Japanese Poetry: Tanka? You're Welcome!
IntroductionJapanese poetry, with its demands
on intuition and strict discipline of structure, content, restraint, and subtlety,
can sometimes confound a Western audience. Difficulty lies in translating the
concept of the on, or Japanese sound unit. Japanese forms often demand
a specific number of on, characters or sound units, which Westerners erroneously
equate to syllables. The evolution of the structures of Japanese make them complex,
and Western audiences, accustomed to meter, rhythm, and form, prefer to reduce
poetry to its simplest terms. This unit on the Japanese tanka encourages
students to explore the structure and content of the form and to arrive at a definition
of the structure in English. Guiding Question:What
are some reasons for writing poetry? If you were writing a love poem, what images
could you expect to find in the poem? What poetic devices do we usually expect
to find in a poem, for example, rhyme, meter, devices of sound and form? Are there
any forms of poetry that don't require all of these devices, e.g. free verse,
blank verse, haiku? How did rules of writing certain poetry forms come
to be? Learning ObjectivesAfter completing
this lesson, students will be able to: - identify a tanka
as a five-line poem of 31 on in a line pattern of 5-7-5-7-7 that examines
an image and responds on a personal, emotional level
- analyze a tanka
to determine its structure and intent
- recognize that Western writers
have adapted the tanka to suit the multi-syllabled words in English such
that not all English tanka have the same syllable count or line count
- understand
how a poem pivots from a poetic image to a linked emotional response
- compose
two tanka, one in traditional structure and one in the non-traditional,
non-restrictive form
Preparing to Teach this LessonFirst,
become familiar with the terms and the form of the tanka by reading the
excellent essays found at AHA! Poetry
tanka page, available through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource Academy
of American Poets. Between that and the website for Tanka
Splendor, also available through the Academy
of American Poets, you can experience such a variety of tanka that
you get a feel for the form. Become familiar with the Japanese poetic terms and
practice identifying how they apply to the sample tanka. A
form growing in popularity in Western culture is the tanka, a five-line
extension of the hokku pattern. In simplest terms, the traditional tanka
is a poem of 31 on which expresses a personal response to an image in nature.
In Japan, a tanka consists of 31 on, usually patterned as 5-7-5-7-7.
There should be two separate divisions, the dominant pattern being 5-7-5 / 7-7,
as if the last two lines acted as commentary on a haiku. The
kigo, or nature word, is important to the tanka, but rather than
simply observing the image, as in a haiku, the tanka links the image to
a personal emotion or a feeling about the topic. Its roots are the Japanese Imperial
Court and the intrigue of lovers, so the language is elevated, the tone formal,
yet intimate. Violence or images of war are not considered proper, or is humor
or satire. On a more advanced level, the tanka,
like the haiku, demands a pivoting on a word or phrase, a shift from the
examination of the image to the examination of the personal response. In
the West, tanka poets sometimes choose to retain the strict pattern of
31 syllables and the line divisions of specific counts. However, others feel it
is more important to preserve the content and simplicity of the intent of the
poem rather than adhere to arbitrary syllables, which are not the equivalent of
Japanese on. Second, become familiar
with the variety of terms you will encounter in the study of Japanese poetry.
World Literature students should master them and be able to identify them. Younger
students enjoy learning the Japanese words and become enthusiastic about discovering
their application. Glossary
of Japanese poetic terms (from Jane Reichold), available
through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource Academy
of American Poets:haiku (HI-COO)—a
verse of .haikai— Thus it originally meant a verse taken from a renga,
but in this century, it was coined by Shiki to be synonymous with hokku.
From this came the idea that haiku had to have the elements of the hokku,
a kigo and a kireji, but most important was the linking of images
completely within the three lines without relying on connections with other elements
to make a completed thought. kigo (KEY-GO)—seasonal
word—Nouns which imply the season because they have been traditionally associated
with certain times of the year in Japanese literature and/or real life. There
are winter bird and summer plants, spring activities and winter skies, fall trees
and summer holidays and the list goes on and on. on
(OH'N)—sound symbol—We refer to the things the Japanese count on their fingers
when writing poetry simply as “sound units.” Tokyo has three Japanese sound units:
to- k-yo. (Hence, in Japanese, it's not a
syllable; yet in English, we use syllables, so many Japanese poetry forms adapt
the on counts to become syllable counts.) renga
(RAY'N-GAH)—linked elegance—The Japanese poetry form in which three-line stanza
of 5-7-5 on are linked to a two- line 7-7 on, usually written by
two or more persons. Renga baffle Westerners because as a poetry form it lacks
a narrative, actual time sequence, and seems to only provide random images without
any connection or underlying rationale. senryu
(SEN-YOU-RUE)—river willow—The pen name of the most famous poet who conducted
maekuzuki (linking contests) has been given to this genre in his dubious
honor. Because haiku and senryu are written much alike, often on
the same subjects and usually by the same authors, great controversies have ensued
over which is what. For a time, in America, senryu were considered to be
faulty haiku. Actually, if one must differentiate, the senryu form
is satiric, concerned with poking fun at human behavior as opposed to the profound,
sublime world of nature where haiku shine. In Japan the distinction is
easier to find because all of their haiku contain a season word—kigo-and
senryu do not. Haiku are published with the author's name and senryu
are not. tanka (TAH'N-KAH)—short poem—Consisting
of 31 on in five units of 5-7-5-7-7, this lyrical form has existed since
earliest recorded Japanese literature. Along the way it has also been called uta
or waka. In many ways it is like the first two stanza of a renga
or is a tan renga written by one person. For writers who find haiku
too plain and lacking in emotion, the tanka is a great way to express feelings
and let your love live. The trick is not to sound sentimental, and this is usually
done by anchoring the thought in the reality of the natural world. tan
renga (TAH'N-RAY'N-GAH)—short linked elegance—A renga consisting of only two
linked stanza of 5-7-5 and 7-7, but written by two people. Finally,
select the samples from the Tanka
Splendor 2000 and 2001
sites, both available through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource Academy
of American Poets. The following examples
are selected for their exemplary nature; you may find others more suitable to
your purpose. Most of the poems from Tanka Splendor do not follow the structural
rules, so when choosing a variety, you should use ones which best teach the lesson. For
structure (5-7-5-7-7) Moon madness makes me Dance in delight
under stars I lift up my hands And feel my arms grow longer As they
wrap around the moon —Margaret Cheaseboro
The blue heron cries
White capped waves search for the shore We walk hand in hand Finding gentle
harmony Shaping a life together —David Glass
A lone saxophone
Cries out on the street corner Sweet, sweet intrusion! Grim faced commuters
rush past - No time for amazing grace —David Kirkland For
content and spirit Expecting you In the garden at dusk
I found a glowworm In the soft earth - warm And radiant, waiting too
—Sydney Bougy
Years on my own I still stare after A white-haired
couple The way his body Shields her from the wind —Thelma Mariano Suggested
Activities 1: Go Kigo!
Tanka On, Dude! 2: Tanka
- Take Two 3: As the Tanka
Turns 1: Go Kigo!
Tanka On, Dude! In this cooperative
activity for all levels of language arts, in groups of four, students will discuss
imagery and its impact on poetry and on the listener in order to arrive at an
understanding of the use of kigo. One student will read the poem, a second
will note any images from nature that might serve as kigo, a third will
interpret what season and emotion is represented by the kigo, and the fourth
will record the learnings to be read to the class. Students then analyze a poem
for its structure, then for content. Through discussion, students will arrive
at a consensus definition for a tanka. Ask:
Why do you suppose so many love poems contain images of flowers or sunsets or
other images of nature? (open-ended, but somehow related to emotions. Advanced
students may observe that some natural images serve as symbols, such as the rose
or the lily, the ocean, or the sunrise and sunset.) Explain:
In Japan, a reverence for nature is an important part of their culture, so it
appears throughout their poetry. They don't have to use nouns that come from nature.
Sometimes certain nouns represent the season and carry their own symbolic meanings.
These seasonal words are called "kigo." Ask:
What nouns might tell you it's winter? (snow, bare trees, fir tree, sleds) summer?
(beach, sunglasses) What if I said "sunglasses, snow, mountains"? (skiing) How
do the seasons represent our emotions? (winter = cold, death, sorrow, emptiness;
spring = new life, renewal, hope, joy) Distribute
the five sample tanka. Instruct each member of the cooperative group in
his or her role, encouraging them to provide good reasons for their arguments
regarding seasons and emotions. Allow ten minutes, then call on each group to
report. Ask one group to report on one poem only, then ask the rest of the groups
for support or dissent. Note: The Kirkland
poem may prove discomfiting, but students may argue that amazing grace suggests
hope, or that grim-faced suggests winter. Allow for open discussion, encouraging
the students to support their position. Explain:
These poems are in a form called a tanka. Most tanka are five lines
of 31 syllables, and usually the pattern for a tanka is 5-7-5-7-7 syllables in
a line. Ask: Which of these tanka
follow this pattern? (Cheaseboro, Glass, Kirkland) Why do you think the others
don't follow this pattern? (open-ended) Ask:
What does Japanese look like when it's written? (characters instead of letters)
Explain: Each individual character
represents a sound in Japanese. It could be a whole word, or it might be part
of a word, or it might represent an entire phrase. These units of sound are called
"on ." Japanese poetry is most often based on numbers of lines and numbers
of on in a line. Ask: In English, what
do we call a unit of sound? (syllable) Explain:
When English-speaking writers compose Japanese poetry forms, they try to match
the number of syllables to the number of on. This is very hard to do in
English because it sometimes takes a lot of syllables just to say one idea. Today
we're going to examine a very old Japanese poetry form called a tanka.
See if you can determine what the rules of structure are for composing tanka
based on these English versions. Distribute
the Cheaseboro and Glass poems. Allow five minutes for students to scan and arrive
at the conclusion of 31 syllables in five lines, distributed in a pattern of 5-7-5-7-7.
Ask: What else do both poems have in
common? (images of nature, expressing emotion, shifting from image of nature to
image of people) What do you imagine the people in the poem are feeling? (delight,
love) Explain: These images and emotions
are also part of the structure of a tanka. Put it all together and give
me a definition of a tanka. A tanka is a Japanese form of poetry that uses
31 syllables in five lines, in a pattern of 5-7-5-7-7, to examine an image of
nature and connect it to a person's emotions. Extensions: - Have
students create lists of kigo for seasons or emotions.
- Play a matching
game by writing a kigo word on a card and have someone guess the season
or emotion to which it corresponds.
- Have students use their kigo lists
to create a tanka of five lines.
- Combine with extensions for Lesson
1 to have students compose structurally accurate tanka that include the kigo
and the emotional response.
- Have students compose tan-renga with a
partner, where one composes the first three lines using a kigo and the
partner composes the final two lines suggesting an emotional response to the kigo.
Then reverse roles and compose the first three lines with an emotion and the final
two lines with the corresponding kigo. Ask students which form they prefer,
and why.
2: Tanka
- Take Two This activity for mid-level
to advanced students is designed to follow the previous lesson. Students should
have an understanding of the basic structure and form of a tanka and synthesize
this with new learnings to draw a conclusion about the content of a tanka.
Distribute the remaining sample tanka.
Have students form groups of three. One student should read each aloud; then the
group should discuss whether these actually fit the definition of tanka
they have devised. A second student should record the responses for the third
student to report to the class. This activity should generate a heated discussion
regarding syllable count, kigo, and emotional responses: the Kirkland poem
doesn't have an obvious kigo; the Bougy and Mariano poems don't have the
requisite syllable count. Inform the students that all of these poems are award-winning
tanka and ask them to explain what all five tanka have in common.
Students should conclude that emotion is expressed based on an image. Ask:
Why do you suppose these authors chose to ignore the syllable count? (because
the Japanese on isn't exactly the same as the English syllable, so they
chose to capture the spirit instead) Extension: - Have
students compose a tanka, structured or unstructured, without using a kigo,
but some other non-natural object.
- Have students compose one of each kind
of tanka and comment on the process. Which did they prefer, and why?
3:
As the Tanka Turns This activity
for advanced students is designed to follow Lesson 2; students should have a full
understanding of the tanka in English and will synthesize these learnings,
using critical thinking skills to analyze various tanka for their "pivoting"
moment. Explain that the fine point of a Japanese
poem in almost any form is the point where the poem "pivots." In most Japanese
short forms, one line of the poem might serve to conclude the first half or begin
the second half; or, it could stand on its own apart from the rest of the poem,
as a commentary on the whole poem. Ask students to identify the "pivot" of each
of the sample tanka. This is a challenging exercise, and they may have
difficulty. This is not intended to have a fixed response, but students must be
able to defend their choices. Extension: - Have students
analyze their own tanka for the pivotal line.
- If students find they
don't have a pivot, encourage them to edit their work to conform to the advanced
form.
Extending the Lesson - Encourage
students to explore all the sample tanka found in the Tanka Splendor
pages.
- Encourage students to submit their tanka to the Tanka Splendor
competition.
- Organize groups to compose renga and tan-renga.
Hold a "Renga Party" with appropriate Japanese music, decorations, and
tea.
Selected EDSITEment Websites
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