Forum: english.stackexchange.com
Tags: <literature><poetry>
Title: What are the rules in composing a Haiku? (aside from the syllable count)
Question: Aside from the syllable count what else do I need consider when writing a Haiku?I'm referring to the English imitation of a Haiku. I have been told that the first two lines should be descriptions and the third line should be the conclusion. But I've noticed that this is not always true. Does a Haiku need to be about nature?

Answers:
sents: text: The simple answer is that if Haiku is not about nature, it is called Senryu .
text: I've heard different views on whether the Japanese definition is different than the non-Japanese ones, and whether the syllable counts can differ.
text: There seems to be some subjectivity on definitions, in English poetry at least.
text: I think the following is Senryu, but you could make a case for it being Haiku: Bugs fall like rain upon my code compiler
text: shrieks like the wind Blue Screen
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/152/Taldaugion
score: 12
sents: text: The idea of a haiku in English doesn't really make that much sense.
text: First of all, you might want to note that the whole idea of seventeen syllables is a bogus one.
text: A Japanese haiku consists of seventeen moras (beats) rather than seventeen syllables.
text: E.g. Tokyo ("To-u-kyo-u" in Japanese) is four moras but two syllables.
text: A haiku should have seventeen of these moras, not seventeen syllables.
text: One rule I can think of is that traditionally Japanese haiku had to start with a "seasonal word" ("kigo" in Japanese).
text: But there are no "seasonal words" in English.
text: Nowadays the haiku printed on tea cans in Japan don't have seasonal words so that is purely a traditional arrangement.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/None/
score: 10
sents: text: Use the first two lines To establish the context; Then go for the kill.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/303/Steve Melnikoff
score: 9
sents: text: I adhere to the 5-7-5 syllable scheme, because...
text: well, I was taught that when young and I'm too old to change.
text: The key idea is "do not waste even a syllable".
text: So, my opinion is that: A haiku should Have 3 very short lines; personally, I'm stuck on 5-7-5.
text: It should meld two discordant notions and Say something that has never been said before.
text: Big bonus points if your second line applies clearly to both your first and your third lines, very cool.
text: Topic doesn't matter.
text: Be you.
text: This is my personal opinion, not a scholarly attempt to answer the question.
text: I understand that in English, we can say a lot more in 17 syllables than they can in Japanese.
text: Regardless, the idea is to say a lot with a little.
text: Make the reader think.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/40371/Roger Kohn
score: 6
sents: text: poetic aspects should fall gently, from the page like leaves in autumn
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/588/Ed Guiness
score: 5
sents: text: First, pick your subject Write down some words about it Count your syllables
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/None/
score: 3

Summary of the answers:
There are no agreed rules for composing an English imitation of a Haiku. However, if it is not about nature, such a piece would be called Senryu. In fact, some would argue that the concept of a Haiku doesn't make sense in English. That said, one traditional rule is that a Japanese haiku should start with a "seasonal word".
If a Haiku is not about nature, it is called a Senryu. A haiku should Have 3 very short lines, preferable in a 5-7-5 arrangement.
There are no agreed rules for composing an English imitation of a Haiku. However, if it is not about nature, such a piece would be called Senryu. In fact, some would argue that the concept of a Haiku doesn't make sense in English. That said, one traditional rule is that a Japanese haiku should start with a "seasonal word".
The simple answer is that if Haiku is not about nature, it is called  Senryu . Use the first two lines  to establish the context;   Then go for the kill.  Regardless, the idea is to say a lot with a little.
Some say the idea of a haiku in English doesn't really makesense. If a Haiku is not about nature, it is called a  Senryu. However, it should be three lines. Use the first two lines  to establish the context and then finish it.
There does not appear to be agreement about how to write an English haiku and some people may feel that the concept of haikus is irrelevant to the English language. However, there is a general acceptance that haikus should have three lines of which the third should be the conclusion. Additionally, a haiku may not need to be about nature, but if it is not about nature, it is known as Senryu.