haikaiTALKS: Stressed Alliteration | a saturday gathering under the banyan tree
host: Srinivasa Sambangi
15th March 2025
haikaiTALKS: a saturday gathering under the banyan tree
Your host for haikaiTALKS: Srinivas Sambangi
haikaiTALKS 15 th March 2025
Stressed Alliteration:
In continuation of the last week’s initial alliteration, this week let’s focus on the second of the six alliteration classifications, i.e., stressed alliteration.
My principal source of this write-up is the book Japanese Haiku – Its Essential Nature and History by Kenneth Yasuda.
As per Merriam Webster dictionary alliteration means “the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables”
Alliteration occupies a special place in haiku. The language of alliteration is gentle compared to the language of rhyme. Alliteration can be broadly categorised into six classifications: initial, stressed, syllable, oblique, buried and crossed alliteration.
This week we will focus on stressed alliteration.
Stressed Alliteration
It’s similar to initial alliteration. It has to deal with the same first consonants in words in close conjunction. The difference is, the first consonants are stressed. Stressed syllable is a syllable in a word that is emphasized more than other syllables.
Flowers give but perfume
To the one who breaks the branch
From the plum in bloom
– Chiyo-ni
In the above example, we find two stressed syllables in line 2, two consonants at the beginning of the words breaks and branch. The emphasis of br’s in line 2 is very strong and it brings out the horizontal rhythm to the poem.
thundering through
the thorns and thistles
prey and predator
– Ravi Kiran
Notice how many stressed consonants are repeated in Ravi Kiran’s haiku at the beginning of the words
Please quote some examples of yours or other poets this week.
You may try to write a new poem as well.
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KIGO WORDS (Not applicable for the prompt this week!!)
Shall we please try to include a kigo word in all the poems we share here?
Give the season and the word—under your poem.
I'm quoting Lev Hart's request here: "This week’s goal is to compose two verses with toriawase, blending wabi, sabi, karumi, mono no aware, and/or yugen. Tell us which aesthetic concepts you mean to express in a line below the verse. Strive for originality. Avoid stock phrases and shopworn images."
For seasonal references, please check these lists:
“A Dictionary of Haiku Classified by Season Words with Traditional and Modern Methods,” by Jane Reichhold:
indian subcontinent SAIJIKI:
The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words:
The World Kigo Database:
The Yuki Teikei Haiku Season Word List:
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Thank you for this post, Srinivas.
I hope our poets take the challenge and create a haiku on these lines!
Dear Members,
Please give your feedback on others' commentary and poems too. _()_
We are continuing haikaiTALKS in a grand way!
Keep writing and commenting! _kala
#1 3-20-25
(playing with the theme of "stressed" alliteration)
anxiously
I tiptoe toward tomorrow
feeling frenetic
Jennifer Gurney, US
squirrels squabbling
all the way
winter wind
Kala Ramesh #2
Feedback welcome
L1 has two 'stressed alliteration' way and winter - are 'initial alliteration'
winter wind is a kigo word and is a 'stressed alliteration' too!
Am I correct in my assumptions, Srinivas?
An interesting and challenging prompt. Gives food for thought.
#1 [20.03.2025]
practical exam
the pressure to pray
prevails
-- Srini, India
Comments welcome
#2, 20/3, (just trying)
1.
the flight of fireflies
in the constant constellation
scattered stars
Or
the flight of fireflies
in the galactic galaxy
scattered stars
Lakshmi Iyer, India
Feedback welcome