The early Japanese poets overcame the limitations of the Japanese language both by attuning their ears to the music of the words and by capitalizing on the large incidence of homonyms. They settled the matter of meter, as noted, by prescribing the number of syllables per line, with the principal form being five lines with syllable counts of 5,7,5,7, and 7. This thirty-one-syllable poem, known as the _waka_, became the Japanese "sonnet" and by far the most popular poetic form during the Heian era. Almost all a poet can do in five lines, however, is to record a single emotion or observation. The medium governed the message, causing Japanese poets early on to explore their hearts more than their minds. The _waka_ became a cry of passion; a gentle confirmation of love; a lament for the brevity of blossoms, colored leaves, the seasons, life itself. A sampling of _waka _from the early classical era shows the aesthetic sense of the seasons and lyric charm of these verses. _Tsuki ya aranu _ Can it be that the moon has changed? _Haru ya mukashi no _ Can it be that the spring _Haru naranu _ Is not the spring of old times? _Waga mi hitotsu wa _ Is it my body alone _Moto no mi nishite _ That is just the same?3 Judged on its concentrated power alone, for this is virtually all an English reader can evaluate, this poem is a masterpiece. Its content can be condensed into five lines because much of its impact lies in its suggestiveness. It is, however, closed-ended, with no philosophical implications other than a wry look at human perceptions. Haiku added new dimensions to Japanese poetry. The early aristocratic era gave Japanese poetry its form, the five-line _waka_, and its subject matter, nature and the emotions. Later the familiar Japanese idea that life is but a fleeting moment and all things must blossom and fade was added. One critic has noted that as this idea took hold, poems gradually changed from praise of the plum blossom, which lasts for weeks, to praise of the cherry blossom, which fades in a matter of days. _Hisakata no _On a day in spring _Hikari nodokeki _When the light throughout the sky _Haru no hi ni _Warms with tranquility. _Shizugokoro naku _Why is it with unsettled heart _Hana no chiru ran _That the cherry flowers fall?4