Haibun

 WHAT IS A HAIBUN?

A haibun is a Japanese style of poetry comprising haiku and prose. Popularized by 17th century Japanese poet Matsuo Basho, this style of poetry is usually descriptive and makes use of literary devices to create an imagery in the reader's mind. 

FORMAT OF A HAIBUN:

A haibun poem consists of a prose followed by a haiku. The prose comprises a paragraph without any verse lines. It includes a variety of metaphors and similes to describe the theme. This is followed by a haiku which is a three line verse with a specific syllabic structure. The first and third lines of the haiku comprise 5 syllables each and the second line comprises 7 syllables. An example of a haibun is 'No thing' by Jim Kacian.

"is what it seems, all words are slightly wrong . . . a freeble silted stream melandering by the farm might be Borges’ unnamed river of croglodytes and immortunity . . . swimming it i’m gnared by camivorous fish, which when it’s drained turn out to be the sharp edges of an iron windvein that’d fallen in . . . the farmer speaks an old tongue to his peasants, hishing and glagoritic . . . he has a roaster killed for the meal, but it’s sprats and lamb on the platter . . . the procession to the barn lit like a set for a 1940s Hollywood howdown, sharp shradows and gilty hay . . . all of this takes place in August, and is called Eastre . . .

same as yesterday —

a story to keep myself

company "

(by Jim Kacian)

Note: None of the poems we present belong to us. We present an organized record and analysis of them. All copyrights are reserved to the original author and we are not using plagiarized work. The originality of the writes is verified to the fullest extent we can.

TIPS FOR WRITING A HAIBUN:

1. Keeping the prose simple while making use of literary devices in order to maintain the reader's attention.
2. Trying to write in present tense in order to provoke the emotion of the reader being there in the event of the poem.
3. Using words and phrases in order to evoke the senses.
4. Making sure that the haiku entirely complements the verse. 

    Due to its beautiful structure and expressible design, this style of poetry is popular among poets all over the world. So dear reader, lift up your pens and start penning!

Cheers!

-Japman Aneja (member of team PoeTree FoRest)