Here is an example of some famous Haiku (continued discussion from yesterday)

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

Haiku’s first great poet was Basho Matsuo, who developed the contemplative nature that often characterizes haiku by basing his material on the writings of ancient philosophers, which contained certain elements and descriptions that were well suited to this short form of poetry.

Here are a few of his famous poems. Keep in mind that they don’t translate exactly in the 5-7-5 syllable form, but that in Japanese they are 5-7-5.

on a barren branch

a raven has perched–

autumn dusk

or:

old pond…

a frog leaps in

water’s sound

(I’m sure they are 10x as beautiful in original form)

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