what is this?

uguisu 鶯 is a collection of tanka-styled poems by Kirryn Lia Todd.

What is a tanka?

The tanka 短歌(たんか) is a form of classical Japanese verse, consisting of thirty-one morae divided into five units, with the first 17 morae being the "upper phrase" and the final 21 being the "lower phrase". It is the precursor to the much better known haiku.

We're taught in primary school (or I was, at least!) that haiku are made using a 5-7-5 syllable pattern, which is, frankly, not true. However, it is actually an entirely reasonable equation to make, as explaining the difference between morae and syllables to adults is tricky at the best of times. If you're curious as to what the precise difference between the two is, and would like an explanation in layman's terms, I attempt to provide one here! But the fact of the matter remains is that that true tanka are not written counting syllables, but rather morae. As you've probably noticed, none of these poems are written in the Japanese language; sadly, it's currently the only language I feel confident enough to compose poetry in. Hence, I've leaned upon the tried-and-true syllable replacement for mora instead.

However, this to me means that these works are not genuine tanka, merely tanka-styled -- it may be a little idiosyncrasy of mine, but I would never presume to outright call these tanka, because...well, they can't be! I just find the form starkly beautiful, even in English with syllables taking the place of morae. I feel that the restriction presents just enough challenge to make me mull over my choice of words, without causing irritation, thus shifting me out of the "zone" I like to keep my mind in while writing verse. It's my favourite form of poetry to write in, if not my actual default go-to form.

Perhaps one day I'll either discover or even create a more elegant term for these works than "tanka-styled", but until then, it will have to suffice. (I also certainly don't mind if anyone else wishes to refer to these simply as tanka themselves, either!)

What is an uguisu?

Uguisu 鶯(うぐいす) is the Japanese word for the Japanese bush warbler. I would explain my choice of this title, but I think...probably Sei Shōnagon does it much better than I could:

"The procession for the Return of the Kamo High Priestess is a most delightful thing. ... The sun is out, but the sky is nevertheless quite overcast, and you’re moved and thrilled to hear the hototogisu – you’ve been waking up each morning and waiting, yearning to hear this song, and now here they are, calling to and fro all around as if they’re everywhere. Then an uguisu cheekily sets off singing its wavery old song in brave imitation, which is annoying but rather delightful too." *

香子お姉さまと諾子お姉さまに捧げる、愛と尊敬と心よりの感謝を込めて。
心を開いてくれて、そして私の心も開いてくれてありがとうございます。