Mini Encyclopedia Haiku

Haiku features 80 classic poems from four poets – Matsuo Bashō, Yosa Buson, Kobayashi Issa and Masaoka Shiki – which range across more than 200 years of Japanese poetry. Each poem is presented in Japanese script, along with romanised Japanese (romaji), a new English translation and an illustration echoing the poem's theme. Haiku – seventeen-syllable poems that evoke worlds despite their brevity – have captivated Japanese readers since the seventeenth century. Today the form is practiced worldwide and has become established as part of our common global heritage. This handy pocket-sized volume presents modern English translations of classic poems by the four great masters of Japanese haiku – Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson, Kobayashi Issa, and Masaoka Shiki – accompanied by both the original Japanese and a phonetic transcription, and a photograph or artwork highlighting or echoing the poem's theme. With a timeless design, Haiku is an expert introduction and celebration of one of the most beautiful and accessible forms of poetry in the world.