![]() Is it not true that art that contains music/rhythm is created with beauty, even if the subject matter is not beautiful? Canadian literary critic and novelist, H.R. British essayist and critic Walter Pater once said that “all art constantly applies towards the condition of music”. It is found in all forms of writing as well as in art. Rhythm has long been an effective creative technique used to arouse certain feelings, to create a particular mood. ![]() Perhaps Basho and those who followed (not to forget the translators) were well aware that poetry without some euphonic quality loses its impact overall. Not as pleasurable, is it? Why then, if not – in large part – for musical quality, are these words included? Let’s do the unthinkable: suppose Basho’s frog haiku was tightened, omitting “old” and “a”. Nevertheless, rhythm is frequently strong in their work, even in translation, and deserves some thought. Because the rhythms work so well, this haiku is not only pleasing to the mind, but to the ear as well.ĭid the masters, in their instruction on the form, choose not to dwell on rhythm because it is regarded as a poetic device, many such devices being discouraged in haiku? Maybe so. The third line, one syllable longer than the first, with the long emphasis on “water”, amplifies the musical rhythm, physical and implied. The action in the second line suggests a quickness, yet because this is the longest line in the poem (and because I’ve yet to hear “frog” said with any degree of curtness), my mind sees the frog almost in slow motion as it leaps in, thus the unfolding of a small crescendo. While the brief first line bluntly sets the scene – plop, you are here – a melodic sound to “pond” urges one to linger, even without the ellipsis. Haiku masters, although not emphasising the importance of musical quality in haiku, clearly acknowledged it. ![]() Considering that rhythm is an integral part of our reality, isn’t it appropriate that a certain amount be reflected in the haiku we write? We are comprised of rhythms, saturated in rhythms, move with rhythm.Īlthough we learn to ignore some rhythms, they register in our subconscious simply because they exist, while other rhythms that please the spirit are accepted willingly. Think for a moment about the variety of rhythms that pulsate through each day: wind, breeze, watersound, birdsong, barking dogs, the drone of traffic, bangs, bumps, whistles, whispers, heartbeats, breathing. It seems to me that in the quest for brevity, one of haiku’s most pleasurable ingredients is being challenged: rhythm. ![]() While some one- or two-word haiku are extremely clever, I regret to say that few touch me the way I’ve come to expect of haiku. Given that one of the main haiku rules is brevity, the arrival of the extra-lean or “skeletal” haiku was inevitable. ![]()
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