Samuel Peralta here…
The poetry form I’m talking about today is a three-line structure, from out of Asia.
No, not the haiku.
The three-line, 17-syllable Japanese form is now so well-known that there are contests and literary magazines devoted to it, elementary school children compose it, and it is the predominant poetry form on Twitter.
Instead, here is an example of the poetry form, I’m talking about, by one of its most celebrated practitioners, Yun Son-do (1587-1671)
“Song of My Five Friends”
Yun Son-do
You ask how many friends I have? Water and stone, bamboo and pine.
The moon rising over the eastern hill is a joyful comrade.
Besides these five companions, what other pleasure should I ask?
“Song of My Five Friends” is a sijo (pronounced see’-zho) – a three-line poetic form from Korea.
Besides the three lines, the sijo – like haiku – traditionally explores natural or philosophical themes, but beyond that there are many differences that make the sijo unique.
Sijo is composed in three lines, each line having 14-16 syllables, for a total count of between 44-46 syllables for the entire poem.
There is usually a pause in the middle, and this has allowed English sijo to be written in six lines, with each line breaking at the caesura.
The fact that sijo – the word is both singular and plural – are composed of only three lines drives the discipline of the composer to focus on the essence of their theme.
On the other hand, the length of each line allows a thematic exploration that goes beyond what can be accomplished in similar forms like the haiku or renga.
This also allows the time for the poet to develop their theme using more complex metaphors, allusions, onomatopoeia, and other techniques
Strictly speaking, each of the three lines are written so that they form four groups of syllables that can be differentiated from each other, while retaining a lyrical flow.
Each half line is divided into two parts averaging 3-5 syllables each, with just the breath of a pause between the parts.
As it turns out, the English language is able to naturally fall into the (3-5, 3-5, 3-5, 3-5) syllabic requirement for each line, which makes the sijo amazingly suited for English-based poetry.
Some modern poets in English find they can accomplish the above by ignoring all but the total syllabic count until the final edit – simply because English words and phrasing easily adapt to sijo phrasing.
Regular meter is not critical in composing a sijo. What counts is the musical quality – and that’s what the in-line syllabic requirement tries to achieve.
As with its haiku or ballad counterparts, the subject of a sijo may be narrative, or philosophical, or expressive.
In all cases, the thematic development is the same. The first line introduces the theme, the second develops the theme in a different direction, and the final line provides closure.
Here is another sijo, for you to breathe in that musical quality, and the thematic development.
“The Fisherman’s Calendar”
Yun Son-do
When autumn arrives on the river, all the fish grow fatter.
We savor unnumbered hours swept along by gentle currents.
Man’s dusty world fades away, doubling my joy with distance.
Tonight, I invite you to contribute your own sijo, in the traditional as laid it out here.
This time, I won’t start until you do – when the doors open today at 3pm, I’ll begin writing as well – so if you’ve finished first, be kind and visit back to see how I – and others – have done!
If you’re curious, I am hoping to be reading any sijo I complete tonight – Thursday, April 25, 6pm EST – in a poetry-reading and online interview on Winslow Eliot’s WriteSpa show on BlogTalkRadio, for National Poetry Month.
I hope to catch you there, but if you do miss that show, I’m also on J.J. Brown’s ScienceFirst radio show on ArtistFirst Radio Network – on Wednesday, May 1, 9pm EST – talking about science and poetry.
A musical structure, more compact than a ballad, more expansive than haiku – sijo are a joy to read, and I hope you will join me in writing and sharing tonight.
Thank you.
—–
Samuel Peralta – on Twitter as @Semaphore – is the award-winning author of five titles in The Semaphore Collection – Sonata Vampirica, Sonnets from the Labrador, How More Beautiful You Are, Tango Desolado and War and Ablution – all Amazon Kindle top five best sellers in poetry.
Copyright (c) Samuel Peralta. All rights reserved.
Images public domain / via WikiMedia Commons or as attributed.
claudia said:
this is a challenging form, not at all that easy as it seems to be on first sight…ha… my syllable counter broke at the first one, the second should be relatively form-conform..i hope…smiles…. so cool on the radio readings/interviews as well sam…. 6pm is in the middle of the night for me though…could you record and post it maybe…?
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
No, it isn’t as easy as it first looks, is it? But the results are worth it, I think.
….I’ll see what I can do on the interview, Claudia!
Laurie Kolp said:
I hope what I did is correct… it’s the first Sijo I’ve ever written. Thanks for expanding our minds, Samuel.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks for joining in, Laurie… I’ll pass by your site a little later on – but I’m sure you’ve got it down pat.
Imelda said:
Another new form to learn. Wonderful and thanks. 🙂
claudia said:
smiles… sam surely stretches us with FormForAll and it’s wonderful to try new things..
Imelda said:
True. That’s why I have come to look forward to Thursdays in the pub. I know it is a chance to learn. I can say that I have learned a lot from here. 🙂
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Hi Imelda! Glad you could stop by, hoping to see something from you as I make the rounds later tonight!
Imelda said:
Unfortunately, I was not able to make one last night. It required more thought than I thought. 🙂 The form is deceptively simple.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Caught your sijo, great job!
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Very interesting form. Writing haiku every day, this was a nice change. Hope I got it right 🙂
claudia said:
i thought yours was flawless björn..
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Thank you 🙂
Susan L Daniels said:
Bjorn, that was stunning!
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Bjorn, if you’re a regular writer of haiku, you’ve definitely got the discipline to hit all the marks on the sijo… looking forward to it!
brian miller said:
bjorn…yours rocked…
Grace said:
Beautiful post and examples Sam ~ I have written one before so I followed the syllabic count because my mind works this way ~ As I understand it the in-line syllabic count gives it a musical quality ~
Have a lovely day everyone ~
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Oh wow, someone who’s actually written sijo before! This should be good!
Grace said:
Sam, I have used the traditional syllabic count –
1st and 2nd lines – 3 – 4 || 3 – 4
3rd line – 3 – 6 ll 4- 3
I noted that its slightly different from your post ~ In any case, I will be reading and making my rounds once I get home ~ Thanks again ~
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
You are, of course, right – in the traditional form, as in much music, the final line slightly differs from the first two, helping to underscore the twist in the tale, so to speak.
Susan L Daniels said:
This was fun! I had to shave my syllable count waaay down from the first draft. Really like this form.
claudia said:
my shaver broke…ha…smiles
Susan L Daniels said:
Oh, don’t you DARE touch it! I like it the way it is.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Susan, the edit is always the tough part for me, too! I fall in love with every stray syllable!
aprille said:
Sam, as you say, that extra bit of length gives leeway for a calmer short verse than the haiku. Attaining the musicality demanded is the most difficult aspect for me. And I haven’t yet tried onomatopoeia. Not in any poetry or prose form. Wouldn’t really know how to 🙂
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Onomatopeia – like the murmur of innumerable bees, or the tintinabulation of the bells 😉
heidi said:
Exciting post, Sam! This form looks fun and is going in my poetry notebook. I used up all my poetry reserves on my napowrimo submission today, so I now have something cool to think about for tomorrow. Thanks.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Heidi, glad this might help in your NaPoWriMo challenge! I did the one-poem-a-day challenge a year or so back, and drove myself crazy. I bow to you.
heidi said:
Thanks Sam! I enjoyed your post.
ManicDdaily said:
Very interesting form, Sam (as always) and good luck with all the speaking engagements. Sound terrific. k .
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks, Karin, hope to catch you at one of those shows! Glad you could stop by to say hi.
ManicDdaily said:
Yes, I hope to try. I ‘m a bit discombobulated at the moment, so not sure what I can do, but will try. k .
claudia said:
discombobulated…wow…i just learned a new word… still jet-lagged as well..?
ManicDdaily said:
A bit. You know we had about a 27 hour jouney back, and then I actually went to work at my office after I arrived. (Monday AM). It was the right thing to do, but I am a bit tired now, as I also have been staying with someone. That’s been good, but I will be very glad to get in my own home. (Of course, it’s a bit crazy too since I really haven’t digested all the move from my apartment..) It was not a great time for a trip, but it was the time I needed to go, so glad I did. But at the moment, hard to add in anything further.
brian miller said:
getting tto your own home def makes a huge difference….your life has def been in transition here of late….
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Take care Karin, and hope to see you undiscombobulated soon… 🙂
brian miller said:
fun form sam….i enjoyed this one…and being economical in words is def a nice discipline to develop as well….have fun at the show tonight as well…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Welcome back, Brian, glad to see you as always! 🙂 ….And thanks for the well-wishes, last week the show crashed because of problems at the BlogTalkRadio end, so this is a re-do. Fingers crossed.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Ah! Finished my sijo – “Off Shore” – and made it in under ten links!
That was a little more difficult than I thought, and I’m not convinced it’s finished yet, but for a first go, I’m happy. Now to start with everyone else’s.
Welcome to all, by the way! 🙂
Yousei Hime said:
I did my best. Looking forward to reading everyone’s. Thank you for bringing the form to our attention. I suspect I’ll write more of these.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
It’s tougher than it first looks, but well worth it, I believe. Looking forward to seeing yours!
welshstream said:
Wow! What a great challenge – and a challenge it certainly was. Enjoyed grappling with a form I’ve not come across before. Many thanks Sam
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Good to see you trying this out… I’m fairly new to the form as well, but I think it’s going to be a favourite…
John (@bookdreamer) said:
0h happy dance new form. I used the rules as set out in this link http://www.sejongculturalsociety.org/writing/current/resources/sijo_guide.php
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Wonderful, John! I’m only slightly to the left of traditional, but my heart is in the right place 😉
Tony Maude said:
Hi John,
I tried commenting on your post, but Blogger refused to recognise my WordPress Open ID. Interesting that I can comment here …
John (@bookdreamer) said:
Thanks for trying
John (@bookdreamer) said:
Thanks to everyone who commented. I’m hopping to get back into the spirt of the community soon. Not out of the woods yet but no longer in wolf pack forests….
If interested, Margaret Fox of the poem was a very important person in the development of early Quakerism.
Her comment went deeper then it’s all about love It was a criticism of how Quakers were getting attached to the consequences of actions created when you listened to God rather then listening to God and creating new consequences.
Quakers then and now don’t believe that the Bible or the organisation is the final authority on what is God’s will. It’s listening to the spirit or inner voice of God. So for example, early Quakers said thee and thou because this showed that all were equal. She was concerned that Quakers then moved to saying thee and thou as a symbol of being a Quaker rather then as a protest to inequality.
Tony Maude said:
Hi Sam,
Where do you find all these poetic forms? I’d never heard of this one until today! I’ve done my best with it, but I suspect that what I’ve produced is really just chopped-up prose, which is not the idea at all.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Hi Tony- The Internet is an incredible thing, and especially when your back is against the wall and you have an article due at dVerse… you can imagine! 🙂
Tony Maude said:
I don’t have to imagine 🙂 As it happens, my next FFA has been ready for about a month!
brian miller said:
ha. so now you can think us for changing the schedule…as you are already ready…smiles..ah…yeah, sorry about that…smiles.
Tony Maude said:
My fault for making an assumption taht turned outto be wrong … smiles.
John (@bookdreamer) said:
Also worth hunting out a book called The Shapes of Our Singing
by Robin Skelton. This sets out over three hundred forms from a wide range of national traditions in poems with guidance to show how the form works. It’s then worth hunting up more context on indvidual forms to get a range of views. One of the key sites I use is http://thepoetsgarret.com/
Tad said:
Samuel,
I’ve got a bone to pick with you. I enjoy your writings, but it seems as though you only allow your stuff to be marketed via Amazon. DUDE, I am one of those kinds of girls who enjoys the feel of an actual book in my hands. What’s the deal?
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Putting my work on Amazon Kindle ebooks was a test… Don’t worry, real paper versions coming soon!
Tad said:
Looking forward to it
The Happy Amateur said:
Thank you very much for this prompt, Sam, I enjoyed writing my very first sijo.
Sasha
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
You are very welcome… And thanks for reading 🙂
Grace said:
Cool….I am listening to your interview right now ~ Whooo.. for mentioning D’verse in the interview ~
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Yes, a shout-out to dVerse and the amazing community here! 🙂
brian miller said:
you are awesome man…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Right back at ya 🙂
Felipe Adan Lerma said:
i marvel at the folk who can create with these guidelines, and look fwd to reading a few samples 😉 thanks samuel!
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Glad to see you stopped by, Felipe!
aprille said:
Are you all listening to Sam at the moment?
Grace said:
Yes, it just finished ~
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks so much for listening! I did read the sijo for this FFA.
Grace said:
Yes plus a few more poems ~ It was lovely listening to them ~
kkkkaty1 said:
This was easier than most forms for me; thank, Sam, for I really enjoy these opportunistic to stretch my writing skills…probably all should have been about nature, though. Be back after a bit to relax and read.
kkkkaty1 said:
…..opportunities
brian miller said:
you slayed it! really nice job…those first two…some killer lines in them…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Glad you find these opportunities valuable! I, too, am enriched, not just by researching and writing the essay, but by the poems that I read. Yours was well done!
Victoria C. Slotto said:
I’ve been away for the better part of yesterday and today but what a pleasure to read of this form, Sam. Hope to be able to come up with something tomorrow.
brian miller said:
will look forward to that victoria!
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks, Victoria, and it’ll be a pleasure to look up what you’ve come up with, if the muse strikes you!
Victoria C. Slotto said:
I made it! Really enjoyed this form although, I haven’t finished with this one. But I’d love to work with the form again. Thanks, Sam.
Cressida de Nova said:
Thank you Semaphore for the introduction to this form. Love it ! I have fifteen syllables to each line with a break in each line. I did it by’ musical feel’ rather than ‘rule’..typical ! 🙂
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
I did mine by musical feel as well, you can’t go wrong with that, I find!
Tino said:
All these forms, doing my head in, but in a pleasant way. Today, yet another new one to play with. If nothing else, its all educational and challenging. Right now, its what I need, so thanks for introducing most of us to this form, I think I am going to enjoy trying to use it.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
You are welcome! This structure’s new to me too, but it has grown on me!
BeingMama said:
Thanks, Samuel. This was the first attempt at Sijo (and my first dVerse activity). I enjoyed learning about the new (to me) form even if I’m not sure I did it correctly. I have the correct number of syllables per line but I was confused about the 3-5 syllable sets described. Just made it rhythmic. What a fun poetry group!
brian miller said:
woot…welcome to dverse…
i am all for form rebellion, so i like the line breaks…smiles…
BeingMama said:
Thanks for the welcome, Brian, and for commenting on my blog. It takes awhile to appreciate the nuances of a new form…I decided to have fun with it!
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Welcome! Although I like form poetry, I address form intuitively – if the poem I’m writing calls for a deviation from the traditional rhythm or rhyme, I will follow that intuition.
Kelvin S.M. said:
..i never heard Sijo form before but i like its effect…. the form reminds me of Wang Wei’s Poetry for some reasons… or maybe the common bucolic theme used in Sijo makes it more easy for me to feel the presence of Wang Wei here… fantastic form Sir… smiles…
brian miller said:
nice…we gonna see one from you kelvin?
Kelvin S.M. said:
..i am drafting here in the office… smiles…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Looking forward to that, Kelvin – you never disappoint!
Kelvin S.M. said:
…i am glad to offer my effort… it’s up…
..smiles…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
And it was excellent!
Bodhirose said:
The idea came to me for my poem while I was ironing clothes tonight! Thank you, Sam, for introducing another short form. I enjoyed giving this one a try.
Gayle ~
brian miller said:
nice…need to go iron me some clothes then…smiles…nicely done gayle…actually folding clothes is like a meditation for me….
an with yours…i am retiring for the night…see you in the AM poets…
Bodhirose said:
Thanks, Brian. Many of those mundane household chores can become a meditation practice. Definitely freed my mind to have an idea come to the forefront…lucky me…smiles. Goodnight…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Glad to see you tried this out, Gayle! This form has grown on me, and it’s become a favourite 🙂
Susan said:
I did it! At the last minute, I changed the title from “Defying Heraclitus” to “Progress” because no one really needs to know the ancient Greek thinker to read the poem.
I wish I had not missed hearing your voice and interview today, Sam. Please give us a head’s up for the next one, and thank you for this new form. It’s a hard one at first.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Susan, never underestimate the power of title…. As in my interview, one of my poems was called “Cavity”, which No one wanted to read. Page views took off when I re-titled it “On the Origin of the Fear of Dentists” 😉
By the way, the interview appears to be archived on the same link… So you can still listen to i!
Susan said:
Ha Ha! I love the anecdote of “The Origin of . . . .” Thank you. I’ve had such interesting responses to “Progress.” I thought to question human imitation of nature, the killing of its ability to change, but I find instead I’m learning a lot about the human need for security in an unpredictable world!
claudia said:
good morning…back with a cup of coffee and out on the trail to catch up…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Good morning, Claudia!
claudia said:
cool stuff out on the trail…caught everyone and off to work now…we have the basel world over here at the moment…the world’s biggest watch and jewelry exhibit…means crazy traffic..ha..smiles
brian miller said:
be careful if you are biking in all that traffic…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
I’m a watch collector, would love to see that!
David King said:
Fascinating, but trickier than at first appeared.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Yes it is, especially if you subscribe to the strict traditional format.
ManicDdaily said:
Hi Sam – so tried it – and tried to be a little funny with one at least. A very weak joke! k.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Uh oh, this should be good!
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Indeed, it was great!
Lila said:
I tried my hand at it for the first time. I guess it was easier than I thought, like you said, it comes naturally for the English language.
It’s a fun, simple theme I can easily incorporate into my writing.
Thanks, Sam.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
As long as you don’t subscribe to ultra-multi-syllabic English words, it’s pretty straightforward to adhere to the traditional syllabic format, as well. I love the sijo.
Snakypoet (Rosemary Nissen-Wade) said:
I really enjoyed playing with this form. It could become a favourite. 🙂
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
I wonder if we could make sijo the official mascot poetry form of dVerse Poets 🙂
Tony Maude said:
OK – I’ve visited and read all 47 sijos so far. I wasn’t able to comment on any Blogger sites; it seems Blogger and WordPress are having issues … again.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Darn. I’m on Blogger, but was able to comment on the WordPress sites, so it must be a one-way problem this time.
Sabio Lantz said:
Is it just me, or has Mr. Linky disappeared?
Sabio Lantz said:
darn, I had one to put up.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Mr. Linky hasn’t disappeared, it’s there!
Go here if you don’t see it above
> Mr. Linky
Sabio Lantz said:
Mr. Linky magically reappeared! I have posted — indeed as number 50.
I had fun with the form though I am sure I have not followed some important constraints.
Korean, I’d guess from its orthography, is more compact than English and thus can cram 16 syllables into a shorter line than English. But for English, I think breaking those lines into pairs is easier on the poetic eye. And thus my lines. I look forward to your critique and/or suggestions.
I will look into it more thank to your kind intro. Thank you.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Forty-nine… come on, Sabio, someone… make it fifty!
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Fifty-two poets doing sijo! Hurray!
Sabio Lantz said:
Same, I am confused on a point: you tell us that the sijo is suppose to have 44-46 syllables and yet also tells us the 3-5 syllable breaks per half-line is ideal — but that makes 8*3*2 = 48 syllables. Two too many ! But that is what I did in my Sijo.
Similarly, you said, “the English language is able to naturally fall into the (3-5, 3-5, 3-5, 3-5) syllabic requirement for each line, which makes the sijo amazingly suited for English-based poetry.” But I did not find that to be true — well, I could make the 3-5 happen, but it seemed by no means more “natural” then 4 or 5 syllable phrases in English. But it would be interesting to see if folks have researched phrase-syllable-counts in English. I am also a skeptic about the mythical naturalness of “the natural English rhythm of iambic pentameter” which I hear repeated by many poetry writers. Fortunately, since doubting that, I have found other writers who write on why they disagree and the *real* origin of the rhythm.
Samuel, do you have links to your sources on the “Sijo”?
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Sabio, glad to hear you want to know more, I certainly did when I first started out. I do confess I haven’t been steeped in the sijo for a long time – so while I’m fascinated with it, I’m far from an expert. So my current concept of the sijo may be wide of the mark. (In contrast, I’ve written enough sonnets over my lifetime to be confident when I break the rules.)
With regard to syllabic rules for the sijo, I interpreted 3-5 phrasing as you choosing 3 to 5 syllables, but then tempering that choice, over subsequent phrases, to still fulfill the 44-46 total.
I never really believed in the “English natural for iambic pentameter” myth, but I do feel that my own writing falls naturally into a sijo rhythm. But that may be because I write songs as well (both lyrics and music, I have ~250 songs written) and so my ear may be trained that way.
Here is a site that brings together and links to many, many sources on the sijo – it’s the best reference site I’ve found (so far)
http://www.sijopoetry.com/
Sabio Lantz said:
Thanx Samuel for the cool answer. Fascinating about your song writing and its influence of your language.
And thanx for the link!