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Chemical Haiku: Elements' Qualities in a Few Syllables
Frr pointed out this interesting approach to the periodic table: Haiku. This might even help you remember the elements.
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Lyrics and all can be found here: /ex
lyrics and quicktime versions of Tom Lehrer's Elements song
And it would be even better if 5-7-5 wasn't just a Western convenience.
None of these are true haikus. A true haiku has 5-7-5 sylables and must have a kigo or seasonal theme.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Well, the 5-7-5 is often adhered to in Japanese haiku, but as I understand it, the idea of the haiku is to express some thought with a certain sort of spontenaity. It's more about method than form. The idea is to be contemplating some idea, and then simply write the haiku immediately without deliberating about how to fit it into some arbitrary form. My understanding is that the 5-7-5 myth is akin to "Columbus discovered america" that I also learned in 4th grade -- it's so oversimplified that it is no longer strictly true.
Yeah... Up until recently (I think, he migh still be teaching, but I didn't see his name) he was a teacher of a core class at UCSC-- The first time I'd found out who sung poisoning pigeons in the park...
/Ex
*sigh* memories...
00
It shames me to say,
but there are some truly bad
Haikus on the page
01
The page we just read
contained incorrect haikus
too few syllables
02
Those that follow rules
all have seven syllables
surrounded by five
03
Count my syllables
and you will understand it
An acquired taste
Anyone who knows any Japanese should be aware that the Japanese don't use plurals like that. So we have one haiku and we have many haiku. No plurals. Please stop saying 'haikus'. Thanks.
I hope it goes without saying that I expect and look forward to many nonsensical racist replies.
Actually, at the bottom of the page with the "Periodic table of Haiku", theres a link to the "Periodic table of Poetry" (http://superdeluxe.com/elemental/) which apparently served as inspiration for the Haiku one. But it doesnt seem to be complete though.
The full quote is usually translated into English as "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. If you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you".
Here's the link:
Tom Lehrer's song of The Elements
There is a QuickTime recording of one of Tom's early performances of it, as well as the lyrics.
Wow, that brings back memories.
Kr (Krypton) has a valence of 0. It's a noble gas.
Cr (Cromium) has a valence of 3.
So the rhyme I taught should probably be:
HAgLiNaK, HAgLiNaK
CuBaCaFePbZnMg
AlFeBiNiCr, AlFeBiNiCr
SiC SiC SiC
Pronounced the same way, of course.
I appreciate your catching my error. Thanks.
There is a very good animated flash version of that song available here .
I'm sorry to say, but most of them I read are NOT the correct form of Haiku. I believe it was posted earlier, but buried in a response, that the correct Haiku form is 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. The only one I can remember reading that is correct is Hydrogen.
Even worse, most of them are nonsense freeform poetry that would certainly NOT help me remember the periodic table.
Furu ikeya
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto
A very old pond.
Suddenly, in jumps a frog.
The splash of water.
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