Izumi Shikibu

thumb|Out of the dark,Into a dark pathI now must enter:Shine on me from afar,Moon of the mountain fringe! Izumi Shikibu (Japanese: 和泉式部, b. 976?) was a mid Heian period Japanese poet. Quotes 暗きより暗き道にぞ入りぬべき遙かに照らせ山の端の月 Kuraki yoriKuraki michi ni zolrinubekiHaruka ni teraseYama no ha no tsuki. Out of the dark,Into a dark pathI now must enter:Shine on me from afar,Moon of the mountain fringe! Translated by Arthur Waley "Said to be [Izumi Shikibu's] death-verse; the moon may refer to Buddha's teachings." Anthology Of Japanese Literature (1955) by Donald Keene, p. 92 Included in the Shūi Wakashū (c. 1005) Quotes about Izumi Shikibu Lady Izumi Shikibu corresponds charmingly, but her behaviour is improper indeed. She writes with grace and ease and with a flashing wit. There is fragrance even in her smallest words. Her poems are attractive, but they are only improvisations which drop from her mouth spontaneously. Every one of them has some interesting point, and she is acquainted with ancient literature also, but she is not like a true artist who is filled with the genuine spirit of poetry. Yet I think even she cannot presume to pass judgment on the poems of others. Murasaki Shikibu, The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu (c. 1010). In: Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan, edited and translated by Annie Shepley Omori and Kochi Doi, 1920. Available at English Wikisource. External links Category:Poets from Japan Category:10th century births Category:11th century deaths Category:People from Kyoto Category:Buddhists from Japan Category:Buddhism and women