HAIKU: Classic Japanese Short Poems

  The ancient form of Japanese verse known as haiku has become one of the world’s best-known and most-loved types of poetry. Its strict rules require 17 phonetic sounds; a sense of cutting or juxtaposing two varying images or ideas; and a reference to a season. From these restrictions come poems that explore everything from the year’s first blossom to aging, from catching sight of one’s shadow to crossing a stream in the summer. Haiku features 90 classic works spanning more than two centuries, from four writers: Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694), Yosa Buson (1716-1784), Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828), and Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902). Each verse in this stunning, traditionally bound collection is presented in Japanese script, along with Romanized Japanese (romaji) and an English translation.