Murasaki Shikibu ( ç `` å 1\/4 é 973 ? Murasaki Shikibu ( ç `` å 1\/4 é ; c. 973 -- c. 1014 or 1025 ) , or Lady Murasaki as she is often known in English , was a Japanese novelist , poet , and a maid of honor of the imperial court during the Heian period of Japan .