あらざらむ

この世の外の

思ひ出に

今ひとたびの

逢ふこともがな  

いずみしきぶ

あらざらん

このよのほかの

おもいでに

いまひとたびの

あうこともがな

Lady Izumi Shikibu

Soon I will leave this world

For another place,

Taking as a memory

Only this one moment

When I see you one last time.

Hokusai

Izumi Shikibu (b. 976? - lived until about 1020), was the daughter of Oe no Masamune, governor of Echizen and her mother was the daughter of Taira no Yasuhira, governor of Etchu. Her name is a composite of ‘Izumi’ (the name of the province where her husband, Tachibana no Michisada, was governor) and her father’s official designation of master of ceremony. Her daughter, Koshikibu no Naishi (poem 60), was also a gifted poet. Shikibu is one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets. Her life of love and passion earned her the nickname of the Floating Lady (ukarejo) from Michinaga. She wrote the Izumi Shikibu Nikki, which  is a semi-autobiographical novel and the Izumi Shikibu Monogatari. She knew Murasaki Shikibu (poem 57), Akazome Emon (poem 59), Ise no Dayu (poem 61) and Sei Shonagon (poem 62) very well. She was a very creative poet.

The notes to this poem mention that it was sent to someone when the poet was very ill. We do not know who that person was. It is considered to be a love poem by some, others believe it was sent to a group of friends.

On the Hokusai drawing we see the poet lying in bed, her servant is buying a tanzaku from the fortune-teller, a slip of paper with a prescription or prediction for the future, a typical scene from Hokusai’s own time.

Izumi Shikibu by Yosai