Lady Ukon
- Period: Heian Period
- Occupation: Poet / Lady-in-waiting
- Family: Fujiwara no Suenawa (father? brother?)
- Birth: fl.10th century
- Death: –
Lady Ukon
Lady Ukon (右近) was the daughter or younger sister of Fujiwara no Suenawa who flourished during the 10th century.
During her life she was a poet and lady-in-waiting to Fujiwara no Onshi II.
The Tales of Yamato relate to us that she had many love affairs with members of the Fujiwara Clan as well as others.
In regards to her poems, we can find nine in the Imperial Anthologies.1
One of her poems (No.38) can be found in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu and goes as follows:
| Japanese text2 | Romanized Japanese1 | English translation1 |
|---|---|---|
| 忘らるる 身をば思はず 誓ひてし 人の命の 惜しくもあるかな | Wasuraruru mi o ba omowazu chikaiteshi hito no inochi no oshiku mo aru kana | Though you have forgotten me, I do not worry about myself, but how I fear for you, as you swore before the gods of your undying love. |
Footnotes
1. MacMillan, P. (2018) ”One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Verse”. St. Ives: Penguin Classics.
2. Suzuki, H. et al. (1997) ”Genshoku: Ogura Hyakunin Isshu”. Tokyo: Bun’eidō.
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