Haiku, Hardcover

Haiku is an ancient form of Japanese poetry. Its structure has become popular in other languages and today it is probably the best know form of poetry worldwide. There are few rules to haiku, but they are strict: 17 phonetic sounds, a sense of cutting images or ideas, and a reference to a season. From those restrictions, poets have written about many things, from the year's first blossom to aging, from mosquitoes humming to insects singing, from catching one's shadow to crossing a stream in the summer. 'Haiku' features 90 classic poems from four poets: Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson, Kobayashi Issa and Masaoka Shiki which range across more than 200 years of Japanese poetry.