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HOKKU to HIKU a historical sketch -and translation test

So Japanese
was
the Hokku

  'til the master
came into view

then via Haikai

 on
along  the way

Matsuo Munefusa
  aka
    Bashó
   mastered 
 haiku
a phonetical&cultural
 'onji' *(in sound symbols)
came to be

  traditionally
per·pen·dicu·lar
 as a single line
        in particular


now
HIKU * in English
  to me  or you

  *Hiku is the English language tristich (three line) version(including translations)with similar economy of words  including the THOUGHT PAUSE prompt (often indicated by an ellipsis .....the SENSE PAUSE the aesthetic point of insight flowing from perception & ONE BREATH LENGTH to correspond to the aforementioned Japanesese 17 onji sounds.
The essence without "telling all" (thereby to ' show ' conforming to the key of all  true imagist poetry),&avoids  'as'&'to' & the use of past tense verbs (& is often without verbs,adverbs,adjectives )A verse freed from strict syllabic constraint within its triplicity of format& is inherently enigmatic & often with a caesura and surprise ending( VERSUM )to give a 'turning' to the line.The hiku maybe a horizontal  single* line,(often  broken at the caesura),a vertical line(usually a painting(haiga see note) ,a couplet** or a tristich***

Copyright © Brian Strand

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