The book includes a collection of poems and a poetic diary of one of the best poets of the Heian era (X-XI centuries), Izumi Shikibu. This amazing woman, who lived about a thousand years ago, stands at the very origins of Japanese belles lettres, along with her great contemporary Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji. The poetic gift of Izumi Shikibu was highly appreciated by his contemporaries, and especially by his descendants. Her poems have appeared in all leading poetry anthologies since the end of the 10th century. Her love lyrics were especially popular. Using all the poetic techniques of that time, she knew how, like no one else, to fill her poems with living, sincere feeling. Published in Russian for the first time.