What is it about the haiku form thats so compelling?
The ‘it’ is everything beyond the mere counting of syllables. Indeed, the original Japanese form does not pertain to 17 syllables broken into three horizontal lines but rather, to 17 units of sound arranged in one vertical line. Furthermore, what sounds like two ‘syllables’ to an English speaker’s ear, may not possess two units of sound. For instance, the Japanese word haibun is often used as an example. It posses one elongated vowel, as well as an “n” at the end of syllable, which counts as another sound. It’s pronounced ha-i-bu-n: four sound counts. In other words, like all translation, the job is finding an equivalency between languages, not making a precise match. Q: Do you have a favorite writer of haiku? A: I’d have to say that I read anthologies of haiku, admiring individual poems more than poets. Oddly, I don’t read much contemporary haiku (although a read plenty of contemporary poets); it’s the traditional Japanese poets I enjoy most, even though I depend on English translatio
