On Tanka
I suppose it is no surprise that I am a writer.
Some of you are explicitly following me for that if I'm honest.
So then what do I write?
Poetry.
I love poetry.
It's fast, evocative and passionate.
It can also be long winded, winding and solemn.
But out of all these I prefer writing Tanka.
Now what is a tanka?
It's a Japanese form of poetry not to dissimilar to Haiku. There are some differences though.
Tanka has a longer form to it. Haiku only goes 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. [Now mind this is adapted towards English which doesn't have things like vowel weight]. Tanka is 5-7-5-7-7. To that end, I wish to present a tanka I wrote once.
The fox has been here Besides me in my spring youth Till we became one A question still lingers here, Were we separate at all?
So, let's analyze this shall we?
The syllable structure is very tight and well organized. Like Haiku, the Tanka has a word that is tied to the season it was written in [Spring]. It evokes a mood as a haiku, gentle self acceptance and identity. But as it stands as Haiku, it lacks a turning word, a sudden shift to a different note.
If I left this as a Haiku, it would read
The fox has been here Besides me in my spring youth Till we became one
And that's fine, but very one note. The addition of the other two lines gives it a nuance that it lacks as a Haiku. The vibe changes from self acceptance and peace, to one that also reflects inward about the poet [Me] and the identity I have made for myself. This is why I love Tanka.
Anyway, I hope this has been educational.
