A tanka poem comprises 31 syllables, ordered into
five lines of five, seven, five, seven, and seven syllables,
respectively. The form dominated Japanese
poetry for more than 1,000 years. Today the haiku
has in some ways replaced tanka in popularity, but
the tanka form is still quite commonly used. Since
it is somewhat longer than haiku, tanka has a more
lyrical quality and is highly valued for its concise
nature:
I shall pass away
soon. To keep your memory
in that other world
I so long to see your face
again, for just one last time.
(Izumi Shikibu)
Tanka poets rely on internal alliteration (the
repetition of consonants), assonance (the repetition
of vowels), an absence of rhyme, and the use
of concrete images to express intense emotional
experiences and moods and to describe everyday
events.
An English Version of Works by Tanka Poets
The Ink Dark Moon: Love Poems by Ono No Komachi
and Izumi Shikibu,Women of the Ancient Court of
Japan. Translated by Jane Hirshfield and Mariko
Aratani. New York: Vintage Books, 1990.