Anybody want to Renga?
Renga is a form of Japanese poetry written by two or more people. It is a cousin to the haiku. The basic component of the renga is the tanka - a five line poem of with the first person writes 3 lines of 17 syllables. The next person completes the tanka with 2 lines. The form goes 5-7-5 followed by 7-7. But you can make your own variations within a form. A third person may add 3 more lines, etc and the poem becomes a rangu.
It sounds complicated but is actually pretty easy and kind of fun. Here's an example:
[SIZE="1"](first poet)[/SIZE]
Rain chases bright leaves down
Leaving naked branches -
Like arms of a supplicant.
[SIZE="1"](next poet)[/SIZE]
A girl reaches for her lover
Like the geese, he flies away.
I'll start with the first three lines and the next poster can add two, etc.
Having reddened the plum blossums
The sunset attacks
Oaks and pines - chases through their rows.
I'm going to quote myself here "poetry is a wank".
Actually, I'm going to have to take some of that back-Mario Benedetti's prose type poetry is alright, but why we had to be subjected to bloody Pablo Neruda's Twenty Love Poems and a Desperate Song at uni, I still do not know. (Now, after that little outburst, I'm going to go and hide).
That was, like, way more than two lines Casi. I'm not even sure it related thematically to what Sam put up there.
I think Sam was expecting something more like:
Having reddened the plum blossoms
The sunset attacks
Oaks and pines - chases through their rows.
Saw teeth gleaming in the fading light
woodchips, lunchpail, heading back to the truck
:applause:
I really couldn't come up with anything. Keep trying, my clever gene might kick in any time!
it's still a wank and my effort will be crap, but flushed with the success of having had an epiphany about how to do truth tables correctly yesterday, I'm going to grudgingly give this new discipline a go.
and finding flat tyres
let down by delinquents
bored in the evening.
and binding with briars
my joys and desires
no, wait. That's Blake.
and finding flat tyres
let down by delinquents
bored in the evening.
A wanker's crap effort is still better
than sitting at home thinking off
Blake is da man! :)
That's only 4 syllables Shawnee.
That was, like, way more than two lines Casi. I'm not even sure it related thematically to what Sam put up there.
I think Sam was expecting something more like:
Having reddened the plum blossoms
The sunset attacks
Oaks and pines - chases through their rows.
Saw teeth gleaming in the fading light
woodchips, lunchpail, heading back to the truck
That was very nice, foot. Of course I knew that this gang wouldn't stay on tack for long, but I must admit that Blake is one of my personal faves. Thanks for posting one of his poems.
OK, I'll try to rift off the master:
And I saw it was filled with graves
And tombstones where flowers should be
And priests in black gowns were walking their rounds
And binding with briar my joy and desire.
Tyger, tyger burning
My eyes filled with smoke -
The loss of a bright soul.
.
Am formulating my next 7-7 stanza. Don;'t hold your breath.
That was very nice, foot. Of course I knew that this gang wouldn't stay on tack for long, but I must admit that Blake is one of my personal faves. Thanks for posting one of his poems.
OK, I'll try to rift off the master:
And I saw it was filled with graves
And tombstones where flowers should be
And priests in black gowns were walking their rounds
And binding with briar my joy and desire.
Tyger, tyger burning
My eyes filled with smoke -
The loss of a bright soul.
.
Sad no doubt but life goes on
Til the next bright soul is lost
That's only 4 syllables Shawnee.
Sorry, I only have 3 fingers and I lost count.
That was very nice, foot. Of course I knew that this gang wouldn't stay on tack for long, but I must admit that Blake is one of my personal faves. Thanks for posting one of his poems.
OK, I'll try to rift off the master:
And I saw it was filled with graves
And tombstones where flowers should be
And priests in black gowns were walking their rounds
And binding with briar my joy and desire.
Tyger, tyger burning
My eyes filled with smoke -
The loss of a bright soul.
.
Thank you! Oh...
Sad no doubt but life goes on
Til the next bright soul is lost
Well that's 16 syllables, but who's counting? :p:
Sad no doubt but life goes on
Til the next bright soul is lost
Lamb and tyger follow
Their songlines until
Time carries song away.
Well that's 16 syllables, but who's counting? :p:
Wait a sec...I really want to get this right? Am I right in thinking that it's
Writer 1
5 syllables
7 syllables
5 syllables
Writer 2
7 syllables
7 syllables.
Sorry, I only have 3 fingers and I lost count.
:)
Well that's 16 syllables, but who's counting? :p
when I count it's 14 -are you from Alabama or something?
when I count it's 14
Maths isn't my strong point, but I counted 14 as well. (Counting on my fingers seems to work fairly well for me too).
I think it was re-conceived to be words instead of syllables. I am probably wrong, though.
I think it was re-conceived to be words instead of syllables. I am probably wrong, though.
Confirmation from the starter of this thread and anyone else who contributed? I have zero imagination, so if it said syllables, I was sticking to that guideline.
Wait a sec...I really want to get this right? Am I right in thinking that it's
Writer 1
5 syllables
7 syllables
5 syllables
Writer 2
7 syllables
7 syllables.
My bad! :blush: It is 14. Carry on!
The morning coffee:
turtle poking out his head
ready for a swim
Leisurely.... Sudden hurry
...last night's meal, it was curry
So, wait...is it two writers or three writers?
In other words, does monster's entry end it, or are we supposed to repeat what foot did with different words (and then THAT ends it)?
I'm SOOOO confused. (Pay me no mind, my OCD and need for order and symmetry make me need the most concrete rules possible.) ;)
So, wait...is it two writers or three writers?
In other words, does monster's entry end it, or are we supposed to repeat what foot did with different words (and then THAT ends it)?
I'm SOOOO confused. (Pay me no mind, my OCD and need for order and symmetry make me need the most concrete rules possible.) ;)
A renga can go on as long as people want to keep contributing to it. You can continue one or start an entire new one. The writing of rengas was a party game for Japanese intellectuals. Take one renga and plenty of saki and you had a poem of epic proportions! Sooooo...
Leisurely.... Sudden hurry
...last night's meal, it was curry
Frog legs with a touch of spice
Glinda ate her fill.
That frog tasted very nice!
I
think that
if you are
going to bend
the rules of renga
you might as well aim for
a completely new level
in fact, a different structure
syllabically defiant.
I syllable* on my bed
The pillow: it's wet!
I can't hold back the spittle.
*pronunciation key: si LAH bull
You syllabled with that thing?
Oh wow -it's very little.
Alas, the substance is mine
Call it Peggy Phlegm
At least it's not fat ass snores.
A few Graham crackers and
Chocolate. Mmmm..... Phlegmy Smores
:D
Then stick your weenie
On a skewer in the flame
And enjoy his scream
that is an unusual way
you're making clotted cream
