A resource for the grade 9 ELA curriculum module, Global Approaches to Nature Poetry

1. Understanding Haiku
Observing Nature Through Poetry

2. Experiencing the Natural World
• Haiku (HI-coo) is a form of poetry, first
made popular in ancient Japan, that has
become appreciated around the world.
• It is also a way of experiencing the
world, especially the natural world.
• It tries to capture an “a-ha” moment
resulting from observing nature.

3. Achieving Enlightenment
• Poets felt that by observing
nature, they could achieve
enlightenment.
• The Japanese term for enlightenment
is “satori” (sa-TOR-ee).
• Satori or enlightenment occurs in the
moment when the poet/reader is
“united with” the object of nature he
or she is observing.

4. Haiku Structure
• Haiku does not have a title.
• Lines of haiku do not rhyme.
• Haiku does not use similes or metaphors.
• Traditional haiku consists of 3 lines:
Line 1 = 5 syllables
Line 2 = 7 syllables
Line 3 = 5 syllables

5. Haiku Images
• Japanese haiku typically joins
together two images.
• Images are a direct observation of
nature, simple and objective, not
abstract.
• Haiku images are perceived through
one of your five senses.

6. Cuts and Pivot Words
• A cut is a punctuation mark (such as a
comma, hyphen, ellipsis, or colon) that
separates the two images in a haiku.
• A pivot word is the key word in the
poem. It applies to both images and
affects our perception of how the
images relate. The pivot word often
gives you an idea how the poet wants
you to connect the two images. It can be
as simple as a preposition such as “in.”

7. Joining Images
• The two images in haiku are usually
joined together to provide one of
three things:
• A comparison
• A contrast
• An association of some kind
• Images are joined to provide an
“a-ha” moment, a deeply observed
moment in time

8. The Importance of a Season
• Every haiku includes a kigo (KEE-go), a
natural image that helps the reader
identify the season.
• In some haiku, the kigo is a specific
mention of the season
(spring, winter, autumn, or summer).

9. The Importance of a Season
• Other haiku use an image that is meant
to evoke a particular season. For
example, snow evoke winter, falling
leaves evoke autumn, and so on.
• Some Japanese haiku depend on the
reader to know when a natural
phenomenon is most likely to occur. For
example, cherry blossoms symbolize
spring to a Japanese reader, and frogs
symbolize summer.

10. Modern Haiku
• Many English haiku poets and
translators believe that adhering to the
17-syllable structure is less important
than maintaining brevity and sharing the
writer’s experience of the moment.
• They believe that a more compressed
form of 11 to 13 syllables for the entire
haiku (with no specific syllable count for
each line) better captures the spirit of
Japanese haiku.

11. 17th Century Japanese Poet
Matsuo Bashō

12. Haiku by Matsuo Bashō
Example #1
The old pond:
A frog jumps in—
The sound of water.
Translated by R.H. Blyth

13. Haiku by Matsuo Bashō
Example #2
A clear waterfall—
Into the ripples
Fall green pine-needles.
Translated by R.H. Blyth

14. Haiku by Matsuo Bashō
Example #3
Winter solitude—
In a world of one color
The sound of wind.
Translated by R.H. Blyth

15. Haiku by Matsuo Bashō
Example #4
Spring air—
Woven mood
And plum scent.
Translated by R.H. Blyth