Imagery in the Haiku
The haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that follows a five-seven-five syllable rule. The original term for haiku is Hokku, meaning “starting verse” (Basho, 217). Haikus normally focus on seasons, which can help the author feel more connected within the earth and more grounded, as well as the reader. The consistency of weather in the haiku also allows for an implied mood, for example the rain could imply sadness, sunshine could imply happiness, and snow could bring out a childlike feeling in somebody.
An example of this connectedness to earth can be found in the haiku titled “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost. In this haiku, he writes
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
In this section of the poem, Frost is writing about the golden hues the earth brings at dusk, tying the sunset’s colors to their impermanence when the sun is fully set. One could read this poem and find comfort in knowing that while yes, the colors are not permanent, it does not mean they are gone forever and we will see them again rather soon. His line “But only so an hour.” (Frost, 218) really puts an emphasis on this impermanence by providing a timeframe of the golden colors in the sky.
Frost, Robert “Nothing Gold Can Stay”. An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art. Edited by Anne Finch and Kathrine Varnes, U of Michigan P, 2002. p.p. 217, 222.
