and then he began to write - lutem venor

Hokku There are two aspects to hokku:

• 1. The form 
• 2. The content

Of these two aspects, the content takes some time to absorb, particularly the aesthetic spirit characterizing hokku. The form, on the other hand, takes only a few minutes.

It can easily be described and learned. An English language hokku is:

• 1. Written in three lines. The first letter of each line is capitalized. 
• 2. Fully punctuated. A hokku has one or more internal punctuation marks, and an ending punctuation mark. 
• 3. Divided into two parts, one longer, one shorter. The long part consists of two lines, the short part of only one line. The short part may begin or end the verse. 

An appropriate punctuation mark separates the two parts of a hokku. Punctuation in hokku is simple.

• A period (.) or appropriate punctuation ends a hokku.
• A semicolon is used for a meditative pause.
• A dash (–), typed as two hyphens, indicates a longer meditative pause. Ellipses (…) may serve a similar function.
• A comma (,)indicates a short, connective pause. 
• An exclamation point indicates something unusual, unexpected, surprising, or strongly emphasized. It is used rarely. 
• A question mark (?) indicates an asked but unanswered question. 

The simplicity and practicality of the hokku form in English enables the writer to concentrate on form. Let’s take a look at a verse — in this case a slight variation on a hokku by Issa:

          Autumn
          Evening clearing;
          Against the pale-blue sky –
          Rows of autumn hills.

At the top of the verse comes its overall seasonal setting, in this case autumn. The first line gives us the particular setting — “Evening clearing” — the clearing of the sky at evening. The sky having cleared, we see the subject of the verse in the second and third lines: 

          Against the pale-blue sky – 
          Rows of autumn hills. 

The primary punctuation mark that separates the two parts of the verse is the semicolon at the end of the first line: 

          Evening clearing; 

There is a secondary punctuation mark at the end of the second line, which in this case not only connects the second and third lines but also gives us a rather long meditative pause: 

          Against the pale-blue sky – 
          Rows of autumn hills. 

We could also use a comma if a shorter pause is desired: 

          Against the pale-blue sky, 
          Rows of autumn hills. 

Many verses have no secondary punctuation before the ending mark, but they always have the primary punctuation mark separating the long and short parts of the hokku. Just which punctuation mark to use in a given case depends upon how the writer wishes the verse to be read. Punctuation is used to guide the reader through the verse easily and without confusion, but it also provides fine shades of pause and emphasis that vary depending on which mark is employed. 

Now you know the outer form of hokku, and you should be able to easily use it. The trick, however, is to learn how to put good and effective content into that form, and learning that comprises all the rest of hokku.

 Matsuo Basho's
"Narrow Road to the Deep North"
Tr. by Nobuyuki Yuasa

Days and months are the travellers of eternity. So are the years that pass by. Those who steer a boat across the sea, or drive a horse over the earth till they succumb to the weight of years, spend every minute of their lives travelling. There are a great number of the ancients, too, who died on the road. I myself have been tempted for a long time by the cloud-moving wind- filled with a strong desire to wander.

The years hide the past with eternity. Yet memories seem so real - sometimes.

It was only toward the end of last autumn that I returned from rambling along the coast. I barely had time to sweep the cobwebs from my broken house on the River Sumida before the New Year, but no sooner had the spring mist begun to rise over the field than I wanted to be on the road again to cross the barrier-gate of Shirakawa in due time. The gods seem to have possessed my soul and turned it inside out, and the roadside images seemed to invite me from every corner, so that it was impossible for me to stay idle at home.

It was only toward the end of last autumn that I returned from rambling along the coast.

Behind this door
Now buried in deep grass
A different generation will celebrate
The Festival of Dolls.

Behind this door

It was early on the morning of March the twenty-seventh that I took to the road. There was darkness lingering in the sky, and the moon was still visible, though gradually thinning away. The faint shadow of Mount Fuji and the cherry blossoms of Ueno and Yanaka were bidding me a last farewell. My friends had got together the night before, and they all came with me on the boat to keep me company for the first few miles. When we got off the boat at Senju, however, the thought of three thousand miles before me suddenly filled my heart, and neither the houses of the town nor the faces of my friends could be seen by my tearful eyes except as a vision.

It was early on the morning of March the twenty-seventh that I took to the road.

The passing spring
Birds mourn,
Fishes weep
With tearful eyes.

The passing spring