An idea left stranded by changing fashions
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Haikus are an ancient form of Japanese poetry that have recently become popular in English. By analysing the articles the Financial Times publishes every day with a computer programme, we have unearthed some accidental but powerful haikus.
The poems follow the form and style of a traditional Japanese haiku — typically a three-line observation about a fleeting moment involving nature with 17 syllables arranged in a 5–7–5 pattern.
There are a surprising number of these poetic forms buried inside the hundreds of articles the FT publishes every day, from stories as diverse as the columns of Martin Wolf to the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff.
Over the coming weeks we will share these haikus on FT.com and social media. We will also be encouraging readers to share their feedback.
Green bond market faces growing pains. Market’s rapid expansion will bring its own challenges. By Gavin Jackson.
Individual
viciousness could work towards
the general good
Nudist restaurant set to open in London. Clothing-optional venue has waiting list of 40,000. By Conor Sullivan.
They come to remove
that barrier that exists
in everyone’s mind
China’s robot revolution. Factories in China are replacing humans with robots in a new automation-driven industrial revolution. By Ben Bland.
Entrance is faded
inside the floor is greasy
with patches of mud
Muhammad Ali, boxing champion, 1942–2016. First truly global athlete and a vivid symbol of the turbulent 1960s. By Jurek Martin.
Dignity and grace
beneath which still beat the heart
of the warrior
Essay on the Broadway show ‘Hamilton’. The triumph of a hip-hop musical about a US founding father reminds us history at its best should be heard and not just studied in silence. By Simon Schama.
Through an opening
in a heavy set of drapes
muttered good evening
Change at UK retailer BHS is brutal but worth it. The high street is a rare corner of capitalism that works as it should. By Giles Wilkes.
An idea left
stranded by changing fashions
and technology
Postcard from . . . Cambodia. A new project aims to preserve the historic sites of Anlong Veng, the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge. By Harriet Fitch.
The heat and the weight
of history are carried
away on the breeze
For more FT haiku go to ft.com/hiddenhaiku
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