Haiku (Pocket Edition)

Presented in a pocket-size volume, Haiku is an expert introduction and celebration of one of the most beautiful and accessible forms of poetry in the world. 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-size volume presents modern English translations of classic poems by the four great masters of Japanese haiku--Matsuo Bashō, 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.