The evil spirit admitted to Genji that it had been in possession of Murasaki's body because, as the spirit stated "I have wanted you to suffer as I suffered." (Murasaki 2001) It may be true that both Sappho and Murasaki Shikibu were aristocrats, and thus afforded the ability to engage in artistic endeavors primarily reserved for men
For instance, Sappho was involved in a relationship with a young woman named Atthis; and expressed her love for the girl stating, "I loved you, Atthis, once long ago, a little child you seemed to me and graceless." (Sappho "Atthis" [fragment 49]) in accordance with the style of the time, Sappho wrote her poems to be performed with musical accompaniment, and because this music was almost exclusively performed with a lyre, artists who created in this style are called "lyrists