Glossary of Poetic Terms

Japanese poet Matsuo Basho created this poetic form in which a poet combines prose and haiku to create a prose poem. The prose poem typically describes a setting, scene, or moment in an objective manner and follows the standard formal considerations of haiku.

Some examples of haibun include “Time Traveler’s Haibun: 1989,” by Maureen Thorson; David Cobb’s poetry collection The Spring Journey to the Saxon Shore; Oraga Haru, by Kobayashi Issa; The Path of Flowering Thorn, by Yosa Buson; The Life and Poetry of Yosa Buson, by Yosa Buson and translated by Makoto Ueda; Masaoka Shiki: His Life and Works, by Masaoka Shiki and translated by Janine Beichman; Such Stuff as Dreams are Made of, by Ken Jones; and No Place, by Jim Kacian.