renga

Discussion 1 post |  Only members can post. Join?

About renga

Haiku derives from a type of Japanese court poetry called tanka that was popularized and refined during the 9th through 12 centuries. Tanka was often written to explore religious or courtly themes and had a structure of five lines with 5-7-5-7-7 syllable structure. During this period, it became a popular activity to write long strings of linked tanka verse. One person would often contribute the first three lines (5-7-5) of the poetic chain and a different author would complete the chain by composing a 7-7 section. Then another author would build on the previous 7-7, with another 5-7-5 passage. This chaining of verses called renga, could sometimes add up to hundreds of linked tanka.

The first part of the poem, called hokku or "starting verse," frequently set the tone for the rest of the poem, and the authors of hokku often earned the respect and admiration of their follow poets. By the 19th century, largely through the work of Masaoka Shiki, hokku began to be written and read as individual poems. From the word hokku derives our word haiku.

Add your pic then complete (or start a new haiku) to the pic immediately preceding yours.. To complete or add to use the 7-7 form. Next addition would be 5-7-5. Next 7-7. Getting the flow here? This could go forever and ever. But if you feel like ending a chain , then start a new one Simple.

Add a tag
<a href="http://flickr.com/groups/renga/">Haiku (俳句) renga<;/a>