Question:
How do I write a "Tanka" poem???
How many syllables per line??
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
"Tanka consists of five units (often treated as separate lines when Romanized or translated) usually with the following mora pattern:
5-7-5 / 7-7.
The 5-7-5 is called the kami-no-ku ("upper phrase"), and the 7-7 is called the shimo-no-ku ("lower phrase").
Tanka is a much older form of Japanese poetry than haiku. In ancient times poems of this form were called hanka ("reverse poem"), since the 5-7-5-7-7 form derived from the conclusion (envoi) of a choka. Sometimes a choka had two envois.
The choka above is followed by an envoi; 銀???????????Τ?????勝????????????????, also written by Okura."(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/waka_%28poe...