Lady Ise (伊勢 or 伊勢の御息所 Ise no miyasudokoro) (c. 875 – c. 938)[1] was a female Japanese poet in the Imperial court's waka tradition. She was born the Fujiwara no Tsugukage of Ise, and eventually became the lover of the Prince Atsuyoshi and a concubine to Emperor Uda; her son by him was Prince Yuki-Akari.[2]
Her poems were emblematic of the changing styles of the time, and 22[3][4] of them were included in the Kokin Wakashū.
She is not to be confused with Ise no Taiu, a later poet with a similar name.
Hanging from the branches of a green
Willow tree,
The spring rain
Is a
Thread of pearls. (Composed on the topic "Thread of Pearls" [5])
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? -(from the Hyakunin Isshu)