Haiku 61 Revisited: The songs of Bob Dylan, interpreted as haiku

Based on Japanese verse form, American haiku contains three lines with a five/seven/five syllable structure. While haiku is so much associated with the land of its birth, it was a favorite of Kerouac and the Beat poets, who popularized the verse standard in America and used it to express their wanderlust and melancholy. Poets since have used it in a much more lighthearted way.

If there was one musician who comes close to the style of the Beats, it’s Bob Dylan. The prolific singer and songwriter looms large over the music scene to this day. His songs can tell a whole story, and they often have many verses. Surprisingly, sometimes the best way to convey the complexity of his work is with the greatest simplicity.

Writer and Bob Dylan fan Robert MacMillan is the first to make this connection. He celebrates Dylan’s legacy (and verbosity) by condensing Dylan’s many songs into haiku. Each beautiful (and sometimes cheeky) haiku is accompanied by background about the associated song, with an examination of its lyrics and meaning. Music interpretation becomes an art form itself in this new poetry collection.