(Leaf 33) – Senryu (or, witty tom-foolery)
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Illustration from 'Zen Mind, Beginners Mind' by Shunryu Suzuki (1970) |
R.H. Blyth writes: “Senryu
originated in the eighteenth century with Karai Hachiemon, 1718-90, whose
pen-name was Senryū. They are more cynical and less refined than haiku, but
what is more important, they lack the element of interpenetration which is the
religious aspect of all haiku. […] It is after all, to some extent, a personal
matter. If you emphasize the humour, it is senryu: if you look more at the poetry
it is a haiku.”* – I think the fine line distinguishing between haiku and senryu can
sometimes be a bit fuzzy, but I’d probably go along with that last sentence as good
basis for a definition. If a short poem has a wry, self-aware or knowing
quality, or if it provides a purely amusing diversion that awakens a smile,
then it could be called a senryu.
The fly,
rubbing its hands and feet
– a villainous plot?
*R.H. Blyth, ‘Haiku, Volume One:
Eastern Culture’ (Tokyo: The Hokuseido Press, 1981 [1949]), p. 198.