Literary Glossary

A combination of prose and poetry developed in Japan in the late 17th century by Matsuo Munefusa (Basho). Haibun focuses on objective reporting of the everyday moment through prose entries (as in a journal) , with the conclusion focusing the insights of that moment into a theme developed in a brief poem (usually a haiku or tanka).

A terse, three-line poem intended to capture an image in juxtaposition with another image or thought, leading to an intuitive realization about the essence of that object or both objects.

In a literary sense, a genre of drama. Also, generally, a narrative of past events.