care for life in      all      its forms

each      with purpose and meaning

protecting one another

fail in this       means death

 

 

The Japanese poetry form of kouta, meaning little song, was apparently created during the Muromachi Period (14th-16th centuries). It became popular again during the late 1800s as a Geisha song style.

There are two versions;

1. A four-line or quatrain poem with the syllable pattern of 7/5/7/5.
2. A four-line or quatrain poem with the syllable pattern of 7/7/7/5.

There are no hard and fast theme elements to consider. Some kouta use colloquialisms and onomatopoeia. The thing to remember is, it’s all according to your imagination. I have seen sites mentioning a fifth line may be added

For added information:

One point to consider about the Geisha song style of Kouta is, the song may contain a 5/7/7 style. This is based on the first such Geisha song using this style in 1856. There may also be confusion in how the west interprets the style into English.

© 2020 Ronovan Hester Copyright reserved. The author asserts his moral and legal rights over this work.