The Arts
October 2020
Haiku Illustrated
by Hart Larrabee
Haiku is an ancient form of Japanese poetry. Its structure has become popular inother languages and today it is probably the best-known form of poetry worldwide.There are few rules to haiku, but they are strict: 17 phonetic sounds, a sense ofcutting images or ideas, and a reference to a season. From those restrictions, poetshave written about many things, from the year’s first blossom to aging, frommosquitoes humming to insects singing, from catching one’s shadow to crossing astream in the summer.Haiku Illustrated features 75 classic poems from four poets – Matsuo Bashō, YosaBuson, Kobayashi Issa and Masaoka Shiki – which range across more than 200 yearsof Japanese poetry.Each poem is presented in Japanese script, along with romanized Japanese (romaji) and an English translation. Each haiku is accompanied by an artwork illustrating an aspect of the poem, such as the traditional Japanese art of cherry blossom, Mount Fuji or village life. Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding and with a timeless design, Haiku Illustrated is an expert celebration of one of the most beautiful and accessible forms of poetry in the world.
