East Asian Form Poems
An Analysis of Structure and Content
Tankas
"I Waited and I" by Princess Nukada
Little is known about Princess Nukada, all knowledge of her life came from her poems. Princess Nudaka was the most accomplished female poet in the 7th century and was one of the earliest tanka composers.
Little is known about Princess Nukada, all knowledge of her life came from her poems. Princess Nudaka was the most accomplished female poet in the 7th century and was one of the earliest tanka composers.
Haiku
Temple bells die out.
The fragrant blossoms remain.
A perfect evening!
Matsuo Basho-
Matsuo Basho, the son of a samurai, had been acknowledged as a successful poet and and started his own poetry school before he was thirty. He is widely regarded as one of the most famous Japanese poets during the Edo era (1600's - late 1800s). Like many poets of his time, Basho's poems often reflected his first hand experience of the world around him.
I kill an ant
I realize my three children
have been watching.
Kawahigashi Hekigoto-
Kawahigashi Hekigoto was also the son of a samurai. He created his own style of haiku and was a prominent student of the haiku master Masaoka Shiki. He ended up abandoning the structure of haiku in favor of free verse.