Haiku in Translation: Treasures of the Deep Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Haiku is a major form of Japanese verse written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5,7,5, and usually having a natural theme. Sometimes haiku are coupled into strings of two or more. What is the subject of the following haiku string? Opalescent rush Of milky iridescence Red-flush arms abound Crimson tinctures call Filmy white - silken candles Fall on shallow ground

Answer: common squid mating

The common squid is a deep sea-dwelling squid also known as the opalescent squid (Loligo opalescens). They mate in shallow waters. The males blush red to draw attention from their female counterparts. The eggs are deposited onto the sea bed in soft white casings.

2. Haiku are usually not rhymed, but you'll notice that I've experimented with rhyming techniques in this collection. Read the following string carefully. The creature described is commonly found washed up on South African shores. Determine which sea creature this string is referring to. Filmy shadow blues Colonize the speckled strand Tenderly deflate Upper margin hues Pink and green catch the sun, and Signal thus their fate

Answer: bluebottle

The bluebottle (Physalia physalis) is more commonly known as the Portuguese Man-of-War. It is not a single animal, but a colony of four types of highly specialized individuals (or polyps) including the float (pneumatophore), tentacles (dactylozooids), digestive polyps (gastrozooids), and reproductive polyps (gonozooids). The float or sail of bluebottles is predominantly blue, but the upper margin is often tinted with shades of iridescent pink or green. In bluebottles, it may project either to the left or right so that if the wind strands some on the shore, those sailing on the opposite side of the wind will escape.

This collection is carefully constructed, and each word is specifically chosen to provide detail. Take the word 'strand' here. It has three separate but related meanings. 1) The stranding of bluebottles; 2) as a synonym of beach; 3) as the Afrikaans word for beach, to signify the fact that bluebottles are commonly found on the shores of South Africa.

3. Haiku are short poems, but that doesn't mean they have to be simple. A carefully constructed haiku can convey an incredible amount of meaning. There isn't much room to work with, so careful word choice is important. Read the following haiku, and notice the choice of wording. Which sea creature is being described? Dorsal spurs beware Let not brindled feather looks Malice thus belie

Answer: lionfish

The lionfish (Pterois volitans) has fan-like pectoral and long feather like venomous dorsal spines for defense.

Notice how the words are carefully chosen to describe this creature. 'Brindled' here means 'having a gray or brown streak pattern', and 'malice' is a synonym for 'venom'.

4. The purpose of this haiku collection is two-fold. First, it is meant to encourage the reader to explore the wonders of the deep, and to learn something about the diversity, beauty, and complexity of life in our oceans. Second, it is to involve the reader in the process of education. It is by no means a straightforward description, but a colorful use of language that will require the reader to engage in the process to solve the mysteries. Solve this mystery: what type of creature is being referred to in the haiku that follows? Vermilion fringe On sluggish bottom dweller Showy Spanish shawl

Answer: nudibranch

If you understood that a nudibranch is a sea slug, then this one should have been a dead giveaway. What better clue than 'sluggish'? The particular creature referred to is called the Spanish shawl (Flabellina iodinea). That was another clue.

5. Since we know there isn't much room to work with in merely 17 syllables, it often requires a fair amount of creative skill to capture the subject in a way that does it justice. The lines below highlight three important characteristic features of the sea creature described. What is the subject? Ternion pulse, this Marvel of (flam)buoyancy Sea chameleon

Answer: cuttlefish

Specifically, this haiku refers to Pfeffer's flamboyant cuttlefish. Notice the creative use and manipulation of language to use the space effectively. 'Ternion' means three-hearted. Since they are highly active, cuttlefish (and ocotpi) have three hearts to pump blood more efficiently.

The manipulation, '(flam)buoyancy' is a combination 1) to describe its flamboyant nature, and 2) to point to its complex buoyancy system which operates much like submarines do. 'Sea chameleons' refers to the fact that these cuttlefish are called chameleons of the sea for their amazing ability to change color. Flamboyant cuttlefish have an impressive collection of chromatophores for this purpose.

6. One very effective creative device to think about when writing haiku is to choose words that accomplish multiple tasks at once. In this next haiku for example, one word in particular functions to express two important descriptive meanings. Keep that in mind as you make your choice for which creature is being described. Supernally this Cerulean nebula Radiates the deep

Answer: moon jellyfish

Some fantastic images have been captured of the the moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita). Viewed against a dark background from below, some specimens resemble a galaxy. The key word in this one was 'Radiates'. Like a galaxy of stars, the moon jellyfish appears to radiate light. It is also a radiate animal, meaning it (the float) is constructed symmetrically about a central point.

7. The form of Haiku might seem restrictive to some, but there really are endless possibilities. New poets might even find that it actually provides a nice framework to get the creative juices flowing. It's also an excellent way to pick up some new vocabulary, if you do your homework. You might know something about the next subject. It is, after all, considered one of the most venomous known sea creatures. Read the haiku and make your choice. Prognosticating Death 'gainst shades of umber hue Cobalt circlets flash

Answer: blue-ringed octopus

As small as a golf ball, the blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) has been said to carry enough venom to kill 28 human adults. 'Umber', meaning 'dark dusky brown' is an important hint in this one.

8. Interestingly, the type of creature described in this next haiku was the subject of an entire series of over 1,000 haiku translated from Japanese into English for a book in 2003. What type of creature is it? Benthal candy cane Herringbone-like redlined white Holothurian

Answer: sea cucumber

Sea cucumbers have inspired thousands of haiku in Japan. The characters used to refer to them can be translated 'sea mice'. In English translations of these haiku, they are usually called 'sea slugs'. The title of the book referenced in the question is "Rise, Ye Sea Slugs!" authored by Robin D. Gill. According to biologists 'sea slug' is a term reserved only for the nudibranch, and 'sea cucumber' is the correct term for holothurians.

'Benthal' in this one means bottom-dwelling. 'Candy cane' and 'Herringbone-like redlined white' refer to the pattern of the candy cane sea cucumber (Thelenota rubralineata) in particular.

9. Haiku are often epigrammatic, meaning witty or pithy. The following haiku is an attempt at a sort of epigrammaticsm. See if you can catch the wit, and in doing so, determine which creature is being described. Rooty tentacled Yellow namako scavenge Celebesian reef Found in a pickle Sticky threads (eviscerates) Grants itself relief

Answer: yellow sea cucumber

'Namako' is the Japanese word for sea cucumber. The yellow sea cucumber (Pentacta lutea) uses root-like tentacles to sift for food. When threatened (found in a pickle), some holothurians will eviscerate or expel their internal organs to distract predators and swim to safety. Celebes is an older name for the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, where these creatures are commonly found.

10. Notice the rhyming in the following haiku. This is a very descriptive haiku, and each word is an important clue as to the identity of the subject. The creature described has been noted for some very unique behavior. What creature am I referring to? Backward bipedals Sulawesi mimicry Tiptoe coconut Warily settles Fabricated gimmickry Oval-shelled field hut

Answer: coconut octopus

The coconut octopus (Octopus marginatus) is one of two species in which bipedal movement has been observed. The coconut octopus is found off the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, where coconut shells litter the sea bed. These shells are often employed by the octopus as a fort (which 'field hut' refers to).

When threatened, the coconut octopus will backpedal on two tentacles while wrapping its other tentacles tightly around itself. In so doing it mimics the floating coconuts and is able to escape without notice.

The movement is faster than crawling, but less noticeable than jet propulsion. This bipedal behavior is exciting because it has applications for soft robotics.

Source: Author JCSon

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

This quiz is based on original Haiku from a collection centered on exotic sea creatures. Your task is simple: interpret each poem and select its subject.

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