Direct speech

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Direct speech in Haiku
chokusetsu wahoo 直接話法 . Direkte Rede

Direct speech can be used in Haiku.

Direct speach is usually quoted speech, ". . .", that is presented without modification, to represent it as it might have been uttered by the original speaker.


In Japanese we do not use apostrophy for this, but the postposition TO.

We can also include haiku when the poet speaks to himself or to the animals and flowers, like Issa often does.

When asking a question, the Japanese have no question mark either, but use KA at the end of the question.

Equally, an exclamation in haiku is often followed by YA or YO. There is no exclamation mark in Japanese.

direct speach, indirect speach and reported speach

Let us look at some sample haiku.


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aki no kure hi ya tomosan to toi ni kuru

autumn evening -
"shall we make light?"
she comes to ask

Ochi Etsujin 越智越人
This is his death poem (jisei).


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山畠や種蒔よしと鳥のなく　
yamahata ya tanemaki yoshi to tori no naku

"In the mountain fields
they are sowing seeds now! Great!"　
birds are spreading the word

Kobayashi Issa

(There is even a personification, or rather animalification here, as the birds are talking happily. The verb used is naku, and can be translated in many ways for the voice of an animal. )


. . . . .


我と来て遊べや親のない雀
ware to kite asobe ya oya no nai suzume

come here
and play with me,
sparrow without parents !

Kobayashi Issa


. . . . .

吼る鹿おれをうさんと思ふかよ
hoeru shika ore o usan to omou ka yo

barking deer
do you think I'm
a suspicious character?

Tr. David Lanoue

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秋深き 隣は何を する人ぞ
aki fukaki tonari wa nani o suru hito zo

autumn deepens
and I wonder,
what is my neighbour doing?
Tr. Gabi Greve


There are various translations of this famous haiku by Matsuo Basho.

. Autumn deepens 　


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Things found on the way



『俳句で楽しく文語文法』
山西雅子



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Related words

***** . Haiku Theory Archives . 　

. WKD - LIST of haiku topics and Keywords 　

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