The Penguin Book of Haiku

An anthology of Japanese haiku, in vivid new translations by Adam L. Kern. Now a global poetry, the haiku was originally a Japanese verseform that flourished from the 16th to 19th centuries. Although renowned for its brevity, usually running over 3 lines in 17 syllables, and by its use of natural imagery to make Zen-like observations about reality, in fact the haiku is much more: it can be erotic, funny, crude and mischievous.