SENYRU
Senyru
is a 3-lined Japanese poem that uses more general subjects than Haiku. It is
not restricted to 17 syllables either. Here is an example:
Fog is a misty kind of a thing
It swirls through the trees
And usually sleeps on the lake.
TANKA
A tanka is quite similar to Japanese haiku, but consists of a
total of 31 syllables distributed as follows:
Line 1: 5 syllables
Line 2: 7 syllables
Line 3: 5 syllables
Line 4: 7 syllables
Line 5: 7 syllables
They are usually written with nature or mood in mind. Here is an example:
The birds are chirping
Quietly in the forest
Watching for some worms
To appear after the rain
Oh, so patiently they wait.
LANTERN
A lantern is a light and airy Japanese poem that follows a
syllabic pattern as follows:
Line 1: one syllable (noun)
Line 2: two syllables (describing noun)
Line 3: three syllables (describing noun)
Line 4: four syllables (describing noun)
Line 5: one syllable (another word for the noun in line one)
They may be written in the shape of a Japanese lantern.
Here is an example:
Sheep
Bleating
Black and white
Grazing in fields
Ewes
CHAIN LANTERNS
Chain lanterns are simply groups of lantern poems that are joined
together. The pattern of syllables is the same (1,2,3,4,1) and the chain should
be at least three verses long. Some chains are longer! In this case, the first
and last lines need not be synonyms. Here is an example:
Some
little
kitten purrs
gently by the
fire.
Sleep
comes quite
easily
to a drowsy
one.
Soon
she will
be dreaming
of a big fat
mouse!
SIJO
A sijo is a poem with a specific pattern of syllables. They are as
follows:
Six lines
six to eight syllables in each line
forty-two to forty-eight syllables in all
Here is an example:
Many boats are in the harbor
On this bright and sunny day!
Waiting for a crew to arrive
To prepare them for a run
Sails will be billowing
Wind will carry them all away.
