ChanomiTalk

Tips to enjoy writing　英語俳句を楽しむ為に


One of the goals of haiku poetry is to be concise. Brevity is, in fact, often more important than grammar.

There are a lot of words in the English language that serve mostly grammatical functions. Not every English speaker would be able to explain what they mean, but they would all surely agree that a sentence just wouldn’t sound right without them.

The thing about haiku, contrary to what many early adopters of the form believed, is that they aren’t sentences. They don’t, strictly speaking, have to adhere to any kind of grammar at all. In addition, while those grammatical function words tend to clarify one’s meaning and lead to more precise utterances, haiku also don’t concern themselves very much with precision. Vagueness and incompleteness actually lead to a more profound impact on the reader. If the relationships between the images presented are left unclear, the union between those images is strengthened by many possible relationships all coming into play at once.

Here is a sampling of nine “function words” chosen from the group of around 300 such words that English uses:

of, at, in, the, a, and, that, when, while

Here is a challenge for you as you write your haiku: use the above words (and words like them) as little as possible!

I will conclude with the following two English translations of a Japanese haiku. How many function words does each one use, and what is the effect of those words on the flow of the poems?


夜桜の花弁ひとひら三日月や

a petal at night
above the cherry blossoms
a crescent moon

cherry petal
under the night sky
crescent moon


When used sparingly, and in the right locations, function words can have a beneficial effect on the flow and rhythm of a poem.


– Chay Schiller

air at night
thick with music
people come



人が来て歌で濃くなり夜の風情
ひと が きて　うた で こくなり　よ の ふぜい

– Chay Schiller

夜桜の花弁ひとひら三日月や

よざくら の　かべん ひとひら　みかづき や



cherry petal
under the night sky
crescent moon



– Nakamura Michiko

a look of panic
into the dark submarine
smiling person leaves

Sometimes before going or when actually entering the submarine the customer’s expression is one of almost panic. Once the customer is in the submarine they calm down and when the tour is over and they are getting out of the submarine they look like a different person than before!





海中の遊覧体験客の笑み
かいちゅう の　ゆうらん たいけん　きゃく の えみ

時として、潜水艦に乗る前に、お客様の顔を見ると、すごく緊張した顔つきをしています。お客様が潜水艦に乗ると、気持ちが落ち着きます。ツアーが終わってから、潜水艦から降りていらっしゃるお客様の表情は、ずいぶん違う人に見えます。




– Jim Woodhull
– Japanese by Jim Woodhull and Nakamura Michiko