Tanka, like Haiku, is again a form of Japanese Lyric Poetry.
[As you know by now, :) ] A Haiku works with 17 syllables arranged in 3 lines of 5/7/5 syllables to each line, and evokes an aspect of nature and the seasons, with the last line holding the punch so to speak.
A few haiku here, in my previous post!
Tanka on the other hand gives the writer more space to work with – 31 syllables, arranged in 5 lines of 5/7/5/7/7 syllables each. Tanka is an older form of the lyric in Japanese… dating to 13 centuries ago, while Haiku is just about 3 centuries ago..
Tanka was mainly written between lovers, as society had accepted the fact that a man’s dallying with another woman, other than his wife was normal!! After the man departed early in the morning, he would send a Tanka to his lady love with his message of love..
I hope you enjoy these Tanka, and that you will try some of your own!
Morning After...
A fiery blush
warming your palm under my
face, on the pillow-
the morning after the night
before – in our crimson dawn.
20 April, 07
(Picture from : www.betweenthesheets.co.uk)
***
Death Smiles
[Tanka in Tandem]
Tall, vain, proud- but now slain, lies
Picture-perfect on
The coffin of her mistress,
Whose hand fed that vanity!
Death waits and smiles in
Irony – the beautiful rose
Tall and proud, now his
Prize: another soul to take
Away – unexpected Gift!
30 April, ‘07
(Pictures from : scholez18.blogspot.com ; www.guardian.co.uk)
***
A Note on the Lover's Bedside
[Tanka in Tandem]
Love, I leave you now-
your hair spread over pillows
soft ; your body in
wanton pleasure, covered by
satin sheets white: Oh! pure grace!
So that my heart – yet
again whetted by your thoughts;
my breath savouring
your promises, beckoning
delights; returning to you!
10 May, ‘07
(Picture from: www.dallas-sleep.com)
***
Me in You!
What's it about you
I love most, you ask and wait;
O Love, don't you know?
Not passion- not body sweet!
But me, in you, held captive!
16 September, 07
(Picture from : http://www.chiselstudio.com.au)
***
Breeze of Love
Thoughts of you blow a
Gentle breeze, running fingers
through my hair, your way!
Whispering, a feather touch
Vow; our love of yester eve!
16 September, 07
(Picture from : www.prlog.org)
***
ah so tender!
ReplyDeleteI am surely gonna try it :D :D
my first try...
ReplyDeleteIf I could turn back,
And change the world we conceived,
Knowing what awaits,
This quaint nest of innocence
I wouldn't change any thing
Meena, this is beautiful, the one you have written too! Do post it in your blog [where, incidentally, I know I'm long overdue :P] Thanks for dropping in so promptly and sharing that Tanka here! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteOh so romantic, so gentle! Beautiful! I particularly liked the Me in You one, just too good. :)
ReplyDeleteoh my god....oh my god...its raining haiku's n tanka's...you will have me addicted to japanese stuff if it goes on like this and you could see me scribbling a day in the life of Yo Tuang Chang...he he...
ReplyDeletecoming back to the post...mind blowing...you have weaved such lovely lines yaar...i am mesmerized by the lines:
Thoughts of you blow a
Gentle breeze, running fingers
through my hair, your way!
hats off....
Tara, thank you :)Ever so much!!
ReplyDeleteSandeep, Lol!! Indeed it seems that way does it not :) Well I discovered these only about a year ago, and these are just amateur efforts when I indulged in a bit of that genre :) Glad you like it!
And yes, do write about the authentic Haiku and Tanka writer, lol!! That would make for real interesting reading... hehehe! Thanks Sandeep! A pleasure to hear from you!
Usha,
ReplyDeleteTanka sounds more like a dance form, like Samba. The only Tanka (or something similar sounding) I knew till now was - tan 'tanaka' tan 'tanaka' tan 'tanaka' tan.. :-)
Next time I meet a poet and I am forced into a conversation, I will ask him/her if he/she writes Haiku or Tanka. I am sure I will have him/her stumped with my knowledge of poetry!
I would have tried some tanka (ha, how ambitious!) if only I had somebody to send it to :-)
Untill then, keep them coming.
Cheers,
Lovely. And informative too. I don't think I could ever write such sweet, gentle, romantic stuff!
ReplyDeletethough it dint strike a chord with me(maybe because am less of a romantic..hehhee) as the haikus, I enjoyed it thoroughly...
ReplyDeletehaven't heard about 'Tanka' before..thnks for the info..
Quite a romantic post! Thanks also for the note on Tanka!
ReplyDeleteCheers
Rakesh
the ones on love are such pure droplets drenching the soul :)
ReplyDeletehmmmmmmmm......im savoring :)
Salil, well, to be absolutely honest, Tanka was a discovery for me too :) Glad that whatever information is here, can provide fodder for performance, when it comes to striking up conversations with a poet :) And I hope you do meet someone you'd like to send one to:) :) Thanks for that delight of a note!
ReplyDeleteIHM, thank you so much! And I do wish I had that incisive, inquisitive and probing manner of introspection and expression that you seem to so effortlessly do, in all of your thought-provoking and pertinent posts! Thanks for the good words here!
Praveen, lol... each to his own, dear young man:) Happy to note you did get some info. though! Thanks so much for stopping and letting me know too!!
Rakesh, certainly the Tanka are as romantic as they get, that particular type of lyric poetry. I do believe there used to be competitions for writing Tanka, in those days too! Thanks for the kind words too!
Shal.. I so love the way you describe them! Thanks, thanks thanks... :)
Me in you is splendid and so is the note on the lovers bed side :).
ReplyDeleteOssom!
Looking forward to more of ur tankas :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Mahita.. :) I dont know about it though :)
ReplyDeletewow!....oh my god!
ReplyDeleteDid you say romantic?
Tanka?whatever this form is...you had me with these..right at the beginning..
''A fiery blush
warming your palm under my
face, on the pillow-
the morning after the night
before – in our crimson dawn.''
*sigh*
...oh!oh!oh!
Everyhting here speaks...of love and passion and of an abandon....
oh my!let me catch my breath....
''What's it about you
I love most, you ask and wait;
O Love, don't you know?
Not passion- not body sweet!
But me, in you, held captive!''
I loved all of it...specially these and the ones that come at the end too...
Now let me go dig deep into the archives...its going to be fun...:)
I have so much to read....:)
Indy-gurl.. :) Thank ye... am replete with your wondering wonderful comment! Thank you thank you thank you... :)
ReplyDelete