The TANKA - incidentally the oldest Japanese poetic form - is made up of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the rest of seven. The abbreviated tanka form is formed by syllables of 2, 3, 2, 3, 3.

There is no set rhyme scheme involved in the tanka.



Example 1 by Ueda Miyoji:

To Live Is To Break

To live is to break
One's heart for the sake of love;
A couple of doves,
Beaks touching on their way,
Are stepping out in the sun.
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Example 2 by Karen L. Newman:

White Lie

Weaved with a slick white
thread that quickly passed through eyes
blinded by envy,
a blanket of snow covered
the green garden of Eden.