beneath Autumn skies
I thought I was all alone
yet you watch me silently
oh seven sisters
you always accompany me
yet still I feel so lonely
Author notes
Sedoka / Mondo
The sedoka is rarely seen today.
You need to go back to a time before most poetic forms were even considered, no one knows when the sedoka first came into being, its style is Chinese based yet was popular as the common poetic form in Japan at the dawn of Japanese litreture by the time the sedoka was going out of fashion the first Japanese poems where being written down (though still using Chinese characters) and the waka / tanka was starting to become the foremost form / style used. These evolved from the sedoka, the sedoka's lines 3 & 4 blended into one to become the kakekotobe (pivot/bridge) to smooth out the juxtaposition of the two images. That was over 1300 years ago, ( Euroupe's population was halfed by plagues and Beowulf was written for the first time ) that long ago.
The structure is made up of two Katauta ( 5-7-7 onji) the first will show a scene the second will usually show the same scene but from a different angle/ perspective or in later versions it would show a responce to the first or a reaction, much like the tanka which replaced it.
As the sedoka ( and its sister form the Mondo) were a spoken form very few classical piece remain today other than the few collected in the Man'yoshu.
In a list
A contest entry
- Delightful Shortforms by delightfulmess.
1200 points, ended October 21, 2007, 19 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
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well done here.
great job and thanks for the Author notes. Impressive.
enjoyed it
best wishes
Tory -
Love this Sedoka... Very well done
with an originality.... Excellent thank you for entering the contest


delila

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This is outstanding--loved your sedoka and the explanation in your notes. First time I've ever heard of this form. And when I read your entry I thought WOW! Good luck in the contest!


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Excellent
Andrew.Very well written.I can see the star filled sky.Your Author's Notes well done.Good luck in the contest.





