haikaiTALKS: Initial Alliteration | a saturday gathering under the banyan tree
host: Srinivasa Sambangi
8th March 2025
haikaiTALKS: a saturday gathering under the banyan tree
Your host for haikaiTALKS: Srinivas Sambangi
Initial Alliteration:
Next few weeks, we will focus more on a few literary devices used in
haiku which were not discussed here before. It may be difficult to
write haiku using these devices intentionally, rather they evolve in
the process of writing. However, let’s try our hand at them. Also you
may look into your past haiku or haiku of anyone else and if they
meet any of these requirements please post.
My principal source of this write-up is the book Japanese Haiku – Its
Essential Nature and History by Kenneth Yasuda.
Let’s dig into alliteration for the next few weeks.
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 initial alliteration.
Initial alliteration
It has to deal with the same first consonants in words in close
conjunction.
A falling flower, thought I,
Fluttering back to the branch—
Was a butterfly
– Arakida Moritake
The two f’s in the first line with the initial f in the 2 nd which binds the
first line together. The b’s in the 2 nd and 3 rd lines binds the idea
together with their same accented initial consonant sounds.
sun shower
the river otter
somersaults
— Peggy Wills Lyles
Take a look at the initial alliteration of 3 s’s, two in line 1 and one in
line 3. The s in shower is in fact a stressed syllable. We will discuss
about stressed alliteration next week.
My own poem:
racist remarks
a serrated knife runs
through the wishbone
(Cattails, October’24)
Perhaps it qualifies for initial alliteration because of the consonant
sounds of r at the start of the words racist, remarks and runs.
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:
**
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
#2, 14/03
wish fulfilling well —
the child calls out
his favourite feast
Lakshmi Iyer, India
Feedback welcome
12.03.2025
#2
slicing spring air
the rising pitch in
a cuckoo's call
Kalyanee Arandhara
Assam, India
Feedback most welcome
Wonderful post! The detailed explanations and examples are very helpful. Thanks a lot.
#1 11 March
winter sunset
the shriek of a seagull
painted pink
Keith Evetts Thames Ditton UK
comments welcome
#1, 13/03, revised
varicose veins
knots and unknots in me . . .
the banyan tree
Lakshmi Iyer, India
Original
10/03, corrected the typo, vericose
varied varicose veins
knots and unknots in us
the biggest banyan tree
Lakshmi Iyer, India
Feedback welcome