A hokku by Kitō Takai (1741-89) a student of Buson:
Kuren to su haru no kurui ya arare furu
Dusk is-becoming spring’s madness ya hail falls
As twilight comes,
Spring’s madness —
Falling hail.
It is a rather obvious verse, expressing the inconstant, unpredictable nature of early spring weather. It is not one of the better hokku, because the writer’s comment “spring’s madness” is an interpretation. It is preferable in hokku to just present an event, rather than commenting on or interpreting it. We call such added comments and interpretations “thinking,” and it is best avoided in hokku.
HOKKU 
It is always great to hear your interpretation and knowledge of Hokku. I hope all is well with you. Hope the weather is warmer where your are than here where I am in Michigan. May Spring come soon for all of us.
Greetings David,
Thanks so much! It may not be “one of the better hokku” but is really quite nice!
Best,
Bob (Brother Nicholas OblOSB)
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Reading your posts is always enlightening. Today, I really have some time to do it:
Watching my students
brooding over exam questions
spring is at the door
Cheers, Thomas
To make this a better hokku we should not use a “thinking” word like “madness.”
If you were to write this, what word would you have used instead of “madness?” In other words, what word would make this a “better” hokku? Perhaps “fluctuations?”
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A bigger change, like “Erratic spring” would work.
David