, while he was in Edo (now Tokyo).