Haiku vs. Senryu by Michael Dylan Welch- Haiku Master - Charles Henderson's Blog

The following is a "copy and paste" exerpt from "Graceguts" the website of Michael Dylan Welch.  Mr. Welch has thousands of acolades, publications and comments about Japanese poetry.  This quote has to do with the differences between Haiku and Senryu poetry.

  Haiku is a brief genre of poetry that typically captures a moment of sensory perception, often with a seasonal reference (kigo, or season word) and a two-part juxtapositional structure (equivalent to a kireji, or cutting word) that conveys or implies an emotion. Senryu, more accurately presented in English as senryu, with a macron) is similar to haiku except that it tends to be more satirical or ironic in tone, and does not need to include a season word or two-part structure (although some senryu may still include these elements yet still be considered a senryu). Some people think of haiku as focusing on nature, with senryu focusing on people, but this is misleading. The fact is that many haiku by the Japanese masters also focus on people, so having human content is not a distinguishing factor. Furthermore, haiku is actually a seasonal poem, not strictly a nature poem (many of the kigo that haiku aim at are in fact not nature-related), although nature often comes along for the ride. Instead, it is usually tone that differentiates haiku and senryu. Haiku tend to celebrate their subjects (even if dark), whereas senryu tend to have a “victim,” and may or may not be humourous. Haiku typically treat their subjects reverently, whereas senryu do so irreverently
  

Debra Squyres Date: 2/1/2012 1:59:00 PM ohhhh and David..Now that I've read your comments...I'm totally confused hahahahaaha. (Well to be honest that isn't hard to do lol) Login to Reply

Debra Squyres Date: 2/1/2012 1:59:00 PM Very informative...but this ole country gal will have to look up some of the words...kigo?? kireji??...I see some explanations above...but..oh well. I think I'll write my haiku's about nature !! lol Reverence...and irreverene..hummmmmm Never thought of a dark haiku either...hmmmmm. My minds a twirling !!! Great blogs !! Login to Reply

Charles Henderson Date: 2/1/2012 10:03:00 AM David your are right. There is absolutely nothing wrong with two people seeing something different in the same moment of time. Some think literal, some abstract. Some comedy some seriousness. If you came across five different poems or a hundred the poem belongs to each individual. We have haiku contests here on the soup to have haiku written from a picture. That is essentially what you are speaking of. And look how many different thoughts come from the same picture. You make a valid point but that is the individual beauty of haiku. Login to Reply

David Williams Date: 2/1/2012 9:01:00 AM by the way that was not a criticism of Cyndi, just a confused observation..no doubt there will be lots more..David Login to Reply

David Williams Date: 2/1/2012 8:51:00 AM and just to add to my confusion, ha ha, Cyndi remarked on the first of your blogs Charles, that you could not use the word "nervous" as it conveyed "feeling" but above it says "conveys or implies an emotion" well in my book nervous is an emotion, confusing or not!..I like this blog...David Login to Reply

David Williams Date: 2/1/2012 8:44:00 AM Ok that said, here's my tuppence worth again, and please tell me if I am wrong (not that I need to have said that) if haiku is about a moment of sensory perception, you could have two people who both see exactly the same thing,and both have a different sensory perception, then both write a different haiku which would both be right in their own eyes, but wrong to each others eyes,if my logic is correct, then technically all haiku is wrong as no one can get exactly the same sensory perception as the original writer, they can only hope people understand as close as possible to the original. Go ahead throw eggs.. Login to Reply