Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Buddhist : Zen / Chan

11th Century

Japan
(East Asia)

Izumi Shikibu

Timeline (974? - 1034?)

Poems by Izumi Shikibu
Books - Links

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Izumi Shikibu is one of the towering figures of Japanese literature. She lived in Kyoto and was an official companion to the empress. She married young, but scandalized the court by abandoning her husband to become the lover of one of the empress's sons. When the prince died a few years later, she took a series of other lovers before eventually marrying for a second time.

She was a social rebel, but willing to be fully engaged in her life. And, like her personal life, Shikibu's poetry mixes elements of eros with the deep awareness that comes from Buddhist meditative practice.

Poems by Izumi Shikibu

	Although the wind
	I cannot say
	Watching the moon

Recommended Books

The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell

Amazon.com

Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women, Edited by Jane Hirshfield

Amazon.com

Related Links:

	The Diary of Izumi Shikibu http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/omori/court/izumi.html Text from the diary of Izumi Shikibu, including many of her poems.

Please support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you!

Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Izumi Shikibu

Daily Poem Email

Support the Poetry Chaikhana

Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World