Haiku Development from 17 Mora in Japan to 11 Syllables Around the Globe

Haiku Development from 17 Mora in Japan to 11 Syllables Around the Globe

Haiku - history and development

"After 100 years in translation and 50 years of intensive development in languages other than Japanese, haiku as a global form of poetry still lacks a standard definition, a situation that leads to vibrant debate by poets and academics around the world. . .This paper embellishes the current haiku debates, suggests guidelines for its translation, and compares how its 5-7-5 mora structure in Japanese could be reflected in an 11 syllable structure for the English version of the shortest poem in the world." --from the introduction of this essay by David McMurray.

McMurray, David

This article first appeared in the 2002, August issue of the Proceedings of the XVI International Federation of Translators at the 2002 World Congress, Vancouver, Canada.

2002

All rights reserved. This essay is republished here with the kind permission of the author.

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