by Carol Howarth
Haibun is the mixture of Prose and Poetry (Haiku).
17th century Japanese poet Matsuo Basho combined prose with Haiku, and called it Haibun. The form includes a segment of prose followed by an Haiku.
Bruce Ross in How to haiku says that “haibun is prose writing that is expressed poetically, with figures of speech and rhythmic sound values, and is full of emotion, like the writing of a diary… sometimes the haiku will illustrate the insight of your narrative and sometimes it will extend the implications of your narrative”. In Young Poets Society. https://ypn.poetrysociety.org.uk/workshop/youve-written-haiku-now-try-haibun/
On the American poets.org site https://poets.org/text/more-birds-bees-and-trees-closer-look-writing-haibun, the writer states
'another important feature of the haibun is not simply to provide a writer a shape in which to jot mundane musings of landscape and travel but also to evoke that sense of aware—the quality of certain objects to evoke longing, sadness, or immediate sympathy.'
Example of a Modern Haibun by Dena Moes
Dena Moes: https://writingcooperative.com/what-is-haibun-bacca1cb1687
“We looked at the intersection of poetry and prose. I learned that Haibun was often used to describe travel scenes and experiences. Here is mine, a travel scene from my life, that happens daily at 8am.”
“Reminders start a half hour before. “Fifteen minutes!” I lie. She is coiled, cobra-like, all seventy-two pounds of her crouched at her mirror, liquid liner in her hand. I yell to be heard over the squeak of a Youtube make-up tutorial. Fifteen minutes later I call five minutes, then “Now!” I pass her lunch, gather homework, fill water bottle, find socks. Now, now, now, I beg. Combat boots are zipped.
We emerge into the morning. “Forgot something!” she sings, dashes in again. My frazzle meter rises. Too many minutes later, she climbs into the car next to me. Belts click, door closes, we are off, late again.
Annoyed, mad with love
I glance sideways at this girl.
Who will she become?”
History
The term "haibun" was first used by the 17th-century Japanese poet Matsuo Basho. He was a prominent early writer of haibun, then a new genre combining classical prototypes, Chinese prose
genres and vernacular subject matter and language. He wrote some haibun as travel accounts during his various journeys, the most famous of which is Oku no Hosomichi (Narrow Road to the Interior).
Bashō's shorter haibun include compositions devoted to travel and others focusing on character sketches, landscape scenes, anecdotal vignettes and occasional writings written to honor a specific patron or event. His Hut of the Phantom Dwelling can be classified as an essay while, in Saga Nikki (Saga Diary), he documents his day-to-day activities with his disciples on a summer retreat.
Traditional haibun typically took the form of a short description of a place, person or object, or a diary of a journey or other series of events in the poet's life. (Wikipedia)
We looked at an excerpt from The Narrow Road to the Interior by Matsuo Basho.
Emma's exercises
1. Write 3 paragraphs about a familiar journey. Use the 5 senses – Touch, smell, sight, hearing, taste. 15 minutes
2. Write a haiku. Either British way (5/7/5 syllables) or American way (Said in one breath). The haiku is another way of seeing the journey. Another insight. A twist (perhaps). 5 -10 mins.
3. Second exercise. Write a haibun. Emma had the example of de Maistre. Write a tour guide around your room. Use adjectives for objects to enhance the mood. e.g.: An aggrieved chair. Give the prose personality. Tackle it with Humour. Use ordinary language. 20 mins.
4. Write a haiku for the second exercise. Alter the tone or give an insight into the mood of the piece. 10 minutes
5. Third exercise. Make a Map of a little journey. Mark objects on the map which are guide posts. Examples: the lamp post where its light does not come on; graffiti; the tree that never has leaves on it. 10 minutes (Map)
This helps to visualise things. Turn the map into a text base. i.e. Write another haibun.(20 minutes)
6. The read round showed different approaches to the travel journey idea. Like many of us, Peter Hill had a journey round his bedroom lined with books from Abigail's Party to War and Peace. Steve Corton got directions to the same place three times with different landmarks ( pubs, churches and shops) and never found it. Ros remembered a drive to work in West Africa, Elizabeth in Europe and Jackie Lyndley began the journey to adulthood - “adulthood begins with the first cut of the apron strings”. Most were humorous.
7. Emma concluded with encouraging us to enter competitions for Haibun.
8. British Haiku Society (uses 5/7/5 haiku), http://britishhaikusociety.org.uk/2020/08/call-for-entries-bhs-awards-2020/
9. American Haiku Society ( uses 'all in one breath' haiku),not open yet
10. Short memoir contest by fishpublishing.com/competition/short-memoir-contest. BH and fish publishing deadlines are 31 Jan 2021.
11. Amazon and other booksellers' websites have Matsuo Basho's Narrow Road to the Interior.
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