Waka

:See Waka (disambiguation) and Tanka (disambiguation) for other usages.

Tanka written in English

The writing of tanka in English started more slowly than the writing of English-language haiku, with the first English-language tanka collections dating from 1974. There is still much less tanka written than haiku, but interest in tanka in English is growing. The most popular form of present-day tanka in English frquently preserves only the outer form of tanka, with content much like other contemporary Western romantic poetry.

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Unlike Japanese poets, who often write primarily or only in one poetry form, many English-language tanka poets also write other short poetry forms including haiku, senryu, and cinquain, and most early English-language tanka appeared in journals that featured a variety of small poem forms (the main American Haiku magazines publish only haiku and sometimes senryu). Only recently have there been journals devoted exclusively to tanka, including American Tanka (1996) and Tangled Hair in Britain. It was in April 2000 that the Tanka Society of America was formed.

Related Topics:
Haiku - Senryu - Cinquain - American Tanka

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In the late 20th century a new group of poets began a revival of pre-Shiki waka, aiming for a more austere and traditional content akin to that of Saigyo, and going under the group name "Mountain Home," an English translation of the title of the famous collection of Saigyo's waka, the Sanka Shu ("Mountain Home Collection"). Their work continues.

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