Poetry Form - The Tanka Surveys:
Analysis of the voice, emotions, person, and punctuation of English-language tanka

Index of Poetry. Books of Poetry Form. How to Write Poetry. New Latest books read.

Essays on how to write specific forms:
Haibun. Haiga. Haiku. Hay(na)ku. Rengay. Renku. Tanka. Tanka surveys. Tan-renga.
Concrete. Fib. Ghazal. Lai. Pantoum. Prose poem. Rondeau. Rubáiyát.
Sestina. Skaldic verse. Sonnet. Terza rima. Triolet. Tritina. Villanelle.

Yuki Teikei Haiku Society: Join. GEPPO magazine. Annual anthologies. 2007 Asilomar Haiku Retreat.

Toward an Aesthetic for English-Language Haiku by Lee Gurga.
2004 Pescadero Haiku Weekend Workshop (including exercises) with Christopher Herold.

Las formas de la poesía en Español: El Poema Concreto.

Haiku by Bashō. Haiku by Shiki. Haiku by J. Zimmerman. Tanka by J. Zimmerman.

Modern Japanese Tanka edited by Makoto Ueda. Twenty Japanese poets develop the tanka in the 20th century.

Check How to Learn Japanese.

The Tanka Verse Form
by J. Zimmerman.

Tanka: the form and how to write: History. Form. Your Composition. References.
Tanka surveys: Voice (I, you, etc) in tanka. Emotions in tanka. Punctuation in tanka.

The Tanka is a Japanese verse form; its name is generally translated as "short poem" or "short song." It is an ancient form of syllabic Japanese poetry, popular in Japan since the 7th century (C.E.) or earlier. It is becoming increasingly popular in North America, Europe, and Australasia.

Voice in Tanka.

The Ink Dark Moon, translated by Jane Hirshfield with Mariko Aratani, tanka of Ono No Komachi and Izumi Shikibu of the Heian court.

Voice refers to the person identified. For consistency and clarity in comparing different sources, these data show the number and the percentage of haiku in each set that contain at least one:

'first-person singular': at least one pronoun (I, me) or possessive (me, mine).
'first-person plural': at least one pronoun (we, us) or possessive (our).
for 'second-person': you, your.
third-person singular: he, she, his, her.
third-person plural: not recorded because found in less than 1% (and usually 0%) of each set.

Poet
or Book or Journal
(defaults to various authors) Number of Haiku or Tanka first-person singular:
I, me, me, mine % first-person plural:
we, us, our % second-person:
you, your % third-person singular:
he, she, his, her %

Poet: Shikibu translated in
The Ink Dark Moon
by Jane Hirshfield 122 76 62% 7 6% 37 30% 12 10%

Poet: Komachi translated in
The Ink Dark Moon
by Jane Hirshfield 44 31 70% 4 9% 11 25% 5 11%

Book: How to Haiku
by Bruce Ross 28 21 75% 5 18% 6 21% 2 7%

Journal Eucalypt, A Tanka Journal, Issue #3 (2007), editor Beverley George 37 65 61% 16 to complete

Journal moonset, the newspaper, Vol.3#2 (2007), editor an'ya 107 65 61% 16 15% 26 24% 14 13%

Emotions in tanka

Modern Japanese Tanka edited by Makoto Ueda.
The 'first collection' of modern Japanese tanka available in English. A delightful and comprehensive presentation that shows the development of the tanka form.

Punctuation in tanka.

Writing and Enjoying Haiku: A Hands-On Guide (2003)
by Jane Reichhold, whose many skills include a keen sense for the writing and appreciation of haiku. This book includes useful guidelines on writing haiku and related forms.

Other Books on Tanka.

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Poet or Book or Journal (defaults to various authors)	Number of Haiku or Tanka	first-person singular: I, me, me, mine	%	first-person plural: we, us, our	%	second-person: you, your	%	third-person singular: he, she, his, her	%
Poet: Shikibu translated in The Ink Dark Moon by Jane Hirshfield	122	76	62%	7	6%	37	30%	12	10%
Poet: Komachi translated in The Ink Dark Moon by Jane Hirshfield	44	31	70%	4	9%	11	25%	5	11%
Book: How to Haiku by Bruce Ross	28	21	75%	5	18%	6	21%	2	7%
Journal Eucalypt, A Tanka Journal, Issue #3 (2007), editor Beverley George	37	65	61%	16	to complete
Journal moonset, the newspaper, Vol.3#2 (2007), editor an'ya	107	65	61%	16	15%	26	24%	14	13%

Poetry Form - The Tanka Surveys: Analysis of the voice, emotions, person, and punctuation of English-language tanka

Voice in Tanka.

Emotions in tanka

Punctuation in tanka.

Poetry Form - The Tanka Surveys:
Analysis of the voice, emotions, person, and punctuation of English-language tanka