HAIKU (3) poetry of the ear
Blog Posted:9/7/2020 8:26:00 AM
There is a 'sound' reason for Japanese haiku having 17 syllables-their original 17 sound symbols (onji)corresponded in duration to one breath length to recite..A correct aural translation thereof into English would thus have 10-14 English syllables to simulate the original duration.
To illustrate ,here is a translation of an original form of the poet Issa
e-do no a-ma (5)
na-n go-ku no-n da (7)
no-to to-go -su (5)
how many gallons (5)
of Edo's rain did you drink (7)
cuckoo ? (2)