Mexican Haiku: Tradition, Translation, and Transgression
Mexican Haiku: Tradition, Translation, and Transgression
by Christina Rascon
The First Mexican Haiku
Haiku in Mexico emerged in 1919 with the publication of Un día... Poemas sintéticos by José Juan Tablada. Although the book doesn’t include an essay explaining his thoughts or poetics on this literary form, Tablada dedicates the book at the outset to poets Bashō and Chiyo-ni, making it clear he is introducing Japanese haiku into our language and within specific stylistic frameworks. This book consists of 39 poems, including the prologue and epilogue, divided into sections representing the passage of a day: morning, afternoon, twilight, and night. Each poem is accompanied by an illustration created by Tablada himself, inspired by the aesthetics of Japanese seals.
The poems in this book follow the three-line structure, some in the traditional 5-7-5 syllable format, and possess a strong musical rhythm, as most introduce rhyme, despite rhyme not being part of the traditional Japanese haiku form. Interestingly, all poems depict elements of nature or details of landscapes, include a kigo, and most convey a dynamic or moving image. Very few employ kireji, caesura, or the juxtaposition of ideas or lines.
These poems have a strong visual impact and almost no explicit expression of the author’s emotions.
El chirimoyo
La rama del chirimoyo
Se retuerce y habla.
Pareja de loros.
The cherimoya
The cherimoya branch
Wriggles and talks.
Pair of parrots.
José Juan Tablada (Mexico City, 1871-1945)
