Postby ken.brandli » Wed Feb 18, 2015 8:19 am
Thanks folks. I call this a Tanka because it is Tanka in structure but it is not strictly Tanka because this form was traditionally a love poem. with the first three lines setting a scene and the last two switching back to capture a personal moment between the lovers. An explanation of the history and nature of the form:
Tanka’s economy and suitability for emotional expression made it ideal for intimate communication; lovers would often, after an evening spent together (often clandestinely), dash off a tanka to give to the other the next morning as a gift of gratitude.
In many ways, the tanka resembles the sonnet, certainly in terms of treatment of subject. Like the sonnet, the tanka employs a turn, known as a pivotal image, which marks the transition from the examination of an image to the examination of the personal response. This turn is located within the third line, connecting the kami-no-ku, or upper poem, with the shimo-no-ku, or lower poem.