[2] In such a position, it indicates a pause, both rhythmically and grammatically, and may lend an emotional flavour to the phrase preceding it.
[3] Classical renga developed a tradition of 18 kireji, which were adopted by haikai, thence used for both renku and haiku,[4] the most common of which are listed below:[5] Hokku and haiku consist of 17 Japanese syllables, or on (a phonetic unit identical to the mora), in three metrical phrases of 5, 7, and 5 on respectively.
[8] Placed elsewhere in the verse, a kireji performs the paradoxical function of both cutting and joining; it not only cuts the ku into two parts, but also establishes a correspondence between the two images it separates, implying that the latter represents the poetic essence (本意, hon'i) of the former,[9] creating two centres and often generating an implicit comparison, equation, or contrast between the two separate elements.
In English-language haiku and hokku, as well as in translations of such verses into this language, kireji may be represented by punctuation (typically by a dash or an ellipsis), an exclamatory particle (such as 'how...'), or simply left unmarked.
The examples below are laid out as follows: spring going— birds crying and tears in the eyes of fish how cool the feeling of a wall against the feet— siesta