Lady Ise

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13th century Satake 36poets
Ise by Kanō Tan'yū, 1648

Lady Ise (伊勢, c. 875 – c. 938),[1] also known as Ise no Miyasudokoro (伊勢の御息所), was a Japanese poet in the Imperial court's waka tradition. She was born to Fujiwara no Tsugukage [ja] of Ise Province, and eventually became the lover of the Prince Atsuyoshi [ja] and a concubine to Emperor Uda; her son by him was Prince Yuki-Akari.[2] She also had a daughter with Prince Atsuyoshi called Nakatsukasa.[3]

Her poems were emblematic of the changing styles of the time, and 22 of them were included in the Kokin Wakashū.[4]

One of her poems was included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.

Poems[edit]

Japanese Rōmaji English translation

青柳の
枝にかかれる
春雨は
糸もてぬける
玉かとぞ見る

Aoyagi no
Eda ni kakareru
Harusame wa
Ito motenukeru
Tama ka to zo miru

Hanging from the branches of a green
Willow tree,
The spring rain
Is a
Thread of pearls.[5]


難波潟
みじかき芦の
ふしのまも
あはでこの世を
過ぐしてよとや

Naniwa-gata
Mijikaki ashi no
Fushi no ma mo
Awade kono yo o
Sugushite yo to ya

Even for a time
Short as a piece of the reeds
In Naniwa's marsh,
We must never meet again:
Is this what you are asking me?

References[edit]

  1. ^ "A Celebration of Women Writers: I Listings".
  2. ^ pg 141 of Woman poets of Japan, 1977, Kenneth Rexroth, Ikuko Atsumi, ISBN 0-8112-0820-6; previously published as The Burning Heart by The Seabury Press.
  3. ^ "Lady Ise • . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史". . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  4. ^ "2001 Waka - Ise". Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2010-10-16.
  5. ^ "Nonduality Salon Highlights, #1198".

External links[edit]