- Poetry from Japan.
- Consists of seventeen syllables arranged in three lines.
- The first line had five syllables, the second has seven, and the third has five.
- The poet generally describes a fleeting moment in nature; usually something he has observed and that has moved him.
- Through the haiku's simple image or series of images, the
poet tries to arouse in the reader the same sensation that he has
experienced.
Example:
The lightning flashes!
And slashing through the darkness,
A night-heron's screech.
Bashó
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- Light or humorous verse
- Generally, every limerick has five lines: three long lines
(the first, second, and fifth) that rhyme with each other, and two
short lines (the third and the fourth) that rhyme.
- The purpose of most limericks is to make the reader laugh.
Example:
A bull- voiced young fellow of Pawling
Competes in the meets for hog-calling;
The people applaud,
And the judges are awed,
But the hogs find it simply appalling.
Morris Bishop
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