Re: TRANS: a haiku: retort

On Mon, 17 Apr 2000, B Elliott Walker wrote:

> On Mon, 17 Apr 2000, B Elliott Walker wrote:
>
> > ok. to those who are going to nitpick about how haiku 'has to has to has
> to
> > has to' be of 5/7/5 structure, let me tell you it MOST CERTAINLY DOES NOT.
> > just go to your local library and pick up an anothology of modern English
> /
> > haiku poetry, and they usually go on (at great length)
> > that haikus DO NOT have to be 5/7/5 or even consist of 3 lines to be
> > considered an example of the genre.
> >
> > my 2 inflammatoy cents,
> >
> > byron
>
> In Japanese, haiku are not constructed according to syllable
> count at all, but according to mora count. So everyone who's
> arguing about how many syllables are in a haiku, you're all
> wrong. :-)
>
> Dirk
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> isn't it a good thing, then, that i didn't mention Japanese at all? i only
> Speak of English here (and perhaps others, i know nothing of
> Spanich/French/German/Lithuanian/Evenki etc, haiku
A "good thing"? A bit disingenuous perhaps, but not a "good
thing" IMO. Haiku is a *Japanese* verse form, no matter who else
indulges in it now. Ignoring that fact tells only part of the
story.

Dirk

--
Dirk Elzinga
dirk.elzinga@m.cc.utah.edu