Moments of Lightness: Haiku & Tanka (Japanese Poetry Book 2)

A brief introduction to tanka and haiku poetry

Tanka poetry was born in Japan about 1400 years ago, as a form of ‘waka’ poetry —term meaning “poetry in Japanese”, to distinguish it from ‘kanshi’, that was poetry composed in Chinese by Japanese poets. The term waka originally comprised a number of different forms, most notably tanka, or “short poems”, and ‘chōka’, “long poems”. The first, the most widely composed type of waka, made of five ‘ku’ —phrase(s)— of 5–7–5–7–7 ‘on’

(syllabic units), while chōka encompassed a repetition of 5 and 7 ‘on’

phrases, with the last ‘ku’ containing 7 ‘on’. Although in the Nara period (710–794) and in the very first part of the early Heian period (794–1185), the court favored Chinese-style poetry (the oldest collection of kanshi, the ‘Kaifūsō’, “Fond Recollections of Poetry’, is dated 751; while the ‘Man’yōshū’, “Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves” — the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, compiled in the Nara period, sometime after the year 759— contains 4,207 tanka, 265 chōka, but only 4 kanshi), shortly afterwards waka poetry definitely superseded kanshi, so much so that Emperor Daigo ordered that the waka of ancient poets and their contemporaries were collected in the first imperial waka anthology, in twenty books, with the first six given to seasonal poems (the ‘Kokin Wakashū’ —”Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poems”— usually abbreviated in ‘Kokinshū’, AD 905). Inasmuch as at that time, only two forms of waka were in use, tanka and chōka (with this second hugely diminished in prominence), the term waka became synonymous with tanka; for such a reason this word fell into disuse until Masaoka Shiki, at the end of the 19th century, revived it (along with the haiku form).

‘Utakotoba’, the standard poetic diction established in the Kokinshū, was considered as the very essence of creating a perfect waka, through a sound unit counts of 31 ‘on’, following the pattern 5–7–5 plus 7–7. Although tanka has evolved over the centuries, its ancient form hasn’t changed and remains the original five units of 5–7–5–7–7 ‘on’/syllables.

Through the centuries, the waka/tanka form has been particularly used for poems between lovers and in diaries; more generally, exchanging waka instead of letters in prose has been a widespread custom, since it is a lyric poem that, through its own flow and rhythm, can express the deepest feelings, emotions and thoughts —it is a kind of ‘painting with words’, that uses references to the natural world as well as to the inner feelings of our everyday life.

From waka, over time, a number of poetry genres developed, such as ‘renga’ (collaborative linked verse). As momentum and popular interest shifted to the renga form —in the Muromachi period (1336–1573)— waka was left to the Imperial court, and all commoners were excluded from the highest levels of waka training. Then, during the Edo period (1603–1868), renga poets were able to express broader humor and wit, through a simplified form of renga, where the use of commonly spoken words was allowed: the new style was called ‘haikai no renga’*, or just ‘haikai’ (*comical linked verse, also called ‘renku’). What was traditionally referred to as ‘hokku’, later called haiku, is the opening stanza, 5–7–5 ‘on’, of a renga/haikai —indeed, the first document to record the word ‘haiku’ is thought to be Hattori Sadakiyo’s ‘Obaeshu’, (1663): it was used as an abbreviated form of “haikai-no-ku” (a verse of haikai).

In the second half of 1600, Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694), firmly committed to the cause of making haikai the equal of waka and renga, elevated this genre and gave it a new popularity. While waka and renga had belonged to the aristocratic world of court poetry and samurai culture, haikai became the genre of choice for commoners. All of the best haikai masters, used mainly the genre to describe nature and human events directly related to it, and stressed on the great significance of the opening stanza —hokku—, to give poetic relevance to such versification.

Hokku, removed from the context of renga and haikai, eventually became the stand-alone 17 ‘on’ (5–7–5) haiku poetry form; Masaoka Shiki (1867–1902), then gave the term ‘haiku’ a special role, so to make it a genre of modern literature in its own right.

By Fabrizio Frosini

For more to learn about poetry Haiku and Tanka and to read  amazing images of poetry, you may guide to download the new release of the poets unite worldwide 

A Note, A Word, A Brush: Ode To The Arts

Picasso once said, “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” In this work, a collection of short poems in a variety of forms that celebrate the arts are presented: poetry, dance, painting, music, sculpture, theatre, among others. Feel the dust lift and wings sprout as you read. Dehavni’s poem, ‘An Ode To Poetry,’ uses classical forms to describe the effect of poetry on a normal human—we grow wings, we learn to turn copper into gold. Similarly, Sinicrope’s poem, ‘Musicians pass the art of precise execution that springs wings,’ shows how music teachers teach their art so their students can “slip wings on listeners’ backs.”

As if wings weren’t enough—Tatiana Berdennikova shows how an artist turns a blank canvas into a beautiful painting with her poem, ‘The Artist’s Brush.’ Then Negar Gorji weaves a magic spell with her pen in her poem, ‘The Painter.’ She reveals the inner passion, turmoil and loneliness of the painter’s life. She writes, “Sitting in front of an easel like she’s gonna hug it/ Staring long hours at a picture/ That nobody can see…Still, she keeps painting…” Larry Beck reveals the life of a not unhappy poet…a poet that struggles to write. If only Beck had been able to consult with poet Frosini, who explains the true essence of poetry and the role of darkness in bringing this art form to light. Kuncheria shares a poem which describes an ancient Middle Eastern Dance that came to India by way of the silk route, titled, ‘Margamkali Dance’. A poem by Billsborough shows us how the classics intersect, how art is really one form branching out. He writes, “Which medium we use is interwoven/ With strands of other Arts we know/ We cannot stop the inter-flow/ Of memories and of our learning./ Our path is coloured by our aptitude/ Only varied by the outer form permitted by its latitude.” This collection of 48 poems from poets all over the world is a joy to experience. And be sure to read the elegant and engaging Introduction contributed by Daniel Brick. You will not be disappointed.

For Reading and downloading

Fabrizio Frosini

Our Chain Our Dream (part one)

Through Poetry, as in Daniel Brick’s verse, “… we are together at the edge * / of the Universe, beyond the bend of time,/ at the crystalline source of the Imagination.” [* reference to Fabrizio Frosini’s verse from ‘The Chinese Gardens’]. Yes, it’s true, through Poetry we can experience the sheer “crystalline source of the Imagination.”

To use Daniel Brick’s question: “What difference does it make that we have one more Anthology of Poetry”? Poetry –all kind– is not the best selling subject, is it?

Yet, poetry means a lot to many of us: through poetry we can:

– find “The intricate path for your soul to flow” (Tatiana Berdennikova);

– or even “The buried pieces of our history” (Tom Billsborough);

– “Fly to the moon once monthly” (Judith Blatherwick);

– “Imagine the future, imagine the place” (Galina Italyanskaya);

– “.. tell you a story in paper and paint” (Marianne Larsen Reninger);

– “.. fly together to illuminate this empty sky” (Fethi Sassi);

– “Cleansing and purifying, redeeming all sins” (Neethu Tessa);

– “Dance like a lemur on the island of Madagascar” (Ition -Tze Min- Tsai);

Through Poetry, as in Daniel Brick’s verse, “… we are together at the edge * / of the Universe, beyond the bend of time,/ at the crystalline source of the Imagination.” [* reference to Fabrizio Frosini’s lines: “At the edge of the Universe I live / Beyond the bend of Time.”, ‘The Chinese Gardens’].

Yes, it’s true, through Poetry we can experience the sheer “crystalline source of the Imagination.”

This is a book to try. Our Chain Our Dream part one

Fabrizio Frosini

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Pamela Sinicrope
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHOTOS AVAILABLE

POETRY AGAINST TERROR eBOOK: POETS UNITE WORLDWIDE

Rochester, MN, January 10, 2016. In response to the bloody Paris events of November 13, 2015, Italian poet, Fabrizio Frosini, began work on a new ebook, POETRY AGAINST TERROR, and he enlisted his community of poets worldwide to help: “I wanted it to become a large collective work: the voice of poets from many different countries, worldwide, who stand up and speak aloud but without hatred against the bloody madness of terror.”

Astonishingly, 64 Poets from 43 countries lent their pens in the effort. Frosini says, “we—poets of the world—wish to make our voices resonate in the minds and hearts of all women and men who refuse to be silenced by hate and violence.” Pamela Sinicrope of Rochester, MN and Daniel Brick of St. Paul, MN, USA, along with Richard Thézé, England, co-edited the collection of diverse poems about terrorism in Paris and around the world. Cover art is by Galina Italianskaya, Russia.

The project came together quickly, as Frosini was able to identify writers through the poetry website, PoemHunter.com. Poets come from all continents, including Arab/Islamic countries:

Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, UAE, Uganda, UK, USA, Zimbabwe.

Poem topics range from a focus on the liberty of France, to the musings of a mother who does not want her child suffering from terrorism, to a young woman who incessantly searches google for the answers to the terrorism problem, to the story of African villagers who drink from a cow’s horn under a peaceful moon until terrorism takes over.

Many of the poets have experienced terrorism first-hand, and this witness is expressed in their writings and their biographies. “We’ve all been touched by terrorism. For some, the topic hit home after the events in Paris, but for others, terrorism has been a disturbing part of everyday life —these facts are borne out in the poems. The poems speak for themselves,” says Sinicrope.

The ebook, POETRY AGAINST TERROR, is available as a download onAmazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019M1J0DU. They also have a Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/PoetryAgainstTerror . From January 11 to January 15, the ebook will be available FREE on Amazon.