tan·ka noun ( 5 lines ; 5 , 7, 5, 7, 7 syllables )

ˈtäNGkə /
1. a Japanese poem consisting of five lines, the first and third of which have five syllables and the other
seven, making 31 syllables in all and giving a complete picture of an event or mood.

2. an unrhymed Japanese verse form of five lines containing five,

seven, five, seven, and seven syllables respectively also :
a poem in this form .
HISTORY : In the 7th century, tanka was so popular that nobles in the Japanese Imperial Court would write tanka poems and compete.
The Japanese tanka is a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line.
A form of waka, Japanese song or verse, tanka translates as “short song," and is better known in its five-line,
5/7/5/7/7 syllable count form.

3. The Tanka poem is very similar to haiku but Tanka poems have more
syllables and it uses simile, metaphor and personification.

4. Tanka poems are written about nature, seasons, love, sadness and
other strong emotions.
This form of poetry dates back almost 1200 years ago.
C. Examples of Tanka Poetry

5
I love my kitten.
She is so little and cute. 7
She has a pink tongue, 5
And lots of long whiskers too. 7
She purrs when I stroke her back. 7
 Beautiful mountains
Rivers with cold, cold water.
White cold snow on rocks
Trees over the place with frost
White sparkly snow everywhere.
 Pretty colored trees
That are orange, red and yellow
In the Autumn air
An old barn by the water
With a white fence around it.
 The leaves change colour
When the fall winds start to blow,
Yellow, orange and brown
Are the colours of fall leaves,
Slowly falling from the trees.