{"id":3250,"date":"2017-07-10T16:00:38","date_gmt":"2017-07-10T15:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/?p=3250"},"modified":"2021-08-11T17:15:45","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T16:15:45","slug":"how-to-write-a-haiku-poem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/writing\/poetry\/how-to-write-a-haiku-poem\/","title":{"rendered":"How to write a haiku poem"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_3254\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3254\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3254\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sunday-market-1.jpg\" alt=\"how to write a haiku\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sunday-market-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sunday-market-1-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sunday-market-1-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sunday-market-1-150x75.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3254\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Original image: World Image\/Bigstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry, short in length with no rhymes, and often with a strong focus on nature. Due to their compactness, haiku poems can be fun to write, whatever your writing and poetry skills; whether you are a published poet or a complete novice. Haiku poetry can also be delightfully mindful, meditative and reflective to write. Why not give it a go?<\/p>\n<p>Originating in Japan in the 7<sup>th<\/sup> century, the original subject matter of haiku was often prayers, celebration, and harvesting. Later the subject matter shifted to nature, and this has been carried through to modern haiku.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Traditionally, haiku poems are composed of three lines and 17 syllables: five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line.<\/li>\n<li>The subject is often nature.<\/li>\n<li>There is no title to these poems.<\/li>\n<li>The time of year is often hinted at through the use of language \u2013 for example, ice might be mentioned for winter or blossom for spring.<\/li>\n<li>Haiku poems are often divided into two parts, with the relationship between the two parts often being surprising.<\/li>\n<li>Haiku poems are descriptive: trying to evoke in the reader the same emotions felt by the writer when they had a particular experience or viewed a scene.<\/li>\n<li>Think about the senses of sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing when writing your haiku.<\/li>\n<li>Use small details to describe the bigger picture.<\/li>\n<li>Haiku poems don\u2019t usually include metaphors or similes.<\/li>\n<li>Haiku poems don\u2019t rhyme.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Examples of traditional haiku<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_3263\" style=\"width: 748px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3263\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-3263\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bigstock-150351299.jpg\" alt=\"Chestnuts on the ground in autumn\" width=\"738\" height=\"491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bigstock-150351299.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bigstock-150351299-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bigstock-150351299-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bigstock-150351299-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 738px) 100vw, 738px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3263\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image credit: Nataliia Melnychuk\/Bigstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Matsuo\u00a0Bash\u014d<\/h3>\n<p>Matsuo Bash\u014d, a popular Japanese poet, composed these haiku poems in the late 1600s:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In the twilight rain<br \/>\nthese brilliant-hued hibiscus &#8211;<br \/>\nA lovely sunset.<\/p>\n<p>An old silent pond&#8230;<br \/>\nA frog jumps into the pond,<br \/>\nsplash! Silence again.<\/p>\n<p>Autumn moonlight\u2014<br \/>\na worm digs silently<br \/>\ninto the chestnut.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Kobayashi Issa<\/h3>\n<p>Kobayashi Issa, a renowned haiku poet in the late 1700s and early 1800s, wrote these:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Trusting the Buddha, good and bad,<br \/>\nI bid farewell<br \/>\nTo the departing year.<\/p>\n<p>O snail<br \/>\nClimb Mount Fuji,<br \/>\nBut slowly, slowly!<\/p>\n<p>Everything I touch<br \/>\nwith tenderness, alas,<br \/>\npricks like a bramble.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>20th century haiku<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_3265\" style=\"width: 790px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3265\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-3265\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bigstock-Awesome-bird-of-prey-in-flight-171533858.jpg\" alt=\"Bird of prey in flight\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bigstock-Awesome-bird-of-prey-in-flight-171533858.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bigstock-Awesome-bird-of-prey-in-flight-171533858-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bigstock-Awesome-bird-of-prey-in-flight-171533858-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bigstock-Awesome-bird-of-prey-in-flight-171533858-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3265\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image credit: Gelpi\/Bigstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Many modern western poets have moved away from the traditional 17 syllable (5,7,5) formation when writing haiku poems, but they have kept other rules, such as the nature theme and the idea of capturing a moment in time. Here are a couple of examples:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>meteor shower<br \/>\na gentle wave<br \/>\nwets our sandals<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8211; Michael Dylan Welch<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Birds singing<br \/>\nin the dark<br \/>\n\u2013 Rainy dawn.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8211; Jack Kerouac<\/p>\n<p>Do you prefer traditional or modern haiku?<\/p>\n<p>Please do add your own haiku poems in the comments below; I&#8217;d love to read them!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry, short in length with no rhymes, and often with a strong focus on nature. Due to their compactness, haiku poems can be fun to write, whatever your writing and poetry skills; whether you are a published poet or a complete novice. Haiku poetry can also be delightfully mindful,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[285],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.7.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to write a haiku poem - The Pen Company Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn exactly how to write a Japanese Haiku poem in this blog post by The Pen Company - observe the world around you &amp; get writing today!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/writing\/poetry\/how-to-write-a-haiku-poem\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to write a haiku poem - The Pen Company Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn exactly how to write a Japanese Haiku poem in this blog post by The Pen Company - observe the world around you &amp; get writing today!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/writing\/poetry\/how-to-write-a-haiku-poem\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Pen Company Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ThePenCompany\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-07-10T15:00:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-11T16:15:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sunday-market-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lucy Williams\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@thepencompany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@thepencompany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lucy Williams\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/writing\/poetry\/how-to-write-a-haiku-poem\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/writing\/poetry\/how-to-write-a-haiku-poem\/\",\"name\":\"How to write a haiku poem - The Pen Company Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-07-10T15:00:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-11T16:15:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b621584a04332c39a493182f2dca6376\"},\"description\":\"Learn exactly how to write a Japanese Haiku poem in this blog post by The Pen Company - observe the world around you & get writing today!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/writing\/poetry\/how-to-write-a-haiku-poem\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/writing\/poetry\/how-to-write-a-haiku-poem\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/writing\/poetry\/how-to-write-a-haiku-poem\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"How to write a haiku poem\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"The Pen Company Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b621584a04332c39a493182f2dca6376\",\"name\":\"Lucy Williams\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f251747ed7a120404b73c37c381c4c96?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f251747ed7a120404b73c37c381c4c96?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lucy Williams\"},\"description\":\"Lucy is our lead editor and has been passionate about stationery since childhood. 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