Haiku cutting

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Classicaly, haiku is divided into two parts by a strong caesura.

These two parts correspond to two different images, two senses that complete them or are parallel. However, even in the classical haiku, we can find some with only one image.

Caesura separates then the context from the action. See "a classical structure".

For example:

Shiragiku no me ni tate te miru chiri mo nashi 

In white chysanthemums
They is no dust
that is visible and draws attention

Bashô Matsuo 
 

Caesura is classicaly noted in the West with a semi-colon if it is at the end of a line, with a pivot word if it is an internal one.

The length of the parts are not frozen. We can found in classical Japanese haiku :

1. Caesura at the end of a line 

                      5-12 : at the first line end 
                      12-5 : at the end of the second line. 

2. Internal caesura 

                     8-9, 9-8, 7-10, 10-7
 
 

Référence : Forms in english haiku, Keiko Imaoka in http://www.faximum.com/aha.d/keirule.htm