Howdy, Mike,
Well, the art-form has a "form" to it, and I suppose if we write from scratch
in English -- our own poem -- it can be good to honor the form and be guided as
well as constrained by it.
But for translations, some translators stick to the form, while others don't
feel compelled to do so. I think there's a bit of vanity shown by a translator
who casts someone else's poem in that form, when I think the form does not help
a translation much. I think it's enough for a reader to read the translation
to understand the words, and then to read the Japanese again and again, for the
sound and the music.
By the way, Aitken Roshi's first published book (essentially his Master's
thesis done at University of Hawai'i in 1950), is great on this score. The
original is given; his translations are literal and word-for-word; and his own
more idiomatic English translations follow. I don't believe he adheres to the
numerical syllable count form. The books is BASHO'S HAIKU AND ZEN. A great
book, for the poetry, for insight on Bassho's life and practice, and for
practical insights on zen practice, by a master (recently deceased).
I think the American lyric poet Allen Ginsburg translated Bassho's most famous
poem without regard to syllable-count in the translation, "Old Pond":
Old pond;
frog jumps in.
Plop!
(I count just six syllables in all).
But don't miss the original! Maybe see Robert Aitken's book for that, if you
have it.
--Joe
> mike brown <uerusuboyo@...> wrote:
> Yes, you're quite correct - Haiku doesn't have to strictly follow the 5-7-5
> rule to be regarded as haiku anymore.
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