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Ono no Komachi
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I lived from 833-857.
I was from Japan, and am in the Asian category.
One of Japan's greatest female poets was Ono no Komachi. There is some uncertainty about the dates of her birth and death. It is generally agreed that she lived within the time span of 833 - 857. Very little is known about her life. It is believed that she came from a literary family and was an attendant to Emperor Nimmei. Although as many as 100 poems have been attributed to her, only 18 have been identified as being written by Ono no Komachi. Despite this small literary output, the quality of her poetry gained her much fame and she was later named one of Japan's "Six Immortals of Poetry". Her poetry is very passionate and complex, containing multiple entendres and metaphors.
Read full description by phatalvision - Old Poetry Team...
All of Komachi's poems were written in the tanka (or waka) form which has 5 lines containing 31 syllables. The pattern of syllables is 5,7,5,7,7. Letters were often exchanged between lovers in the form of a tanka during this time period in Japan. Occasionally one would write and send the first three lines (5,7,5) and the other would respond with the last two lines (7,7). This practice gave birth to haiku (5,7,5 lines).
Within a century after her death, Ono no Komachi became the source of many legends. All are based on her unparalleled beauty and erotically charged poetry. Five modern Noh plays are based on her life. Many stories tell of her amorous adventures and how she often broke the hearts of her suitors. It is said that she fell from grace and was reduced to the life of a beggar, eventually dying on a highway dressed in rags. She was buried at that spot and a shrine exists today where she was interred.
Sources:
www.washburn.edu
www.gotterdammerung.org
womensearlyart.net
www.encyclopedia.com
www.sacred-texts.com\
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